Lessons Learned: One Experience With Focus Groups in a School Setting

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara J. Patterson ◽  
Lynn E. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Low Income ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Research Process ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Focus Group Research

Focus group research is an effective way for school nurses to gain knowledge about a diverse range of issues that children in schools may face. It is a means to gather information about perceptions, feelings, points of view, and manners of thinking from a group of individuals about a specific topic. This article overviews focus groups as a research methodology and describes an experience of using them to gain information about low-income caretakers’ knowledge of childhood nutrition. Several important lessons were learned from this study. These included the need to be flexible during the research process, to be creative in recruitment strategies, to maintain open communication with all the involved parties, and to share enthusiasm for the study. Learning more about children and their families can assist school nurses in planning and implementing interventions that enhance health and school achievement.

Education Research with Electronic Focus Groups

2011 ◽  
pp. 345-357
Author(s):  
Kathryn Moyle ◽  
Robert Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Ethical Problems ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Focus Group Research ◽  
Innovative Tool ◽  
Traditional Approaches

An emerging trend in education research methods is to integrate digital technologies into the research process. Electronic focus groups represent one such innovation. Drawing on four examples of research and practice undertaken using a synchronous, digital system, this chapter reflects on how an innovative tool can assist in focus group research in the fields of school and higher education. The examples presented illustrate how some of the theoretical, practical and ethical problems that have arisen with traditional approaches to focus groups research can be overcome. It is anticipated that reflecting on such experiences and building upon the findings of these research projects will enable an understandings about the potential for innovative practices in education research that are possible with digital technologies.

Reading Nursing Research: Easy as ABCD

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 326-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Frame ◽  
Lynn Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Professional Practice ◽  
Nursing Practice ◽  
Research Study ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Research Process ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
School Nursing ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Straightforward Method

Professional practice is built on sound knowledge specific to each discipline. This knowledge is developed and validated through a process of scientific investigation or research. However, lack of knowledge about the research process acts as a barrier to applying evidence-based practice within the school setting. Understanding the components that make up a research study facilitates critical analysis and application in school nursing practice. This article describes a straightforward method for analyzing research studies, enabling school nurses to understand and apply current research in their daily practice.

scholarly journals Advantages, Disadvantages, and Lessons Learned in Conducting Telephone Focus Groups to Discuss Biospecimen Research Concerns of Individuals Genetically at Risk for Cancer

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Koskan ◽  
Janique Rice ◽  
Clement Gwede ◽  
Cathy Meade ◽  
Ivana Sehovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Focus Group Research ◽  
Telecommunication Technology ◽  
Group Research

Advances in telecommunication technology allow biomedical researchers to explore new, inexpensive opportunities for conducting focus group research. This article reports our experiences using such technology to engage individuals genetically at risk for cancer about biospecimen research. Telephone-based focus groups were conducted with a total of 40 individuals, and participants were asked about their experiences and perceived benefits and limitations of participating in a telephone focus group about biospecimen research. The lessons learned can effectively be applied to other areas of health research. In particular, this method may be most useful to engage individuals who are less apt to speak in public, and/or when there are concerns over privacy if face-to-face discussions methods are used.

School Nurses’ Experiences With Medication Administration

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 281-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W. Kelly ◽  
Ann Marie McCarthy ◽  
Matthew J. Mordhorst
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Medication Administration ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Self Administration ◽  
Local School ◽  
Written Comments ◽  
Medication Administration Errors ◽  
Constant Comparative Method

This article reports school nurses’ experiences with medication administration through qualitative analyses of a written survey and focus groups. From a random sample of 1,000 members of the National Association of School Nurses, 649 (64.9%) school nurses completed the survey. The quantitative data from the survey were presented previously. However, 470 respondents provided written comments on the survey. Comments on the eight items that had the most written comments were qualitatively analyzed. In addition, to clarify information obtained from the surveys, two focus groups with local school nurses were conducted. A constant comparative method of analysis was used, and results were combined from the two data sources. The combined analyses resulted in six final categories of concern: (a) delegation of medication administration, (b) comfort with delegation, (c) self-administration of medication, (d) medication administration errors, (e) storage of medication, and (f) administration policies. The findings suggest that school nurses across the country have similar concerns regarding the administration of medications in the school setting.

Patient experiences and strategies for coping with SLE: A qualitative study

Lupus ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 096120332110160
Author(s):  
Siobhan Case ◽  
Corine Sinnette ◽  
Courtnie Phillip ◽  
Claire Grosgogeat ◽  
Karen H Costenbader ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Lupus Erythematosus ◽  
Patient Experiences ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Adult Care ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Modifiable Factors ◽  
And Coping

Objective This study explored challenges that patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and childhood-onset SLE (cSLE) face to identify modifiable influences and coping strategies in patient experiences. Methods Participants were recruited from two academic medical centers through a Lupus Registry of individuals ≥18 years old and ≥4 1997 ACR classification criteria for SLE and a centralized data repository of cSLE patients, and participated in three focus groups. Transcripts were coded thematically and adjudicated by two independent reviewers. Results Thirteen adults, 7 (54%) with cSLE, participated in focus groups. Themes were categorized into two domains: (1) challenges with SLE diagnosis and management; and (2) patient coping strategies and modifiable factors of the SLE experience. Participants identified five primary challenges: diagnostic odyssey, public versus private face of SLE, SLE-related stresses, medication adherence, and transitioning from pediatric to adult care. Coping strategies and modifiable factors included social support, open communication about SLE, and strong patient–provider relationships. Several participants highlighted positive lessons learned through their experiences with SLE, including empathy, resilience, and self-care skills. Conclusions Patients with cSLE and SLE identified common challenges, modifying influences and coping strategies based on personal experiences. A strong patient–provider relationship and trust in the medical team emerged as key modifiable factors. Deriving optimism from experiences with SLE was unique to several patients diagnosed as children or young adults. Leveraging factors that improved the participants’ experiences living with SLE may be used in future studies to address vulnerabilities in care.

‘It's Good to Talk’: The Focus Group and the Sociological Imagination

1996 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 517-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Critical Realism ◽  
Communicative Action ◽  
World View ◽  
Social Scientist ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Sociological Imagination ◽  
Focus Group Research

This paper argues that the critical social scientist can employ the focus group – group discussions focused by a facilitator around a particular topic or area of experience – to recast radically both the social relations and the object of the research process. I explore the potential of the focus group to cultivate the sociological imagination in both the facilitating social scientist and the participants: in Bhaskarian terms, a ‘transformational act’, raising consciousness and empowering participants, rupturing rather than reproducing underlying relations of exploitation and domination. The hitherto dominant forms of focus group research are criticised as being embedded in the epistemological and methodological assumptions of positivism, behaviourism and empiricism, and in social relations which service power. The qualities of the focus group which have attracted the marketer and advertiser – access to the experiential knowledge, opinions and world-view of the participants, in a context of synergic interaction – are examined. The paper argues for an alternative, radical use of focus groups, based on the new politics of knowledge associated with movements of social resistance. The relationship between this radical conception of focus groups and both Habermas's theory of communicative action and Bhaskar's critical realism is discussed and examples of the potential for focus groups to democratise governance and service provision are offered.

Using Videoconferencing Focus Groups in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research With Chinese Im/Migrants in Australia

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232110438
Author(s):  
Horas T. H. Wong ◽  
Defeng Jin ◽  
Pan Wang ◽  
Yingli Sun ◽  
Limin Mao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Sensitive Topics ◽  
Online Focus Groups ◽  
Technical Issues

Videoconferencing focus groups have emerged as a popular method for collecting qualitative data. However, its use in sexual and reproductive health research is still very much in its infancy. Based on participants’ feedback and researchers’ reflections on using videoconferencing focus groups to collect sexual and reproductive health data with 39 heterosexual and non-heterosexual Chinese im/migrants in Australia, we discuss some of the key lessons learned, and considerations involved in shifting from face-to-face to online focus groups. Overall, videoconferencing focus groups appeared to be a highly feasible and acceptable way to discuss “sensitive” topics with Chinese im/migrants. Importantly, researchers need to be both creative and reflexive during the research process and must not forget that the success of a study lies not only in troubleshooting technical issues but also in cultivating and maintaining a trusting relationship with research participants.

Seizing the Moment: Experiences of School Nurses Caring for Students With Overweight and Obesity

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 380-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Baker Powell ◽  
Martha Keehner Engelke ◽  
Janice A. Neil
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Moral Distress ◽  
School Setting ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Low Income Children ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Successful School

School nurses are well positioned to assess, intervene, and evaluate efforts to positively impact students who are overweight or obese. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to explore the experiences of school nurses providing care to children living with overweight and obesity. Data were collected through face-to-face, tape-recorded, in-depth, open-ended interviews with 10 school nurses from rural areas of North Carolina working with minority and low-income children in the public school setting. The text of the interviews was transcribed and analyzed into codes, categories, and themes. Three themes and eight subthemes were identified. The three themes were identified as (1) “jumping hurdles,” (2) “seize the moment,” and (3) “moral distress.” The findings of this study can be used to provide a better understanding of the experiences of school nurses caring for children with overweight and obesity that is necessary for planning successful school-based interventions.

scholarly journals Reimagining School Nursing: Lessons Learned From a Virtual School Nurse

2021 ◽  
pp. 1942602X2199643
Author(s):  
Bill Marrapese ◽  
Jenny M. Gormley ◽  
Kristen Deschene
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Virtual Schools ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
School Nursing ◽  
Job Description ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
Ongoing Support

The COVID-19 pandemic has required thousands of public schools to quickly adapt to hybrid or fully remote models. These new models have presented unprecedented challenges for school nurses as they learn how to optimize their interactions with parents and students to provide ongoing support and monitoring of health. The growing reliance on virtual and hybrid public education is also placing new demands on school nurses to be versed in telehealth and school physicians to support their work. Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS) and other public virtual schools have been meeting these challenges for many years prior to the pandemic and have “lessons learned” to share with traditional “brick-and-mortar” nursing staff. GCVS students benefit from a climate that rewards collaboration between the health team, parents, teachers, and administrators, and this article will describe the role, job description, and other practices related to school nursing in a primarily virtual world.

scholarly journals Conducting focus groups in neurodegenerative disease populations: ethical and methodological considerations

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e041869
Author(s):  
Annabel Jones ◽  
Philippa Morgan-Jones ◽  
Monica Busse ◽  
Victoria Shepherd ◽  
Fiona Wood
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disease ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Focus Group Research ◽  
Group Research ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
Impact Data ◽  
Based Medicine

BackgroundInvolvement of vulnerable populations in research is critical to inform the generalisability of evidence-based medicine to all groups of the population.ObjectiveIn this communication, we reflect on our previous research, and that of other authors, to identify and explore key ethical and methodological considerations.DiscussionFocus groups are a widely implemented qualitative methodology, but their use, particularly in vulnerable neurodegenerative disease populations, is not straightforward. Although the risk of harm is generally low in focus group research, neurodegenerative disease populations are particularly vulnerable to issues relating to comprehension and their capacity to consent. Physical and cognitive impairments may also affect social interactions among participants and therefore impact data collection and analyses.ConclusionWe offer a number of ethical and methodological recommendations to facilitate the processes of recruitment and data collection when conducting focus groups with neurodegenerative disease populations.

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