Methodology
We wanted to conduct a focus group with the students at Julian High School to gain valuable insights into their unique experiences, challenges, and needs. By understanding the perspectives of these students, we can provide an informed recommendation to the Children's First Fund.
Focus Group Planning:
Our purpose for this focus group was to better understand the student experience at Julian High School, and how CFF donations can improve mental and academic well-being.
The focus group questions were organized into four categories: Academic, Career, Hygiene, and Social and Emotional Wellness. These categories aimed to explore different aspects of the students' experiences and challenges at Percy L Julian High School. These questions were designed to gather information about the availability of resources, potential obstacles, and the students' thoughts and opinions on various topics relating to their school. The information gathered helped to identify areas where improvements can be made to support the students' academic success, career planning, hygiene needs, and social and emotional well-being.
Focus Group:
The focus group was conducted over a virtual Google meeting. We began the focus group by each introducing ourselves. Then, we went on to explain the purpose of the focus group to the Student Voice Committee. To help the students be more comfortable, we followed our introductions with an icebreaker. We asked the students “What do you think of when you hear Julian High School?”. Through the introductions and the icebreaker, we aimed to establish a safe and supportive environment that would encourage the participants to share their ideas openly and confidently.
Continuing, Mia, Sisi, and Tyler each took one or two of the four categories to concentrate on in the focus group. Dr. Katherine Whitington helped facilitate the focus group from Julian High School. From the Classroom, Dr. Whitington was able to help guide the discussion and ensure that we were able to hear the different perspectives of the Student Voice Committee.
Moreover, Won was designated as the note-taker for the virtual call. Won's role was crucial in ensuring accurate documentation of the students' responses and capturing the essence of the discussion. By actively taking notes, Won helped maintain a comprehensive record of the students' perspectives, ideas, and insights.
Data:
After the completion of the focus group, the collected data was organized and coded as part of the analytical process. Grounded theory is the process of identifying key elements of data and establishing categories. We utilized grounded theory to draw meaningful conclusions and establish different categories of needs for Julian High School. These categories included various elements, such as self-care, relationships, and resources.
