Students Speak Toolkit > II. The Focus Group Blueprint > A. Design > 7. Identify the types of students to recruit for each group

Students Speak Toolkit > II. The Focus Group Blueprint > A. Design > 7. Identify the types of students to recruit for each group. > Making recruitment decisions

Here is an example of the identification of the types of students to be recruited for each group and the information needed for random sampling.

Presume your district's student and school assessments show weak performance in certain course work in the grades leading up to high school. Your work team decides to conduct focus groups in each elementary and middle school as part of an inquiry project aimed at understanding how to create a more positive learning climate in those grades. Here are the decisions your work team records after considering how best to construct the six focus groups:

One group of eight P-3rd graders in each elementary school, mixed gender with an equal number of boys and girls, with all grade performance levels represented about equally, with an ethnic and racial makeup that reflects the demographics of the whole P-3 population in that particular school. Exclusions: children of educators in our district, children who moved into the district less than a month ago.
Information needed: List of all P-3rd graders in the school, numbered, including information about their gender, race/ethnic background, academic performance, length of time in the district, and whether they are children of educators in the district.
One group of eight 4th and 5th graders in each elementary school, mixed gender with an equal number of boys and girls, concentration of students whose academic performance is average or worse, with an ethnic and racial makeup that reflects the demographics of the population of grades 4 and 5. Exclusions: children who moved into the district less than a month ago, children of educators in our district.
Information needed: List of all 4th and 5th graders, numbered, including information about their gender, race/ethnic background, academic performance, whether they are children of educators in the district, and length of time in district.
One group of eight females in each middle school, equally distributed across grades 6, 7, and 8, reflecting the ethnic and racial diversity of the middle school population, with all academic performance levels about equally represented, with an equal mix of students involved in school athletic programs and students who are not. Exclusions: children of educators in our district, and children who moved into the district less than six months ago.
Information needed: List of all middle school females, numbered, including information about their gender, grade level, race/ethnic background, academic performance, participation in school athletic programs or not, length of time in district, and whether they are children of educators in the district.
One group of eight males in each middle school, equally distributed across grades 6, 7, and 8, reflecting the ethnic and racial diversity of the middle school population, with all academic performance levels about equally represented, with an equal mix of students involved in school athletic programs and students who are not. Exclusions: children of educators in our district, and children who moved into the district less than six months ago.
Information needed: List of all middle school males, numbered, including information about their gender, grade level, race/ethnic background, academic performance, participation in school athletic programs or not, length of time in district, and whether they are children of educators in the district.