NASA 2012 Summer of Innovation Program

Appendix 7: Teacher Focus Group Protocol

Hello! Thanks so much for coming! My name is [Name], and this is my colleague [colleague name]. We work for Abt Associates/EDC, which is a research firm in Boston and Washington, DC. Abt Associates and its partner, Education Development Center (EDC) are conducting an evaluation of NASA’s Summer of Innovation. As part of this study, we are talking with teachers who led Summer of Innovation camps to learn about how this year went.

NASA is specifically interested in talking with teachers about these topics:

• The supports and the challenges faced in implementing SoI curricula

• The staff, materials, and NASA resources necessary for successful SoI activities

• The plans and preparation necessary for successful program implementation

Through this focus group discussion, and other information collections, NASA intends to document how SoI was implemented across the nation to better understand what worked and what did not during this summer. The results of this evaluation are intended to ultimately inform future decisions about program requirements and supports.

We expect that our discussion will last about 50 minutes. We will be taking notes during our conversation to ensure accuracy and we would like to audio-tape this conversation, with your permission. No individuals will be identified by name. If you have any further questions that we may not be able to answer about this evaluation or this conversation, please contact Teresa Doksum, Abt Associates’ Institutional Review Board Administrator, at (617) 349-2896, or Alina Martinez, the Abt project director of this study at (617) 520-3516. Please note that these are toll calls.

Teacher Focus Group Protocol

1. Warm-Up

• What do you consider your greatest SoI experience so far this summer?

2. Student Activities

• Please describe the student activities/camps this summer. What did a typical day look like for students? [What were the core components of the student activities?]

  • Probe - How similar were the camps you taught? In what ways did the activities differ across camps? Why?

  • Probe - How was NASA curriculum used – alone or in conjunction with non-NASA content? How was the non-NASA content used?

  • Probe – What was most successful about the implementation of the NASA curriculum?

  • Probe – What challenges did you face in implementing the SoI curriculum?

  • Probe - How did you address these challenges?

• Please describe how you plan and prepare for the SoI camps.

  • Probe – Who prepares the overall camp curriculum and is responsible for integrating the SoI content into the overall curriculum?

  • Probe – What challenges have you faced in planning and preparing for camp instruction?

  • Probe - How did you address these challenges?

  • Probe – Do you have any suggestions to improve the planning and preparation for SoI camps?

• Did you have adequate resources to provide SoI experiences?

  • Probe – Was there adequate staffing to maintain a teacher to student ratio of 1 to 20?

  • Probe – Were there adequate materials for SoI activities?

  • Probe – Were there sufficient NASA resources provided for SoI activities?

    • Probe – What resources did NASA provide you with?

    • Probe – Were sufficient NASA curricular materials provided?

    • Probe – Was training provided by NASA staff sufficient?

  • Probe – Do you have any suggestions to improve the support for SoI camps?

3. Professional Development

• Could you describe the training that you received to prepare you to lead SoI camps?

  • Probe – What was the training content? What was the most valuable training that you received?

  • Probe - What did you gain from the PD?

  • Probe - What types of training approaches were used? Were training sessions in person, virtual, hands-on, demonstrations, etc? Did you find that some modalities were more helpful to you than others? Why?

  • Probe - How would you like to see the training and support for teachers improve in the future?

4. Closing

• Do you have any additional thoughts about this summer’s SoI activities that we have not discussed?

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement - This information collection meets the requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 3507, as amended by section 2 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. You do not need to answer these questions unless we display a valid Office of Management and Budget control number. The OMB control number for this collection is <insert number and expiration date>. We estimate that it will take about 50 minutes to hear the instructions, gather the facts, and answer the questions. You may send comments on our time estimate above to: by email to [email protected] or by mail to NASA Office of Education, 4U18, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC, 20546-0001.

NASA Privacy Policy - This notice provides NASA's policy regarding the nature, purpose, use and sharing of any information collected via this form. The information you provide on a NASA-issued form will be used only for its intended purpose, which is to improve NASA’s Summer of Innovation program based on participant feedback. Your responses will be made anonymous and aggregated for review by the Summer of Innovation program management. NASA will protect your information consistent with the principles of the Privacy Act, the e-Government act of 2002, the Federal Records Act, and as applicable, the Freedom of Information Act. Submitting information is strictly voluntary. By doing so, you are giving NASA (and its designated representatives) your permission to use the information for the intended purpose. If you do not want to give NASA permission to use your information, simply do not provide it. However, not providing certain information may result in NASA's inability to provide you with the information or services you desire. For additional information please visit NASA Privacy Policy and Important Notices at http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html.