Used concept mapping, along with other analytical techniques, to examine and address barriers to African-American families' involvement in the treatment of family members with mental illness. Focus groups recommended a variety of strategies for improving caregiver supports and for increasing the involvement of caregivers in the treatment process.…

Presents findings from focus group discussions that examined high school students' perceptions of human sexuality education. Results found considerable consensus among students. Students believed effective sexuality education covered many topics, including emotional/social aspects of sexuality and relationships, and they advocated starting such…

Although school restructuring often calls for modifying the roles and responsibilities of teachers, students, and administrators, most restructuring efforts involve educators, not students. A team of university researchers trained high school sophomores as documenters of the school restructuring process. These documenters helped develop the…

Describes the methodology used (focus groups, classroom observations, interviews, questionnaires, and surveys) and results of the Greenwich (Connecticut) Public Schools' external evaluation of their kindergarten through grade 8 program for gifted and talented students. Also discussed are the implementation of the findings and recommendations into…

Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with 187 individuals including family members of children with a disability, individuals with a disability, family of children without a disability, service providers, and administrators. Ten domains of family quality of life were identified and described in terms of subdomains, indicators, and…

Analysis of 143 educator interviews and 40 student focus groups showed that educators in a school-based substance use and drug education program in California used a no-substance-use approach through fear messages. Survey responses of 5,045 secondary school students showed that students were not very greatly influenced. (SLD)

In 1995, Public Agenda and the Institute for Educational Leadership joined forces to develop a means for citizens, community leaders, and educators to hold public conversations on issues facing America's schools. Conversations help community members build common ground for improving schools. Success hinges on credible local sponsors, group…

Focus group interviews were conducted with 38 Hispanic parents of youth or young adults with developmental disabilities. Findings suggest Hispanic parents have a diversity of hopes and expectations concerning future living, employment, and free-time options for their children with disabilities. Key recommendations focus on implications for…

Looks at how young people use historical knowledge, gained from media sources, to deal with current situations. A group of young African Americans draw on behavioral examples from the film, "Panther," instead of school-based learning, to give them ways to deal with the Ku Klux Klan in their neighborhood. (DAJ)

Lewiston-Porter is a suburban western New York district with 2,700 students and a history of budget and bond referenda defeats. This article describes the district's development and implementation of a school-community communication system. The multiple strategies and proactive involvement efforts changed community perspective and facilitated a…

Outlines methodology employed during six-month period to integrate quantitative and qualitative research results. The project, involving mainstreamed learning-disabled students' problems with homework assignments, was designed to study educational issues through use of directed focus groups in which groups discuss specific topic in detail.…

Presents suggestions for the implementation of focus groups among Latino farmworkers in the United States. Recommendations are based on a study of risk factors for HIV and AIDS among Latino farmworkers. They center on group membership, facilitation, and the focus group process. (SLD)

Electronic focus groups with professors that explored their attitudes toward instructional technology provided data for a theoretical framework. Findings indicated that they have concerns about the ability of such technology to enhance student learning, and many view it simply as a tool for information dissemination and not as a networking medium.…

Describes action research conducted at two universities in the United Kingdom to discover how students learn in different disciplines. Results of questionnaires and focus group interviews are presented that discuss how learning takes place; different learning outcome demands of different disciplines; and differences in knowledge structures,…

Describes the results of the American Chemical Society Public Outreach Office's research program to measure the impact of the Kids & Chemistry program on both the children and the volunteer scientists. Highlights include objectives of the program, pretest research, focus group results, field tests, and pre- and posttest survey results.…