Exploring Middle School Students’ Perspectives on Utilizing Serious Games for Cancer Prevention Education: A Focus Group Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.31172 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Olufunmilola Abraham ◽

Lisa Szela ◽

Mahnoor Khan ◽

Amrita Geddam

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Serious Games ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Cancer Education ◽

School Students ◽

Prevention Education

BACKGROUND Cancer in the United States is a leading cause of mortality. Educating adolescents about cancer risks can improve awareness and introduce healthy lifestyle habits. Public health efforts have made significant progress in easing the burden of cancer through the promotion of early screening and healthy lifestyle advocacy. However, there are limited interventions that educate the adolescent population about cancer prevention. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of serious games (SGs) to teach adolescents about healthy lifestyle choices, but limited research has examined the utility of using SGs to educate youth specifically on cancer prevention. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate middle school students’ preferences for the use of SGs for cancer prevention education. The study also characterized the students’ perceptions of desired game design features for a cancer prevention SG. METHODS Focus groups were conducted to allow adolescents to review a game playbook and discuss gaming behaviors and preferences for a SG for cancer education. The game playbook was developed based on Cancer, Clear & Simple, a curriculum intended to educate individuals about cancer, prevention, self-care, screening, and detection. In the game, the player learns that they have cancer and is given the opportunity to go back in time to reduce their cancer risk. A focus group discussion guide was developed and consisted of questions about aspects of the playbook and participants’ gaming experience. Adolescents were eligible to participate if they were ages 12 to 14 years, could speak and understand English, and had parents who could read English or Spanish. Each focus group consisted of five to ten adolescents. Focus groups were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed, then content and thematically analyzed by two study team members. Intercoder reliability (kappa coefficient) among the coders was reported as 0.97. Prevalent codes were identified and categorized into themes and subthemes. RESULTS A total of 18 focus groups were conducted with 139 participants from a Wisconsin middle school. Five major themes were identified: educational video games, game content, purpose of game, video gaming experience, and trends in the gaming community. Participants preferred customizable characters and realistic storylines that allowed players to make choices that affect the characters’ outcomes. Middle school students also preferred SGs over other educational methods such as lectures, books, videos, and websites. Participants designed SGs to be available across multiple platforms and suggested the use of SGs for cancer education in their school. CONCLUSIONS SGs can be a useful tool to educate adolescents about cancer prevention and risk factors. A cancer education SG should aim to teach adolescents about cancer and cancer prevention while incorporating design preferences of youth in creating the educational intervention. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

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Ortaokul Öğrencilerinin Epistemolojik İnançlarının Keşfedilmesinde Öğrenci Merkezli Bir Yaklaşım: Çiz-Yaz-Anlat Tekniği / A Student-Centered Approach to Explore Middle School Students’ Epistemological Beliefs: Draw-Write-Tell Technique

Journal of History Culture and Art Research ◽

10.7596/taksad.v7i3.1579 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 566 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Servet Üztemur ◽

Erkan Dinç

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Focus Group ◽

Epistemological Beliefs ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Word Knowledge ◽

Focus Group Interviews ◽

School Students ◽

Group Interviews ◽

Research Students

Abstract The purpose of this research is to explore the epistemological beliefs of middle school students by means of draw-write-tell technique which is formed from three phases. Designed as a qualitative phenomenological research, this study employs 96 students (51 female, 45 male) selected by convenience sampling technique. The participants were attending various grade levels of a state secondary school in Yunusemre district of Manisa province in 2017-2018 academic year. In the first stage of the research, students were asked to pencil draw five things reminding or representing them the word “knowledge”. In the second stage, each student was asked to select one drawing amongst five, which best meets the concept of “knowledge” according to her/his personal opinion and which is identified with “knowledge” the most and write down why she/he chose this one. In the third stage, a total of 12 different focus group interviews were conducted with 53 volunteering students amongst the ones having participated in the earlier research stages. The data obtained from the first stage was thematically analyzed, while the remaining data was analyzed phenomenologically. Research findings show that most of the students see the authorities and the objects out there as sources of knowledge. In the processes of knowledge acquisition, they also perceive themselves as passive recipients of any given knowledge. It is observed that it is possible to measure the epistemological beliefs of the students for the source of knowledge through the drawings and the accuracy and justification of knowledge through the written materials and focus group interviews. Research results show that draw-write-tell technique is a new approach useful and practical in measuring the epistemological beliefs of middle school students.ÖzBu araştırmanın amacı ortaokul öğrencilerinin epistemolojik inançlarını üç aşamadan oluşan çiz-yaz-anlat tekniğiyle keşfetmektir. Nitel araştırma temelinde fenomenoloji modeline göre desenlenen araştırmanın çalışma grubunu 2017-2018 öğretim yılında Manisa ili Yunusemre ilçesindeki bir devlet ortaokulunun kolay ulaşılabilir durum örneklemesi yöntemiyle her sınıf seviyesinden seçilmiş 96 öğrenci (51 kız, 45 erkek) oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmanın birinci aşamasında öğrencilere bilgi deyince akıllarına gelen beş farklı çizim (karakalem) yapmaları istenmiştir. İkinci aşamada öğrencilere bu beş çizim içerisinden kişisel görüşlerine göre bilgi kavramını en çok karşılayan ve bilgi ile en çok özdeşleşen bir tanesini seçip bu çizimi niçin seçtiklerini yazmaları istenmiştir. Üçüncü aşamada katılımcılar içerisinden gönüllülük esasına göre belirlenen 53 öğrenciyle toplam 12 odak grup görüşmesi yapılarak öğrencilerin yazdıkları metinleri daha ayrıntılı bir şekilde ifade etmeleri sağlanmıştır. Birinci aşamadan elde edilen veriler içerik olarak; ikinci ve üçüncü aşamada elde edilen veriler ise fenomenolojik olarak analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma bulguları; öğrencilerin büyük bir kısmının uzmanlar ve dış dünyadaki nesneleri bilginin kaynağı olarak gördüklerini ve bilgi edinme sürecinde kendilerini birer pasif bilgi alıcısı olarak algıladıklarını göstermiştir. Çizimler aracılığıyla öğrencilerin bilginin kaynağına yönelik; yazılı metinler ve odak grup görüşmeleriyle de bilginin kesinliği ve doğrulanması boyutuna yönelik epistemolojik inançlarının tespit edilebildiği görülmüştür. Araştırma sonuçları; yeni bir yaklaşım olan çiz-yaz-anlat tekniğinin ortaokul öğrencilerinin epistemolojik inançlarının ölçülmesinde faydalı ve kullanışlı olduğunu göstermiştir.

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Teenagers’ Public Library Needs are Difficult to Determine

Evidence Based Library and Information Practice ◽

10.18438/b8m03g ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 108

Author(s):

Jason Martin

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Public Libraries ◽

Public Library ◽

School Students ◽

The Public ◽

Level Of Satisfaction ◽

Stratified Sample

Abstract Objective – To discover the attitudes of twelve to fifteen year-olds toward the public library. Design – Mixed methodology consisting of a survey and focus groups. Setting – An Eastern Canadian regional municipality. Subjects – Twelve to fifteen year-old middle school students. Methods – Using a disproportionate stratified sample and multistage clustering, the author mailed 900 surveys to middle school students; 249 surveys were completed and usable. Those students who completed the survey and who also indicated they would be willing to participate in a focus group were randomly selected to participate in nine focus groups with between 7 to 12 students in each group. Main Results – Discrepancies exist between the teens’ level of satisfaction with the library indicated on the survey (high) and expressed in the focus groups (low). Teens seldom use the public library due to: their non-existent relationship with library staff, although teens who were “active readers” used the library more; lack of appealing programs and program promotion; no teen-focused website; poor teen facilities within the library; and an overall failure of the public libraries to include teenagers. Conclusion – Public libraries need to be more responsive to teen needs to attract teens to use the library. To uncover these needs, libraries should use mixed methods of discovery.

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An educational strategy for improving knowledge about breast and cervical cancer prevention among Mexican middle school students

Preventive Medicine Reports ◽

10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.02.006 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 250-254 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ana Laura Calderón- Garcidueñas ◽

Yolanda Flores-Peña ◽

Silvia De León-Leal ◽

Carlos Alberto Vázquez-Martínez ◽

Ana Gabriela Farías-Calderón ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Cervical Cancer ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Cervical Cancer Prevention ◽

Educational Strategy ◽

School Students ◽

Breast And Cervical Cancer

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Developing Serious Games to Improve Learning and Increase Interest in STEM Careers for Middle School Students: The Mice of Riddle Place®

Communications in Computer and Information Science - Immersive Learning Research Network ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-41769-1_11 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 132-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Charles Raffety ◽

Theodore Prawat ◽

Jonathon Richter ◽

Raymond F. Hamilton ◽

Melisa Schelvan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Serious Games ◽

Stem Careers ◽

School Students

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The Opinions of Gifted Students about Leadership Training

Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies ◽

10.29333/ejecs/73 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 41 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Uzeyir Ogurlu ◽

Mehmet Naci Sevim

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Focus Group ◽

Leadership Training ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Gifted Students ◽

Leadership Education ◽

School Students ◽

Science And Art ◽

Gifted Middle School Students

The aim of this research was to identify gifted middle school students’ opinions and suggestions about leadership and leadership education. For this purpose, 65 gifted middle school students who have been attending the Science and Art Center were interviewed by using the focus group. The gifted students were asked open-ended questions about leadership and leadership training. Qualitative content analysis was employed. The results of the focus group interviews showed that majority of gifted students did not want to be a leader in the future because of some reasons including lack of self-confidence and avoiding taking responsibility. But the majority believed that leadership could be improved through training and wanted to participate in leadership training in schools. The participants suggested some various ways for leadership improvement of students in the schools such as teamwork or giving responsibilities.

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