Description: This session explores the use of focus groups as powerful mechanism to elicit feedback from parents, teachers, students, and community members. In turn, the data collected can be used to inform data-driven decision making. Objectives: Participants will discuss how focus groups can be an effective way to collect information from stakeholders Participants will learn to how to design focus group protocols and procedures Participants will learn to how to conduct focus groups Participants will learn how to analyze focus group data to

1. Harnessing
the Power
of a
Tricia Townsend

4. 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.

6. 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

7. Designing a Focus Group

8. 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

9. Design Process

10. 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?

11. Conducting a Focus Group

12. 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

14. Focus Group Video

15. 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

16. Analyzing Data from a Focus Group

17. • Aggregate Note Sheets
• Look for patterns across different focus
groups
– What is similar?
– What is different?
• Quotes
Data Analysis

18. 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

19. •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

20. Disseminating Data from a Focus Group

22. 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?

23. For more information on interviews and focus groups…