Student course evaluations were collected from four sections of finance course (two included focus groups). Student recommendations were implemented in all four. Students in focus group sections reported higher satisfaction with the course, perhaps due to the Hawthorne Effect. (SK)

Focus groups with British school and college headteachers (n=12) holding degrees in educational management identified important management competencies (ability to learn, to act decisively, to think globally). Managerial knowledge, skills, and higher order capacities need to be targeted specifically as each requires a difference development…

Offers advice to recruiters working on college campuses on how they can create a positive image with students and career services personnel. States that a good recruiting organization knows its customers, creates programs with the customer in mind, chooses its recruiting team well, and fosters strong relationships with campus partners. (MKA)

Six focus groups with 49 rural residents identified concerns about balancing work and family (time, energy, conflicting demands, child care), causes of imbalance, and types of help needed. Results were used to plan programs on time and resource management, meal planning, and relationship skills. (SK)

Analysis of focus groups of beginning special education teachers, teacher mentors, and administrators considers the needs of beginning special education teachers, forms of needed support, content of needed support, and the sense of isolation and need for support. Implications for teacher induction and teacher mentoring programs are drawn, also…

Presents results from a series of interviews and focus groups of engineering faculty and students regarding the use of teams in their courses and the benefits and challenges they believe are a direct outcome of team-oriented approaches in engineering. (Author/CCM)

Reports on Nevada's substance abuse prevention programs for youth. The overall prevention system in the state espouses a "risk and resiliency" approach. Analysis of the programs, using a focus group methodology, yields findings about potential outcomes as well as implicit program theories. Implications for planning and further evaluation…

A literature review, focus groups (n=200), and questionnaire responses from 324 family physicians identified their learning needs related to osteoporosis. The three methods identified different learning issues, suggesting the importance of triangulation to ensure currency and relevance in continuing-education needs-assessment. (SK)

Reports on the first phase of a project to identify and implement user-based design criteria in World Wide Web pages. Focus group interviews and questionnaires were used to identify the criteria that influence use of the Web and to analyze them within the context of the users' information-gathering behavior. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the potential of focus groups to address balance of power and empowerment issues in nursing research. Explains the need to involve diverse stakeholders in curriculum development, student evaluation, and appraisals of students' perceptions of their experiences. (Contains 52 references.) (SK)

Presents a review of existing taxonomies of communication strategies and results of related research involving a focus group of 68 students, which aimed to discover new strategies within the (Croatian) culture which has evaded foreign researchers. Declares that nine strategies emerged and quantifies the new strategies. Discusses differences…

Describes focus groups for therapists and supervisors practicing home-based therapy. Identifies eight topics challenging to therapists and necessary for home-based practice (i.e., crisis and safety issues, multiproblem families, therapist demoralization). Recommends focus group methodology as useful tool to assess training needs and for promoting…

Describes a study at the University of Idaho that used focus groups to explore information seeking methods and how they had changed over the past few years. Highlights include information sources; criteria used to judge information sources; obstacles to finding information; time spent; values and emotions; and the ideal information source. (LRW)

Analysis of three focus groups of educators who advocate for special education students found that educators: (1) believe there are personal and professional risks associated with advocacy; (2) want training in the areas of special education law, communication skills, collaboration and conflict resolution, and teacher advocacy; and (3) need…

Student focus groups persuaded a Kentucky school district to modify a proposed security plan. The Partnership for Kentucky Schools, a coalition of business working for continuous improvement, has produced a detailed guide "Turn Up the Volume: The Students Speak Toolkit" for schools seeking to conduct quality research. (MLF)