Harnessing the Power

of a

Tricia Townsend

What is a Focus Group/Interview?

A focus group is a small panel of persons selected for their knowledge or perspective on

a topic of interest. A facilitator helps guide a discussion which identifies important ideas

and experiences about a topic.

Why do a Focus Group/Interview?

• Helps participants become a “part” of the school community

• Capitalize on group synergy

• Gather information from participants that goes beyond simple survey data

• Develop a plan of action to address issues/information that surface

Designing a Focus Group

Design Process

• Pick the topic

– school culture; 1:1 conversion

• Determine who will participate

– Parents, teachers, students, community members

• Develop 3-5 questions– Avoid simple “yes or no” questions

– Consider QUALITY questions• “How well”…“How effectively”…“In what ways”

• Select the format

– homogeneous/heterogeneous

Design Process

Plan Your Own Focus Group

• Select a topic that aligns to one of your goals

• Which voices should be heard?

• Determine 3-5 questions that you will ask

• What format will you utilize?

Conducting a Focus Group

Beginning the Interview/ Focus Group

• The first few moments in focus group discussion are critical. – must create a thoughtful, permissive

atmosphere– provide ground rules, and set the tone of the

discussion

• Much of the success of group interviewing can be attributed to the development of this open environment. –Off the record is OK

Focus Group Video

Let’s Practice

• Split into 4 groups of 5

• Share the topics you have selected

• Determine which topic/questions your team will address

• Select a facilitator and a note taker – Note Sheet

Group 1 Group 2

Group 3 Group 4

Analyzing Data from a Focus Group

• Aggregate Note Sheets • Look for patterns across different focus

groups– What is similar?– What is different?

• Quotes

Data Analysis

Qualitative Analysis

• Look for themes in the data

• In Word or PDF- highlight using different colors

• Report areas that recur in the data (common among most participants)

• Look for important/representative quotes

Data Analysis

•Access the mock qualitative data–Electronic

•Focus Group Excerpt–Paper

•Complete analysis individually•Group into distinct themes•Share with a partner•Share with the group

Data Analysis

Disseminating Data from a Focus Group

Share your results

• Which areas do you want to showcase?

• Did you find any trends that were worth noting?

• How will you share what you learned?

• How will the information spur action?

For more information on interviews and focus groups…