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NELA Principal Academy Harnessing the Power of a Focus Group
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Transcript of NELA Principal Academy Harnessing the Power of a Focus Group
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
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
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?
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
• 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
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?