Student Focus Groups Research Articles

“We make the invisible visible”: Investigating and evaluating the one-to-one consultation service at a UK higher education institution

One-to-one consultation services comprise key forms of student academic writing support at higher education institutions across the globe. Evaluations of these services are central to sustaining provision and for supporting effective pedagogy and service development (Bell, 2000; Stevenson and Kokkinn, 2009). In line with such evaluation goals and to supplement previous consultations research (e.g. Ma, 2019; Pfrenger et al., 2017; Tiruchittampalam et al., 2017), this paper presents a mixed-methods evaluation of a consultation service operating at a UK university. This study, in contrast to the range of previous consultation evaluation research, investigates perceptions and impact of consultations delivered by professional EAP practitioners across multiple student disciplines and degree levels. Evaluation data was gathered through student focus groups, consultation feedback and impact questionnaires, and through consultant interviews and observations. These multiple sources evidenced positive perceptions of the consultation service by students and consultants and pointed to positive impact on degree performance. Characteristics of effective consultations and consultants were identified, including partnership and engagement, focus on student need, consultant expertise and flexibility, consultation preparation, listening to students, being polite and respectful, and providing something concrete for students to take away. Recommendations are made to support the development of effective consultation services.

Psychosocial Well-Being, Mental Health, and Available Supports in an Arab Enclave: Exploring Outcomes for Foreign-Born and U.S.-Born Adolescents.

Introduction: Few studies have assessed the impact of displacement, resettlement, and discrimination on well-being outcomes for adolescent refugees resettled within the U.S. Conducted in three charter schools in the intergenerational Arab enclave of the Detroit Metropolitan Area, this mixed-methods study assessed the mental health and psychosocial support for both U.S.- and foreign-born adolescents from the Middle East and North Africa region.Methods: A quantitative survey was used to collect data on 176 students. Key outcomes included hope, prosocial behaviors, resilience, depressive, anxiety, externalizing symptoms, stressful life events, perceived social support, and sense of school belonging. Differences in outcomes between U.S.- and foreign-born students were compared using T-tests. Regression analysis explored whether outcomes were gendered and correlated with years in the U.S. for foreign-born students. Qualitative data collection included key informant interviews with school staff and community service providers, student focus group discussions, and caregiver interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis and the constant comparative method.Results: No statistically significant differences between the foreign-born and U.S.-born groups were observed. However, analysis revealed that resilience decreased for male students with time spent in the U.S. Qualitative themes illuminated these results; shared cultural heritage allowed newcomer students to access relevant language and psychosocial support, while inter- and intra-group peer relationships strengthened students' dual language skills and identity formation. However, shifting gender expectations and role hierarchies for newcomer students revealed boys' increased stressors in the family domain and girls' better accessed support in the school context.Conclusion: The existence of an immigrant paradox in this enclave setting was not supported. Instead, findings highlight the reciprocal value of peer-based mentorships and friendships between U.S.- and foreign-born students with similar cultural backgrounds, the importance of social and emotional curricula and cultural competency training within schools, and the gendered effects of acculturation.

Embedding online activities during lecture time: Roll call or enhancement of student participation?

Student attendance has long polarized the higher education sector with reports of no to little effect on student success to positive relationships between attendance frequency at face to face and synchronous online lectures and better student engagement and achievement. This study investigates the impact of embedded online activities during lecture time on student learning by utilizing students’ portable devices to divert undesirable study behaviors such as gaming and social media activity during class. The aim of the learning intervention is to improve attendance at undergraduate engineering lectures as well as providing better connection to the subject content. Study participants were third year Bachelor of Engineering students enrolled in a mandatory “Digital System Design” course as part of their degree at a major research university in New Zealand. To explore the student experience of embedded active learning tasks on engagement and academic achievement, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from N = 75 students over a three-year period when the course underwent a re-design utilizing a participatory action research approach. Student focus group discussions and learning analytics data revealed that the completion of online activities during lectures can lead to cognitive overload negatively affecting engagement. However, real-time feedback on learning via synchronization of learning tasks with the lecture content improved student–student and student–teacher connections and thereby contributed to a more positive overall learning experience. The role of stimulating learner motivation and attendance is discussed against Keller’s ARCS model and recommendations for teaching practice are given.

Introducing Sexual and Gender Minority Health: Medical Students Develop and Evaluate an LGBT+ Infographic

Teaching sexual and gender minority (SGM) health in undergraduate medical education has become a priority. We have authored and evaluated an infographic to introduce first-year students to SGM health, identity, and clinical communication skills. A realist and constructivist qualitative design employed audio-recorded and transcribed student focus groups. Using generic content analysis, transcripts were coded and a thematic framework created. Three themes were identified: content (concepts, chunking topics, future clinical reference, application to practice), presentation (graphics, accessibility, learning tool), and reflection. We anticipate our infographic can be repurposed to support learning among other health disciplines, administrative professionals, and the broader public, including high schools and university education.

Associate Degree Sociology Education in Hong Kong: An Exploratory Study Based on Student Focus Groups

This study adopted a case-study approach to examine how associate degree sociology graduates evaluate their learning in a Hong Kong community college. Through focus group interviews, the learning experiences of sociology graduates were examined, specifically paying attention to their identification of enhancements in learning. The results of this examination indicate that the delivery of sociology education requires a strong emphasis on the integration of acquisition of sociology knowledge with social practice. It is important to consider how the curriculum engages the worldview of students beyond the personal and allows them to directly experience the social in a way that reflects what is going on around them. This study contributes to the discussion on the quality of associate degree education in Hong Kong and highlights the centrality of examining the issue from the point of view of students, particularly in the context of outcome-based education.

Students' and Faculty Perspectives Toward the Role and Value of the Hidden Curriculum in Undergraduate Medical Education: a Qualitative Study from Saudi Arabia.

A hidden medical curriculum is defined as the unwritten, unofficial, and unintended learning that students experience in medical school along with more formal aspects of education. This term describes the behaviours, attitudes, assumptions and beliefs conveyed by teachers, peers and the surrounding environment. However, more research is needed to evaluate its impact on student and faculty interactions in this context. We conducted this qualitative study utilizing focus group and semi-structured interviews of students and faculty to evaluate the perspectives of medical students and faculty toward the role and impact of the hidden medical curriculum in medical education at Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data was analysed using open-, axial- and selective-coding using thematic framework analysis. Interviewees consisted of 24 students in years 1-3 during the spring semester 2018-2019, 8 faculty members and 4 teaching assistants. We identified six core themes of hidden curriculum at Alfaisal University (Appendix). Role and behavioural modelling, value-based teaching, interpersonal faculty-student interactions, effects of diversity and socialization, teaching methodologies and hidden curriculum, mentoring and student support systems. Although some of the themes identified in these focus group interviews were similar to previously published studies, the novel themes that we identified were diversity, socialization and interpersonal faculty-student interactions. We conclude that identifying the issues pertaining to hidden curriculum is important for the development of medical students and for nurturing and upholding the values that we want to instil in our future physicians.

Using Simulation to Prepare Students for Medical Mission Trips.

Simulation is a valuable tool in nursing education, including during preparation for students going on medical mission trips. Faculty assessed the learning and management of expectations of undergraduate nursing students who participated in a simulation prior to an international medical mission experience. Through student focus groups postsimulation and posttrip, faculty discovered three learning themes and student recommendations for future simulation use.

Comparing Perceived and Objective Measures of Bikeability on a University Campus: A Case Study

Using a participatory approach, this multi-method case study compared bicyclists’ perceptions and physical indicators of bikeability on a college campus. Student focus groups discussed campus bikeability and mapped and graded common bicycle routes. Trained students conducted environmental audits with bicycle counts. In discussions, students expressed concerns about safe bicycle riding on campus, especially during peak times. Congestion with pedestrians, other bicyclists, and skateboarders created the potential for crashes. Five major routes were identified with map scores ranging from 21.4% to 70%. Audit scores ranged from 82.5% to 86.7%. Bicycle counts varied by time of day and ranged from 11 to 91 bicycles. Student perceptions of bikeability were poorer than objective assessments of routes. The audit tool did not differentiate enough between routes and did not capture conflict potential accurately. Specification is needed on audit tools to capture the potential for conflict between bicycling and other forms of active transport—especially in unique settings like college campuses. Campuses that have well-marked paths for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles and that communicate the importance and ease of bicycling may see the most overall success when promoting active transport options.

More than experience? - On the unique opportunities of virtual reality to afford a holistic experiential learning cycle

Virtual reality has been proposed as a promising technology for higher education since the combination of immersive and interactive features enables experiential learning. However, previous studies did not distinguish between the different learning modes of the four-stage experiential learning cycle (i.e., concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation). With our study, we contribute a deeper understanding of how the unique opportunities of virtual reality can afford each of the four experiential learning modes. We conducted three design thinking workshops with interdisciplinary teams of students and lecturers. These workshops resulted in three low-fidelity virtual reality prototypes which were evaluated and refined in three student focus groups. Based on these results, we identify design elements for virtual reality applications that afford an holistic experiential learning process in higher education. We discuss the implications of our results for the selection, design, and use of educational virtual reality applications.

“Play with me”: Student perspectives on collaborative chamber music instruction

This article reports on a pilot project conducted in Australia and Norway evaluating new approaches to collaborative chamber music instruction in higher education settings. Following suggestions from the literature on collaborative and group learning in music, chamber music tuition was chosen as a suitable context to examine the possibility of teaching-through-playing and the impact of such an approach on students’ collaborative learning and their induction into the professional music community. Two groups of staff and students in each institution volunteered to participate in the project and implemented their own rehearsal schedule. Student focus group interviews were conducted after the final performance of rehearsed repertoire, and transcripts were analyzed by two researchers independently for the emerging themes and refined through iterative discussions. Key findings include students being inspired by working with experienced staff in a professional setting, learning the skills of ensemble playing such as effective rehearsal techniques, understanding of stylistic conventions, specific technical, musical and co-ordination skills, greater experimentation, positive impact of group discussions, and a more collaborative atmosphere. Students found it challenging to alter power roles, as the ingrained attitudes of teacher-led approaches prevailed. This project has shown that teaching-through-playing chamber music is a viable approach for developing students’ musical and social skills by providing them with authentic professional experiences. We propose an alternative model of higher education performance teaching that is more collaborative and participatory.

Flipped learning: A shift in graduate nursing education.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a shift in education. Nursing education must respond to these changing times by redesigning classroom instruction. Flipped learning (FL) is a proposed method for teaching advanced practice nurses that is student-centered and engaging, both critical areas for contemporary learners. This qualitative study explored the perspectives and experiences of the family nurse practitioner faculty and the family nurse practitioner nursing students who participated in FL. The type and level of FL practices faculty can apply to support students coming to class prepared to engage in active learning activities was also investigated. The study used an insider action research design. There were two arms of the study, faculty and student. Ten faculty-led learning circles with four faculty and three family nurse practitioner student focus groups, each with six students, were held over the course of the study. Thematic findings were developed from both student and faculty data. The results revealed that family nurse practitioner students had a positive attitude toward FL. Many expressed FL provided perceptions of gained confidence, personalized learning, increased engagement, and preparedness for classroom instruction. Overall, faculty preferred FL over traditional teaching approaches. Several active learning activities were used by faculty with clinical case studies being the most preferred by student participants. This study confirms FL is a plausible and promising approach to traditional classroom instruction. However, more robust studies are needed to determine its benefits in advanced practice nursing education.

The attitude of the youth to vaccine prevention of influenza in conditions of COVID-19 pandemic

The article considers the problem of attitude of the youth to vaccine prevention of influenza. The study was organized on the basis of qualitative research methods (focus groups) of students of two universities in the Central and Volga Federal Okrugs. The data about attitudes towards vaccination and refusal motivation was obtained. The need in increasing awareness of the youth about vaccine prevention as an actual health-preserving technology was substantiated.

The white ribbon movement: high school students in the 2020 Thai youth protests

ABSTRACT This article discusses the motivations behind the involvement of high school students in the anti-government protests across Thailand in 2020. Drawing on 150 school and 150 university student interviews, focus groups, and observation of sixteen protests conducted around the country, it argues that protesting youths were motivated by grievances against repressive, authoritative and unaccountable conservative education systems and political institutions, particularly the monarchy.

Becoming connected learners through personalized learning

Drawing from different orientations, personalized, learner-centered environments and connected learning are two frameworks that work well together to renew classrooms and schools to focus on the needs and interests of the learner and make connections between experience, content standards, disciplines, and the community. This case study describes one American Midwestern middle school’s implementation of a personalized, learner-centered approach in one of its five 8th grade houses (groups). A connected learning framework is applied to data from student, parent, and teacher focus groups to demonstrate how personalized learning environments can support the development of connected learners who are active participants in their own learning that is drawn from their own interests and extends beyond the classroom. We applied the connected learning framework to demonstrate how personalized learning environments can support the development of connected learners who are active participants in their own learning that is drawn from their own interests and extends beyond the classroom.

Measuring adolescents’ beliefs in conspiracy theories: Development and validation of the Adolescent Conspiracy Beliefs Questionnaire (ACBQ)

Four studies (total n=961) developed and validated the Adolescent Conspiracy Beliefs Questionnaire (ACBQ). Initial items were developed in collaboration with teachers. An exploratory factor analysis (Study 1, n=208, aged 11-14) and a student focus group (N=3, aged 11) enabled us to establish the factor structure of a 9-item scale. This was replicated via confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2 (N=178, aged 11-17), and the scale displayed good convergent (i.e., relationship with paranoia and mistrust) and discriminant validity (i.e., no relationship with extraversion). Study 3a (N=257) further tested convergent validity with a sample of 18-year-olds (i.e., relationship with adult-validated measures of conspiracy beliefs) and demonstrated strong test-retest reliability. Study 3b (N=318) replicated these findings with a mixed-age adult sample. The ACBQ will allow researchers to explore the psychological antecedents and consequences of conspiracy thinking in young populations.

The Use of Furniture in a Student-Centred Primary School Learning Environment

Classroom furniture has evolved over time from fixed desks facing the front to maintain order and control to a range of flexible furniture types to encourage student-centred pedagogies. This article reports research that applied a socio-material approach to explore how furniture is used in a flexible learning environment. Data were gathered from observations, reflections, student focus group interviews and teacher interviews in one school in New Zealand. In this context it was found that students used furniture for different purposes. Individual student preferences and differences were evident including unconventional use of furniture. The use of furniture was influenced by the teachers, students, environment, furniture design and the curriculum, and mediated by pedagogy and a focus on developing autonomy and environmental competence. The students demonstrated environmental competence, including awareness of the ways that the available furniture can be used for different types of curriculum activities and how environmental and social conditions can affect comfort, collaboration and concentration levels. In classrooms where students move around the space, environmental competence should be deliberately embedded in the teaching programme implicitly and explicitly. In this context, the teachers controlled the environment and the students had restricted autonomy over their use of furniture. The notion of student-centredness in contemporary classroom environments requires further investigation.

Viewing Sexual Health Education through the Lens of Critical Pedagogy: A Case Study in Chicago Public Schools.

Comprehensive sexual health education (SHE) programs are being implemented in many state and local jurisdictions. Much research has focused on the strength and effectiveness of such programs. However, the experiences of teachers and students in their implementation is underexplored. A case study of the implementation of the SHE policy and curriculum in Chicago Public Schools sought to explore teachers’ and students’ experiences. Sixteen teachers were interviewed and five student focus groups, including 46 students, were conducted. Both teachers and students identified opportunities to improve upon the current program, including to (1) incorporate more student-centered learning opportunities and allow for tailoring to each specific group of students; (2) use discussion and dialogue to encourage students’ exploration of their own opinions and identities and development of a sense of agency over their own learning; (3) shift focus from risk reduction to a more holistic focus on healthy sexual wellbeing; and (4) directly discuss current health inequities, contributing factors, and intersectionality. These findings align with a critical pedagogical approach and underscore the need to understand SHE implementation within its sociopolitical context. Implications of the use of critical pedagogy as a framework for SHE in Chicago and beyond are discussed.

Challenges and Accomplishments of Practicing Formative Assessment: a Case Study of College Biology Instructors’ Classrooms

This study presents a glimpse into the private classrooms of biology instructors and the way they practice formative assessments within a college context. Drawing on the personal practice assessment theory model from Box, Skoog and Dabbs (2015), we carried out a multiple case study to investigate two biology instructors’ theories in enacting formative assessment practices. Data collected included classroom observations, instructor interviews, course artifacts, and student focus groups. Qualitative data analysis revealed that each instructor’s core personal practical assessment theories affected implementation of formative assessment. Tasha’s core assessment theories led her to believe that assessment should be a carefully planned motivational and learning opportunity for students. Meanwhile, Jack viewed assessment as a diverse and stress-free student learning experiment. Cross-case analysis revealed that the teachers’ reasoning and decision-making differences were based on the interaction of their personal practical assessment theories and contextual elements. Overall, this study provides insights into the practice of formative assessment in higher education and identifies some challenges and opportunities such assessment presents.

When is the ‘optimal’ time for school transition? An insight into provision in the US

ABSTRACT Across countries, the age and timing of when children navigate school transition varies, as does provision of support during this challenging time. These two factors can heavily shape young people’s adjustment, yet to date there is minimal research which has investigated how this period is navigated in different cultures. The aim of the present exploratory-explanatory case study was to explore how educational transitions are managed and supported within the US, with a view to apply the lessons learnt to the UK context. Parents in the US have more choice regarding the age and timing of when children transfer schools, and so the research examined differences in transition preparations and experiences by children’s age, and whether they are in a two or three-tier school system. To do this, data collection methodologies included ethnographic classroom observations, student focus groups and staff and parent interviews, which were analysed using Thematic Analysis. Findings demonstrated that the earlier the transition, especially between the ages of 11 and 12, the harder it was perceived to be, and stakeholders had differing attitudes as to whether two transitions are better than one. It was concluded that while the present study has made preliminary progress in exploring the significance of transfer timing on students’ adjustment, further longitudinal and intervention comparative research is needed using wider cross-cultural samples.

Changes That Should Remain in Higher Education Post COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of the Experiences at Three Universities

Objectives: The goal of the present study is to describe how the transition to remote emergency delivery was addressed in three universities during the COVID-19 pandemic, to determine the satisfaction levels of their students and faculty with this new teaching-learning experience, and to gather their opinions about the future of higher education. Method: The study uses a mixed-methods approach, including faculty and student surveys and focus groups Results: The study shows high satisfaction with the emergency remote delivery and clearly reflects the relevance of enhancing the digital components of future learning experiences in higher education and a unanimous preference for hybrid education. Participants provide recommendations to institutions regarding what students and faculty would like to keep for a more effective learning experience when the new normal comes. Conclusions: COVID-19 has had terrible consequences; however, the pandemic has brought along some positive effects and improvement opportunities in higher education, and, if the results of the present study are any indication, the future of face-to-face higher education should be hybrid. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: The study results can provide recommendations and inform decision-making by institutional leaders and policy makers regarding the necessary enhancement of the digital component of the teaching and learning process in higher education.