NASA Internship Program Evaluation

Internship Program Evaluation Focus group Protocol

Hi, my name is ___ and my colleague with me today is ____. We will both be conducting the focus group today. We would like to thank you for agreeing to participate in this focus group regarding your experiences with the NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) Internship Program. We are collecting feedback from you to help NASA gather and review information related to the NASA Internship Program. Does anyone have any questions for us before we begin?

In today’s focus group, we are interested in learning about how you learned about the NASA Internship Program and about your experiences during your internship. We would like your permission to record the focus group today. Please know that the recording will only be shared with individuals on the evaluation team and your name will be removed from any findings we share with NASA.

We will start the recording now.  

12 Questions

• Recruitment

  1. How did you learn about the NASA OSTEM Internship Program?

  2. Please describe any specific ways that you were recruited to the NASA OSTEM Internship Program? How did these recruitment strategies make you feel?

  3. How did your recruitment experiences influence your choice to apply for the NASA OSTEM Internship Program?

  4. What recommendations do you have for recruiting prospective interns for the NASA OSTEM Internship Program?

Move on to the onboarding section.

• Onboarding

  1. Please describe the onboarding process that you experienced with NASA (as a whole and with your specific role)?

  2. What recommendations do you have for improving the onboarding process?

Move on to the Sense of Belonging in STEM section.

• Sense of Belonging in STEM

Sense of belonging refers to what degree you feel connected and a part of a specific community. Please think about your sense of belonging in the NASA OSTEM Internship with this next set of questions.

1. Did you feel as though you were accepted as part of a STEM community during your internship? Can you provide an example?

2. Did you feel as though your opinions and ideas were heard and valued during your internship? Can you provide an example?

3. Please describe the types of professional activities that you participated in during your internship (e.g., seminars, workshops, visiting other labs/offices, networking with civil servants/contractors)?

4. Do you feel as though you will continue in a STEM profession? Yes or No, follow up with Why?

• STEM Identity (read definition to the focus group)

STEM identity refers to what degree you see yourself as a “STEM person.” STEM professionals are individuals whose professional activities relate to the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics).

1. How did the NASA OSTEM Internship influence your feelings as being a STEM person?

2. Can you think of any specific examples of experiences that enhanced or hindered your feelings of being a STEM person?

Thank you again for participating in this focus group and we will put our emails in the chat right now so please feel free to email either of us if you think of anything that you would like to share with us regarding the questions we asked today. We appreciate your time and willingness to share your experiences with us! Have a wonderful day everyone!

End Focus Group