v5 Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissionsv5-Section A only

Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

1. JUSTIFICATION

1. Circumstances that make the collection necessary

The U.S. Peace Corps has the following three goals, as stated in the Peace Corps Act of 1961 (P.L. 87-293):

1. To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women;

2. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served; and

3. To help promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans.

The Peace Corps meets these goals largely through the work of its Volunteers and the returned Volunteers. The Peace Corps has mechanisms in place to gather information from active Volunteers and the host country nationals who work and live with them. Currently, there is no such mechanism for collecting comprehensive information from Volunteers after their service ends. To fill this gap, the Peace Corps proposes to conduct a survey and series of focus groups with these Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs). The information collected through the proposed survey and focus groups will augment the Peace Corps’ other strategic planning activities and provide information for its annual Performance and Accountability Report.

2. How, by whom and for what purpose the information is to be used

The survey and focus groups will be conducted by Peace Corps’ Office of Strategic Information, Research and Planning (OSIRP). The information collected through the survey and focus groups will support the Peace Corps’ ability to report on its performance, as well as to provide information to inform Peace Corps Operations. Each of these is described below.

Supporting performance reporting: The proposed survey and focus groups will gather information about Peace Corps’ third goal: “To help promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans.” The series of questions in survey section E: Domestic Dividend/Third Goal asks about respondents’ activities to promote the Peace Corps’ third goal. This information will be used by the Peace Corps’ Office of Strategic Information, Research, and Planning to inform agency performance reporting.

Informing Peace Corps operations: The data collected through the proposed survey and focus groups will be used by a range of Peace Corps offices as follows:

• Survey questions in section B, about the degree to which respondents’ Peace Corps service met respondents’ expectations and whether respondents would recommend the Peace Corps to others, will be used by the Office of Overseas Training and Program Support to help determine if there is a need to alter Volunteer training to ensure a good match between Volunteer expectations and the realities of Peace Corps service.

• Survey questions in section C, about the post-service adjustment period, will be used by in-country staff who conduct close-of-service conferences as well as by staff of the Office of Returned Volunteer Services. The information will provide insight into areas that Volunteers find challenging in their readjustment, as well as what they found helpful for their readjustment. The information will help inform the content and focus of close-of-service activities and materials.

• Survey questions in section D, about the influence of the Peace Corps on respondents’ later education and career paths, will provide feedback to the Office of University Programs about their academic programs for Volunteers and RPCVs - Fellows/USA and Masters International programs. The questions in survey section D will also be used by the Office of Domestic Programs to inform their communication with their constituents (e.g., returned Volunteers and employers who participate in Peace Corps career events). The focus groups will augment the information gathered through survey section D. A cross-walk between the survey questions and the focus group topics is provided below.

RPCV Survey Question	Focus Group Question
Did you have specific career plans you believed would be enhanced by serving in the Peace Corps?	Did your career choice influence you to join the Peace Corps? Did anyone ever suggest to you that you should consider the Peace Corps to enhance your credentials or qualifications for your career?
Did Peace Corps service shape, influence, or change your career choices?	Do you think your current career choice was influenced by your Peace Corps service?  How have you used the skills or experiences you gained as a Volunteer in your career? How has being a Volunteer influenced your career?
When you look back at your career path, do you think your Peace Corps service: Hurt your career? Neither helped nor hurt your career? Was of some help to your career? Was of great help to your career? Not sure? N/A (Not Applicable)	Overall, how has your Peace Corps experience influenced your career path or development?  Helped? Hindered? Influenced which career path you took?
Overall, how do you think your employer(s) has viewed the value of your Peace Corps Service? Negatively Indifferent Positively Not sure	Did the Peace Corps make you more marketable for the job(s) you sought? Do employers, potential employers or co workers generally know that you are an RPCV? What effect do you think that information has on your marketability and/or career mobility?
Below is a list of skills and abilities that Volunteers commonly report having developed through their Peace Corps service.  Please mark each skill and/or ability you developed as a Peace Corps Volunteer AND those that have been useful in your career.  Adaptability Communication/public speaking skills Flexibility Grant Writing Interpersonal skills Language skills Leadership/team building skills patience Problem solving/resourcefulness Project planning/management Self-confidence Teaching skills Understand, accept and appreciate different cultures Other (please specify)	How has your Peace Corps experience affected your job performance or how well you are able to do your job? How, if at all, does your Peace Corps service relate to your current position?
What professional associations, if any, do you belong to?	Has your Peace Corps experience influenced the professional organizations or activities that you are involved in? o       Are you involved in any RPCV networks that focus on professional development?
Did your Peace Corps experience influence your decision to return to school?	Did your Peace Corps experience influence your educational path, which then influenced your career path?

• Survey questions from section E about the extent to which returned Volunteers are involved in activities related to the Peace Corps’ third goal will be used by the Office of Returned Volunteer Services to better understand how and what RPCVs are sharing with other Americans about other cultures in order to provide support for this aspect of Peace Corps’ mandate. These data will also be used by the Office of Strategic Information, Research and Planning for reports on the Peace Corps’ performance towards achieving its third goal.

3. The extent to which the collection involves automated, electronic, mechanical or technological collection techniques

The survey data will be collected entirely through a web-based survey system. This method for implementing a survey was selected to facilitate response by RPCVs. Research by Dillman, (Dillman, D.A. (2007). Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method, 2^nd edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ), indicates that internet survey administration has several benefits that can increase respondent participation, including the ability to insert automatic skip patterns that will allow respondents to seamlessly avoid questions that do not apply to them and to reduce response time. This system will also allow Peace Corps to insert links to definitions of terms that can provide needed help for respondents, and photos and graphics that can make the survey experience more pleasant.

With regard to accessibility, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers are a specialized population, of whom 94 percent (source: The Peace Corps 2009 Fact Sheet available at http://www.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/about/pc_facts.pdf ) have at least an undergraduate degree. According to researchers, including Dillman (2007), such groups tend to have high rates of internet access and skill. Individuals without access to the internet or who do not want to complete the survey on the internet will receive instructions in the invitation about how to contact the research team to complete the survey by telephone. Internet administration, when compared to paper survey administration, will reduce the expense to the Federal government. Specifically, the Peace Corps has an existing contract for internet survey administration that charges a maximum of $0.85 per completed survey. If non-automated methods were used to collect these data, such as self-administered paper surveys, the cost to the government would be approximately $12 per survey for initial printing, postage costs and a service to scan completed forms. The minimum estimated cost savings is shown below.

Cost Per Type of Survey Administration

Type of Survey Administration	Cost per survey	Total No of Surveys	Total Cost
Automated	$ 0.85	1500	$ 1,275
Paper	$12.00	1500	$18,000
Estimated savings to the federal government			$16,725

The focus group data collection does not include automated, electronic, mechanical or technological collection techniques. The information will be obtained through eight in-person focus groups in New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

4. Efforts to identify duplication

Based on a review of existing data collection efforts, it was determined that there has been no systematic collection of data from Returned Peace Corps Volunteers since a survey conducted in 1996.

The proposed focus groups intentionally cover some of the same topical areas as the survey. The survey will gather a broad scope of information from a wide range of respondents, while the focus groups will gather in-depth information. A cross-walk between the questions in the survey and the focus groups is presented earlier in this document as part of the response to question A2. To minimize response burden, participants in the focus groups will be excluded from the respondent sample that will be created for the proposed RPCV survey.

5. Impacts on small business

The collection of information does not impact small businesses or other small entities.

6. Consequences if data collection is not conducted

The information collected will support interpretation of performance data by the Office of Strategic Information, Research and Planning. This proposed collection will also provide the Peace Corps Office of Domestic Programs, which includes the Office of University Programs and the Office of Returned Volunteer Services, with feedback directly from one of the primary groups the office serves. If the information were not collected, long-range program planning and the ability of the Peace Corps to adapt its programs to the needs of those it serves would be negatively impacted.

7. Special circumstances

There are no special circumstances. Collection will be conducted in a consistent manner with CFR 1320.6 guidelines.

• The collection is a one-time event and does not require respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly. Individuals who participate in the focus groups will be excluded from the survey sample.

• The collection does not require respondents to prepare a written response outside of their voluntary response to the survey.

• The collection does not require respondents to submit any forms other than their voluntary submissions of the survey. Members of the survey sample will be able to opt out of the survey with no negative repercussions. With regard to the focus group, on-site completion of the Respondent Information Sheet is voluntary and will have no bearing on individuals’ continued participation. As responses are anonymous, there will be no way to determine who did or did not submit the form.

• The collection does not require respondents to compile or retain any records.

• The survey is designed to provide valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of returned Peace Corps Volunteers. The focus groups with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers in the private sector are not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of RPCVs in the private sector. Rather focus groups are being conducted to obtain in-depth and detailed information about selected survey topics. (See the cross-walk between the survey and the focus group provided as part of the response to question A2).

• The collection does not require the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget.

• The collection does not include a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation.

• The collection does not require respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets or other confidential information.

8. Provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d). Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

The survey and the focus group collection were initially submitted separately. Below is the text of the original Federal Register notices as well as the text of a resubmitted notice that refers jointly to survey and focus group data collection.

The following 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register/ol. 73, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 2, 2008 on pages 73356-73357. No comments were received in response to the notice.

I. NOTICE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON PEACE CORPS’ INTENTION TO CONDUCT A SURVEY OF RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS

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“PEACE CORPS

Notice of Information Collection

AGENCY: Peace Corps.

ACTION: Notice of information collection for review by OMB and public

comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice

invites the public to comment on the collection of information by the

Peace Corps and gives notice of the Peace Corps' intention to request

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the information

collection. The Peace Corps' Office of Strategic Information, Research

and Planning wishes to survey a sample of Returned Peace Corps

Volunteers about their feelings about their in-country experience,

post-service transition, post-service education and career, and their

third core goal activities of promoting a better understanding of other

peoples on the part of Americans. The data collected will inform agency

programming and help the Agency to assess, through updated and objective data, the extent of RPCVs' cross-cultural activities with their family, friends, and communities throughout the United States with whom RPCVs come in contact. The data will be used specifically by the Office of Domestic Programs to review the range and type of services and support available to RPCVs and by the Office of Strategic

Information, Research, and Planning to support Agency level reporting.

DATES: Submit comments on or before February 2, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Susan Jenkins, Office of

Strategic Information, Research and Planning, Peace Corps, 1111 20th

Street, NW, Washington, DC 20526. Dr. Jenkins can be contacted by

telephone at 202-692-1241 or e-mail at [email protected]. E-mail

comments must be made in text and not in attachments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Jenkins, Office of Strategic

Information, Research and Planning, Peace Corps, 1111 20th Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20526.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Survey of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Need for and Use of This Information: The survey is the fourth in a

series of Returned Peace Corps Volunteer surveys that have been

administered approximately every ten years. This iteration will be a

voluntary, web-based survey to gather information about Volunteers' in-

country experience, post-service transition, post-service education and

career, and their third goal activities of promoting a better

understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. The data will

be used to assess the range and type of services available to RPCVs,

improve Peace Corps operations (e.g., recruitment for PC Response), and

support Agency level performance reporting. Where possible, data will

be compared across surveys to look for trends over time. Data will be

collected from a simple random sample of Returned Peace Corps

Volunteers sufficient to gather data with a 99 percent confidence level

and a confidence interval of plus or minus 5.

Respondents: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Respondents' Obligation To Reply: Voluntary.

Burden on the Public:

a. Annual reporting burden: 750 hours.

b. Annual respondent recordkeeping burden: 0 hours.

c. Estimated average burden per response: 30 minutes.

d. Frequency of response: One-time.

e. Estimated number of respondents: 1500.

f. Estimated cost to respondents: $0.00/$0.00.

Dated: November 24, 2008.

Wilbert Bryant,

Associate Director for Management.

[FR Doc. E8-28636 Filed 12-1-08; 8:45 am]

The following 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 232 / Tuesday, December 2, 2008 on page 73356. There were no comments received in response to the notice.

“NOTICE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON PEACE CORPS’ INTENTION TO CONDUCT FOCUS GROUPS WITH RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

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“PEACE CORPS

Notice of Information Collection

AGENCY: Peace Corps.

ACTION: Notice of information collection for review by OMB and public

comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice invites the public to comment on the collection of information by the

Peace Corps and gives notice of the Peace Corps' intention to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the information collection. The Peace Corps' Office of Strategic Information, Research and Planning wishes to conduct focus groups with Returned Peace Corps

Volunteers (RPCVs) about their post-service transition, post-service education and career, and their third goal activities of promoting a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. The data will be used to assess the range and type of services available to RPCVs and to support accurate interpretation of Agency level data.

DATES: Submit comments on or before February 2, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Susan Jenkins, Office of

Strategic Information, Research and Planning, Peace Corps, 1111 20th

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20526. Dr. Jenkins can be contacted by telephone at 202-692-1241 or e-mail at [email protected]. E-mail comments must be made in text and not in attachments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Jenkins, Office of Strategic Information, Research and Planning, Peace Corps, 1111 20th Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20526.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Focus Groups with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Need for and Use of This Information: The third strategic goal in the Peace Corps' 2009 to 2014 strategic plan, is to ``Foster outreach to Americans through agency programs that assist Volunteers and

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.'' The Agency meets this goal through programs that encourage outreach to the American public through a variety of means such as personal interaction, electronic communication, and cross-cultural education curricula. The challenge for the Peace Corps in advancing such outreach is to ensure that the programs are publicized and on target in matching Volunteers and RPCVs with appropriate audiences, and that the agency uses technology effectively. The agency administers a Volunteer survey and project specific surveys to gather information about how active Volunteers support this goal. But, there is no similar mechanism for gathering such information from Returned Volunteers. These focus groups will be conducted to test the assumption that promoting a better understanding of the cultures in which they served is a lifelong commitment that becomes integrated into their lives but that RPCVs do not necessarily report such interactions to the agency. These focus groups will provide an opportunity for in-depth discussion with RPCVs about the long-term outcomes of their Service on their promotion of a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. The information gathered will be used by the Office of Strategic Information, Research and

Planning to identify the breadth and scope of third core goal activities by Returned Volunteers.

Respondents: 96.

Respondents' Obligation To Reply: Voluntary.

Burden on the Public:

a. Annual reporting burden: 144 hours.

b. Annual recordkeeping burden: 0 hours.

c. Estimated average burden per response: 90 minutes.

d. Frequency of response: One-time.

e. Estimated number of respondents: 96.

f. Estimated cost to respondents: $0.00/$0.00.

Dated: November 24, 2008.

Wilbert Bryant,

Associate Director for Management.”

The following is the 60-day federal register notice that was published in the Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 82 / Tuesday, April 30, 2009 on pages 20004-20005 alert the public to the combined survey and focus group collection. There were no comments received in response to this notice.

[Federal Register: April 30, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 82)]

[Notices]

[Page 20004-20005]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr30ap09-112]

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PEACE CORPS

Notice of Information Collection for Review by OMB and Public

Comment on Peace Corps' Intention To Conduct a Survey of and Focus

Groups With Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

AGENCY: Peace Corps.

ACTION: Notice of information collection for review by OMB and public

comment on Peace Corps' Intention to Conduct A Survey of and Focus

Groups with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice

invites the public to comment on the collection of information by the

Peace Corps and gives notice of the Peace Corps' intention to request

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the information

collection. The Peace Corps' Office of Strategic Information, Research

and Planning wishes to survey a sample of Returned Peace Corps

Volunteers about their in-country experience, post-service transition,

post-service education and career, and their third core goal activities

of promoting a better understanding of other peoples on the part of

Americans. In concert with the survey, the Peace Corps' Office of

Strategic Information, Research and Planning also wishes to conduct

focus groups with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) about their

post-service education and career. The data collected from both the

survey and the focus groups will inform agency programming and help the

Agency to assess, based on analysis of this updated and objective data,

the extent of RPCVs' cross-cultural activities with their family,

friends, and communities throughout the United States with whom RPCVs

come in contact. The data will be used specifically by the Office of

Domestic Programs to review the range and type of services and support

rated as useful by RPCVs. The data will be used by the Peace Corps'

Office of Strategic Information, Research and Planning to support

Agency level reporting. Submit comments on or before sixty days from

June 29, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Susan Jenkins, Office of

Strategic Information, Research and Planning, Peace Corps, 1111 20th

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20526. Dr. Jenkins can be contacted by

telephone at 202-692-1241 or e-mail at [email protected]. E-mail

comments must be made in text and not in attachments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Jenkins, Office of Strategic

Information, Research and Planning, Peace Corps, 1111 20th Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20526.

Need For and Use of This Information: The survey is the fourth in a

series of Returned Peace Corps Volunteer surveys that have been

administered approximately every ten years. This iteration will be a

voluntary, Web-based survey to gather information about Volunteers' in-

country experience, post-service transition, post-service education and

career, and their third goal activities of promoting a better

understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. The data will

be used to assess the range and type of services available to RPCVs,

improve Peace Corps operations (e.g., recruitment for the Peace Corps

Response program), and support Agency level performance reporting.

Where possible, data will be compared across surveys to look for trends

over time. Data will be collected from a simple random sample of

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers sufficient to gather data with a 99

percent confidence level and a confidence interval of plus or minus 5.

The focus group questions focus on a subset of the topics asked

about through the survey. Specifically, the focus groups will provide

more detailed responses from RPCVs about the effect of the Peace Corps

on their subsequent career choices and paths.

Respondents: Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Respondents' Obligation To Reply: Voluntary.

Burden on the Public:

a. Annual reporting burden: 894 (750 hours for the survey and 144

hours across the focus groups).

b. Annual respondent recordkeeping burden: 0 hours.

c. Estimated average burden per response: 30 minutes for survey

respondents and 90 minutes for focus group participants.

d. Frequency of response: One time.

e. Estimated number of respondents: 1596 (1500 survey respondents

and 96 focus group participants).

f. Estimated cost to respondents: $0.00/$0.00.

Dated: April 21, 2009.

Garry Stanberry,

Deputy Associate Director for Management.

[FR Doc. E9-9942 Filed 4-29-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6051-01-P

With regard to consultation with persons outside the agency, staff of the Peace Corps worked with staff of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) who reviewed the proposed survey. The survey was revised based on their comments. With regard to the focus groups, staff from the Peace Corps’ Office of Strategic Information Research and Planning (OSIRP) and Office of Returned Volunteer Services (RVS) generated a list of returned Volunteers who had remained in contact with the Peace Corps or otherwise indicated an interest in supporting Peace Corps efforts. Members of this list were invited to participate in discussions about the effect of Peace Corps on their professional lives. The current focus group protocol is the result of these discussions and the feedback received from the RPCVs that participated in them. Participants indicated that taking part in such discussions was not a burden.

9. Payment/gifts

No payment or gift will be provided to respondents.

10. Confidentiality

It is the policy of Peace Corps to comply with the Privacy Act of 1974 as outlined in 22 CFR Part 308.

No personally identifiable data will be requested from participants and no such data will be stored with the data. The following assurance will be provided to survey respondents: “The information you provide on this form will be used by the Peace Corps and its staff to assess agency operations and to support required performance reporting. Individual respondents will not be identified in any reports generated from the data.” With regard to the focus groups, no personally identifiable data will be required from participants; however, because the data will be collected in a group setting, participants will have no presumption of privacy.

11. Justification for sensitive questions

Neither the survey nor the focus groups contain any questions of a sensitive nature, such as questions about sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, etc.

12. Estimated Hour Burden

The total estimated burden in hours is 894 (750 hours for the survey and 144 hours across the eight focus groups). A break out for each part of the collection is provided in the tables below.

Time Required for Administering the Survey

Number of Respondents	1,500
Frequency of Response	1 response
Completion Time	0.5 hours
Total Annual Burden	750 hours

The survey will be sent to a sample of 1,500 returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Based on survey pre-tests with seven returned Peace Corps Volunteers, the survey requires an average of 30 minutes to complete.

Time Required for Administering the Focus Groups

Number of Respondents	96
Frequency of Response	1 response
Completion Time	1.5 hours
Total Annual Burden	144 hours

Eight focus groups, with up to a maximum of twelve RPCVs each, will be conducted. Each focus group will be scheduled for 1.5 hours (90 minutes).

13. Respondent cost burden

There are no estimated annualized non-hour dollar costs or burdens to the public.

14. Estimated cost to the Federal Government

The total estimated cost of this proposed data collection to the federal government is $38,807 ($19,142 for the survey; $19,665 for the focus groups). The costs are broken out for each part of the collection below.

Cost for Survey Administration: The cost for printing the invitation to participate in the survey is estimated at $150;Peace Corps stationary will be used at a cost of $2117; the cost for postage is estimated at $1,075. The Peace Corps will produce up to 80 reports for an estimated cost of $240. The report will be produced in house; the main costs are for copying and binding.

Data tabulation, analysis and report production are estimated to require forty (40) hours per week for eight (8) weeks, plus an additional 10 hours for approvals for a total of 330 hours. The salaried staff (FP-3, step 8) is paid $46.90/hour. Thus, the salary for tabulating the results and producing is estimated at $15,477. In addition, four hours of labor by a staff at the FP-7 step 1 is estimated at $20.01 per hour for overseeing the announcement mailing at a cost of $80.04

Estimated Costs for Administering the Survey

In-house printing of survey announcements	$ 150
Stationary for survey announcements	$2,117
Postage for survey announcements (2,500 postcards @ $0.43)	$1,075
Report production (80 surveys at 40 pages each (half in color))	$ 240
Salaries	+ $15,557
Total cost to the government	$19,139

Cost for Focus Group Administration: The cost to the Federal Government for conducting the focus groups is the cost associated with a fixed-fee contract with the firm that will conduct the focus groups. These are one-time costs. There are no maintenance costs. The costs to moderate the focus groups and prepare the transcripts for the sessions and report are listed below:

Estimated Costs for Administering the Focus Groups

Facilitation of eight focus groups	$10,110
Preparation of transcripts from eight focus groups	$5,680
Production of the final report	+ $3,875
Total cost to the government	$19,665

15. Reasons for program changes recorded in items 13c an 14 of the OMB form 83-1

The additional costs are based on this being a new data collection.

16. Plans for publication

The Peace Corps intends to publish the survey results in aggregate form. No complex analytical techniques will be used. Frequencies and cross tabulations will be used to report responses to closed-ended questions. Text analysis will be used to identify trends in responses to open-ended questions. These trends will be summarized in the text of the report and the frequencies of each trend will also be reported. Means and distributions will be calculated for numeric data. The report will rely primarily on charts and tables to display frequency data. The project is expected to require 12 weeks from initial announcement of the survey through production of the final report. This includes a four week data collection period and an eight-week period for report production, including editing and securing required agency-level approvals for publication. Data collection will start within approximately two weeks of OMB approval.

The report about the survey results will be made available to the public in electronic form through the Peace Corps website. In addition eighty (80) hardcopies of the report will be produced and distributed to project stakeholders.

The Peace Corps does not intend to publish the results of the focus groups with returned Peace Corps Volunteers in the private sector except as explanatory text included as part of the report generated from the survey data.

17. Justification for non-display of OMB control number

The agency plans to display the expiration date for Office of Management and Budget approval of the information collection on all instruments.

18. Explanation of exemptions to certification

The agency is able to certify compliance with all provisions under Item 19 of OMB Form 83-I.

14