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Texarkana Area Resident Focus Group Topic Guide
due in two weeks Our new university president is interested in how people feel about various aspects of our university and about what will be needed when we downward expand. We know that we cannot be all things to all people; not just any high school student is a potential freshman. We don't know, however, exactly what kind of target market would have the greatest interest in us and what it is we should be doing to attract that market. That is, there is some segment or some niche that is our market, but we have to determine the characteristics of that segment and what it needs and wants in a university. Since the new campus is not guaranteed to have dormitories completed by the time that the first freshman class starts in 2010, we must constrain our immediate plans to attracting commuter-only students. These new freshman commuter students are likely to be different than the upper division commuter students that we currently attract. But we don't know just what it is that these students or their parents might want in a four-year school. Would they consider committing to a four-year experience at our school if we had no sports teams? How important is it to have on-campus entertainment such as concerts, plays, movies, and such? Is it important to have shopping, entertainment, and dining establishments near but off campus? How important is it to have clubs and social activities on campus? Refer to our screener assignment: your focus group interviews must be based on the same general research objectives that were outlined in that assignment. Use the proposal letter (below) as a contractual obligation for discussion that belongs in your topic guide. At the top of your Topic Guide, include the following information:
Within your Topic Guide:
For this particular Topic Guide:
Assume that you will be the moderator -- that you are not writing this for a stranger to conduct the session. This means that you do not need to write out all of the wording as if it will be read by someone. For example, you might list that participants will be asked to introduce themselves and might list the probes that go with that general area of discussion, but you do not have to write out all of the text of what will be said. Do, however, write all of the general questions that would be asked so that the details of the discussion are very clear to a client. That is, you are not writing this for someone else to run the session, but you must write it with sufficient detail so that the client can read it and know precisely what you intend to do in the conduct of the session. You are strongly urged to study the following examples before writing your topic guide:
Dear Dr. Rathburn, As a followup to our telephone conversation, here is a proposal to help find answers to the kinds of questions that you had. Since we aren't certain of having dorms on the new campus by the time the first freshman class starts in 2010, our initial efforts for that class have to remain focused on commuter students. We know that this freshman class will have expectations and needs that are different from our current upper division commuter students, but we don't know what those expectations and needs are. Objectives The present study would be an initial exploration into questions associated with what residents of Texarkana and the surrounding areas believe our campus needs in order to attract full-time freshman-level commuter students. Methodology Our proposal is to randomly call Texarkana area residents, limiting respondents to a quota sample of heads of households that includes people within the confines of Texarkana and some people who live in areas that are in outlying areas (e.g., Ashdown, AR). We would like a sample of at least 48 people from the targeted geographic area (including at least 40 from the immediate vicinity of Texarkana and at least 14 from outlying areas). This would require six focus group sessions of eight people. To help ensure this number of shows for each session, we would over-recruit for nine participants; our total number of participants could therefore be as high as 56. Focus Group Topic Areas Recommended discussion flow is as follows:
Analysis We will provide you with a topline report summarizing the results of and conclusions from these sessions. We will also provide you with a presentation of results and conclusions on our campus during our last class meeting. Timeline Our estimated timeline is as follows: Weeks 1 and 2: Recruit participants (telephone). Weeks 3 and 4: Conduct the focus groups (Week 3 Saturday, one week after end of recruiting). Weeks 5 through 7: Write reports; rehearse presentations in class. Week 8: Present results to you orally and in written report form. Budget Since the materials that we would consume are part of the normal, reasonable costs for a student, there will be no cost from your budget for materials. Since this is a student learning project, there also would be no cost to you for time. However, since students cannot be asked to incur the costs of long distance phone calls to outlying areas for recruiting, you would have to allow these calls to be made from your budget. The focus group sessions can be run on our campus, so there would presumably be no facility rental costs. However, you would be responsible for costs and arrangements for food. You would also be responsible for the payment of inducements to participants ($75 each to a total number of participants that is at least 48 and no more than 56). Dr. Rathburn, please let me know if you need any additional information. If you believe that anything in our proposal should be changed, let me know as soon as possible. Thanks for this opportunity for our students to work with you. Sincerely,
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