Sequence of the "Focus Group Blueprint"

1. Design
   1. Identify your research topic.
   2. Form a work team.
   3. Designate a project manager.
   4. Draft a rough timetable. Schedule work team meetings and draft agendas.
   5. Clarify the aims of the research and draft research questions.
   6. Make decisions about focus group structure.
   7. Identify the types of students to recruit for each group.
   8. Make decisions about the logistics of the recruitment.
   9. Draft and revise interview questions.
   10. Make decisions about focus group facilitation.
   11. Plan facilitator training.
   12. Make decisions about facilitator logistics.
   13. Make decisions about site management.
   14. Make decisions about focus group recording and analysis.
   15. Plan your next steps.

2. Act
   1. Form a logistics team.
   2. Clarify the responsibilities for each logistics team member.
   3. Draw a random sample.
   4. Recruit student participants.
   5. Train, prepare, and manage facilitators.
   6. Run your pilot group(s).
   7. Collect permission forms and confirm student participation.
   8. Complete logistics planning.
   9. Conduct your focus groups.

3. Analyze and Report
   1. Form an analysis team.
   2. Produce a record of the focus groups and draft notes.
   3. Hold a facilitator debriefing session.
   4. Analyze the focus groups.
   5. Prepare a report.
   6. Reconvene the entire original work team.
   7. Release the report!
   8. Hold a final work team meeting.
   9. Put the results to work.

Yes, there are a lot of steps, although no one step is particularly difficult. The greatest challenge for most educators is the amount of time required to complete each step in a way that produces high-quality results. The next few pages present a sample timetable and individual time estimates for a student-based focus group effort. This information will help you decide if you have the necessary time and resources to devote to this kind of effort.

If you have decided you would prefer a simpler way to turn up the volume on the student voice in your school, we present two alternative approaches to listening to students in Appendix A. We encourage you to boost student engagement by trying all three methods, but if your school needs to begin with Option 1 or 2, go for it. If you decide later to conduct focus group research with students, the detailed instructions here will help, as will the real-life learning of school communities that have conducted this type of research and lived to tell all about it.

Next: Timetable and time estimates