REL Program Customer Survey and Focus Group

DRAFT FOCUS GROUP Protocols

Parents

Moderator Preamble

Small Talk (5 minutes)

[Create a warm and friendly environment, put participants at ease, and pass out consent forms.]

Introduction (5 minutes)

Welcome. My name is [Name of moderator _________________].

In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast (REL Southeast) at Florida State University has been modifying and developing evidence-based tools and resources that can be used by parents and caregivers to support at-home learning. The REL Southeast is working to better understand the use and utility of the online resources for different stakeholders, notably parents and caregivers. As part of this discussion, we would also like to also understand the best ways to get evidence-based resources to parents and caregivers. Part of this work entails talking to (insert stakeholder) to learn about their experiences with accessing and using online resources to support at-home learning. You were invited here today because we value your insight. We would like to draw upon your experience to learn about how you have used these resources and the extent to which they have been useful, as well as, hear your opinions about what other resources you need to support your child’s learning at home, particularly during this time. The transcript from your discussion will be analyzed by the REL Southeast to inform the ongoing development of resources to support at-home learning for families.

We invite you to participate in a discussion, sharing your views, experiences, and ideas. In some instances, you may find that you do not share your peers’ perspectives. In others, you may find that you agree. We value what every individual has to say. There is no right or wrong answer to a question. Please provide us with your genuine thoughts and feelings about any given issue.

My role is to facilitate this discussion. Please feel free to respond and ask questions of each other, and me as well. My colleague, [Name of co-moderator ______________], is here to help. We appreciate the time you are taking to be with us and will make every effort to end on time.

We have several categories of questions. Sometimes we may probe further to make sure we understand your perspective. We will have about 90 minutes for this discussion once we get started.

To make sure we capture this important discussion, [Name of co-moderator] will take notes. We will also be audiotaping this discussion to accurately capture what you say. At any time, you are welcome to ask us to turn off the recorder.

Any written documents generated from the discussion will be void of names and any other identifying information. We also ask that you do not identify each other by name during the discussion. Because this is a group setting, we also ask each of you to maintain confidentiality of those participating in the session.

Do we have your permission? Your continued participation is acknowledgement of your consent. If you do not feel comfortable, please feel free to not participate.

[People acknowledge consent (or feel free to leave the session).] At this time, we will get started.

[Turn on digital recorder.]

Questions

We are going to begin by asking some general questions about the information and resources that were shared during the webinar and that are available on the REL Southeast’s Supporting Your Child’s Reading at Home site. Then we are going to ask you about how useful those resources were.

Implementation

First, we are going to ask you about the resources you used.

Prod with questions about use

• What resources did you use to support at-home learning with your child?

• How did you use the resources to support at-home learning?

• What aspects of the online resources increased your ability to use them?

• What aspects of the online resources hindered the use of them?

Prod about utility of the of the resources and suggestions for improvements

• What aspects of the online resources did you find most helpful?

  • Please explain how the information was helpful.

• What aspects of the resources did you find least useful?

  • How might the online resources be improved?

    • [Probe for] specific suggestions for

      • modifications

      • additions

      • deletions

Now I going to ask questions about the informational webinar and other methods that we might use to get additional materials and resources to parents.

Prod with questions about utility and proposed modifications specific to the webinar.

• What aspects of the webinar did you find most helpful in terms of facilitating your use of the resources?

  • Please explain how the information was helpful.

• What aspects of the webinar did you find less useful in terms of facilitating your use of the resources?

  • Please tell me what aspects were not useful?

Prod with questions about access.

• How did you learn about the webinar?

• How do you typically access information to support your child’s learning?

  • [Probe for] specific methods

    • (for example, contact the school, look at websites, other parents)

  • What is your preferred method(s) to access information to support your child’s learning?

• What format do you prefer the resources?

  • [Probe for] specific formats

Now we are going to ask you about sharing information from the webinar and online resources with others

Prod with questions about broader dissemination.

• How did you share information about the webinar with others?

  • the tools?

  • the online resources?

  • What specific resources did you share?

  • What did you consider in your decision to share the resources?

  • How did you share those resources? 

Final Questions

We are almost done and have two final questions.

Prod about other/additional resources?

• What other kinds of resources do you think would be helpful to support learning at home?  

[Probe about specific content and format] What would be the preferred

• content of the information?

• format for this information?

• What specific recommendations do you have for us regarding sharing resources with parents?

Thank you so very much for your time and sharing your insights.

Public 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. 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 20202-4537 or email [email protected] and reference the OMB Control Number 1880-0542. Note: Please do not return the completed National Charter School Resource Center User Survey to this address.