Creative Review Focus Groups

LMR#: 138-0311 90 Minutes

October 6, 2011

Education Study

Discussion Guide

1. Introduction: Taping, Mirror, Speak one-at-a-time, no wrong answers, open-honest and casual discussion!

Today we are going to discuss some ideas and your thoughts and reactions will be very helpful as we continue to develop them.
After seeing, reading, and hearing these ideas, I am going to ask you some questions. BUT, rather than discuss your answers immediately, I am going to ask you to write them down first. We will discuss them shortly thereafter.

SHOW ALL MATERIALS IN FIRST CREATIVE PLATFORM

2. Before saying anything aloud, please write down what you understand to be the main idea from all you have just seen, heard and read.
- What other ideas are you getting from this communication?

3. Next, I would like you to jot down what is giving you these ideas. What did you see, hear or read that caused you to write down those ideas?

4. What are the most relevant and personally meaningful aspects of the messages you just reviewed?
- Why do you feel this way?

REVIEW QUESTIONS 2 THRU 4 ALOUD: PROBE UNTIL COMPLETE
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OPEN DISCUSSION

5. What, if anything, is this telling you about paying for college that may be new or different from what you may have already known or suspected?

6. Has anything contained in these ideas changed the way you feel about looking into obtaining federal money for college?

- What was that?

PROBE: What, specifically, did you see, hear or read that makes federal financial aid different or unique from other sources of educational funding you may know about?

7. To what extent do these ideas make you more likely to investigate federal financial aid for college?
PROBE: What about it did you find to be most compelling?

8. Now I would like you to focus specifically upon only the tagline in this communication. What is the tagline alone suggesting to you about federal financial aid for college?

SHOW NEXT SERIES AND REPEAT QUESTIONS 2-8 ABOVE
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After each platform has been REVIEWED, display a representation of each around the room and discuss the following…

For each statement below, ask Qs 9 and 10…

9. Which of these BEST suggests to you that... READ EACH STATEMENT.

10. And what are the elements of each approach that best communicate...

READ EACH STATEMENT.

There is money available. That there are grants, loans and work- study programs totaling more than $150 billion.

Everybody gets a shot. Every student has the opportunity to receive some financial aid regardless of his or her age or family income.

It’s easy to apply for money. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now online and takes 30 minutes to complete.

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11. Based upon what you have seen, what kind of feeling do you get about the office of Federal Student Aid?

12. Earlier we discussed taglines in each of the two ideas. Which of these taglines is more likely to motivate you to find out more about federal financial aid for college?

PROBE: Why do you say that?

13. SHOW URL CHOICES. Which URL would you be more likely to visit if you were looking for money for college?

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number.  Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 Federal Student Aid Union Center Plaza Room-32D2. Or email [email protected] and reference the OMB Control Number 1845-0045.

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