Focus Group Themes – Boonsboro (Boonsboro Middle School, 1.29.08)
1
2/18/08
Objective 1 - Question 1: What defines a successful young person?
Themes: 1) Character–Intrapersonal/Self; 2) Character–Interpersonal/Interaction with Others; and 3) Academics
Middle School Youth (N=10) Parents (N=10)
Responses (N=44) Responses (N=34)
Character: Intrapersonal/Self (n=19; 43%) Character: Intrapersonal/Self (n=28; 82%)
o Don't do drugs (3) o Satisfied with themselves (5)
o Athletic (3) o Happy (5)
o Positive Attitude (2) o Confident (4)
o Focused (2) o Family support (3)
o Popular (2) o Focused (2)
o Don't goof off (2) o Determination (2)
o Desire to be successful o Positive attitude (2)
o Always outside o Comfortable
o Staying in control when others aren't o Loved
o Not a show off o Independent
o Has a good record o Like what they are doing
o Presents themselves well
Character: Interpersonal/Others (n=1; 2%)
o Courteous Character: Interpersonal/Others (n=5; 21%)
o Encouraged (2)
Academics (n=24; 55%) o Healthy/Loving Relationships (2)
o Go to college/graduate (5) o Compassionate
o Care and work hard to keep good grades(5)
o Study Hard (3) Academics (n=1; 3%)
o Graduate from High School (3) o Educated
o Committed to learning (2)
o Smart (1)
o Good teachers
o Participate in class
o Stay after school for help
o Extra-curricular activities
o Good education
Common Themes:
Key Differences: Parents focused on intrapersonal self, while youth focused on academics. Parents de-emphasized academics and youth de-emphasized
interpersonal/others.
Focus Group Themes – Boonsboro (Boonsboro Middle School, 1.29.08)
2
2/18/08
Objective 1 - Question 2: What defines a successful adult?
Themes: 1) Character- Intrapersonal/Self; 2) Character – Interpersonal/Interactions with Others; 3) Economic Security; and 4) Family
Middle School Youth (N=10) Parents (N=10)
Responses (N=36) Responses (N=29)
Character: Intrapersonal/Self (n=18; 62%)
Character: Intrapersonal/Self (n=10; 28%) o Self confident (6)
o Stay or get off drugs/get help (4) o Like what they are doing (2)
o Dress nicely o Determined (2)
o Happy with their life o Competent
o Smart o Content with choices they have made
o Good education o Motivated
o Okay with life, want to continue o Focused
o Positive o Self worth
o Positive
Character: Interpersonal/Others (n=0; 0%) o Educated
o Understanding
Economic Security (n=21; 58%)
o Go to college (7) Character: Interpersonal/Others (n=8; 28%)
o College degree (5) o Nurturing/Caring/Loving (4)
o Good job (3) o Time with kids
o Make good money (3) o Being pleasant at all times
o Work for government/state o Except child for whatever they are
o Own a business o Good relationships
o Work for a business
Economic Security (n=1; 3%)
Family (n=5; 14%) o Good job
o Support family/ with money (3)
o Do what they are suppose to do Family (n=2; 7%)
o Have a family o Support family (2)
Common Themes: Both parents and youth showed little emphasis on family.
Key Differences: Parents focused primarily on intrapersonal/self and youth focused on economic security. Parents placed little emphasis on economic security
and youth placed no emphasis on interpersonal/others.
Focus Group Themes – Boonsboro (Boonsboro Middle School, 1.29.08)
3
1/30/08
Objective 2 - Question 1a: What do kids need to succeed? (Family/Home, School, Community/Neighborhood)
FAMILY/HOME THEMES: 1) Support (emotional, academic, instrumental); 2) Expectations; 3) Communication; and 4) Role Model
Middle School Youth (N=10) Parents (N=10)
Responses (N=7) Responses (N=9)
Support (n=5; 71%) Support (n=5; 56%)
Emotional Emotional
o Parents stay together o Involved Parents
o Parents don't hit their kids o Respectful
o Encourage
Academic o Make home a safe haven
o Parents help kids with school work (3)
Instrumental (e.g., financial, safety, health)
Expectations (n=2; 29%) o Provide private space for child
o Need parents to stay home instead of going out to party
o Parents don't waste money on unnecessary things/pay the bills Expectations (n=3; 33%)
o Give child responsibility
Communication (n=0; 0%) o Provide discipline
o Provide structured routine
Role Model (n=0;0%) Communication (n=1; 11%)
o Comfortable talking about anything
Role Model (n=0;0%)
Common Themes: Both groups emphasized support and showed emphasis on expectations. Both groups showed no mention of role model.
Key Differences: Parents showed little emphasis on communication, youth showed no mention of communication.
Focus Group Themes – Boonsboro (Boonsboro Middle School, 1.29.08)
4
1/30/08
Objective 2 - Question 1b: What do kids need to succeed? (Family/Home, School, Community/Neighborhood)
SCHOOL THEMES: 1) Academic Success; 2) Support/Expectations; and 3) Connection to School
Middle School Youth (N=10) Parents (N=10)
Responses (N=5) Responses (N=19)
Academic Success (n=1; 20%) Academic Success (n=3; 16%)
o Donations from big business' for school needs o Teachers more personable/caring (2)
o Smaller class size
Support/Expectations (n=4; 80%)
o Teachers need to pay attention to all students, not just bad students Support/Expectations (n=14; 74%)
o Teachers need to focus on students, not themselves o Grading equity with rules/more strict (2)
o Fair discipline o Tutoring (2)
o No teachers pet o Teachers more involved
o Teachers hold students accountable for schoolwork
Connection to School (n=0%) o Have sports
o Reorganize incentive party
o Less emphasis on materialistic things
o Less classification among high/low income youth
o Less bullying
o Activities all kids can do
o Small yearbook club
o More attention to merit and needy students
Connection to School (n=2; 11%)
o Communicate what is available through website/newsletter (2)
Common Themes: Parents and Youth both expressed high emphasis on support/expectations and emphasis on academic success
Key Differences: Youth showed no mention of connection to school. Parents de-emphasized connection to school
Focus Group Themes – Boonsboro (Boonsboro Middle School, 1.29.08)
5
1/30/08
Objective 2 - Question 1c: What do kids need to succeed? (Family/Home, School, Community/Neighborhood)
COMMUNITY/NEIGHBORHOOD THEMES: 1) Sense of Community; 2) Safety; and 3) Environment/Surroundings
Middle School Youth (N=10) Parents (N=10)
Responses (N=6) Responses (N=11)
Sense of Community (n=1; 17%) Sense of Community (n=6; 55%)
o Report neighborhood crime o Community center activities (2)
o Youth services (place to go for guidance)
Safety (n=5; 83%) o Boys/Girls club or YMCA
o Less crime (2) o Community meetings
o Peace and quiet in neighborhood o Dances
o Police in every neighborhood
o Drug free Safety (n=0; 0%)
Environment/Surroundings (n=0; 0%) Environment/Surroundings (n=5; 45%)
o Park with recreation center/host music & art classes (3)
o Transportation
o Pool
Common Themes:
Key Differences: Youth presented strong emphasis on safety, parents presented no mention of safety. Parents emphasized environment/surroundings and
youth had no mention of environment/surroundings. Parents emphasized sense of community while youth represented moderate sense of community.
Focus Group Themes – Boonsboro (Boonsboro Middle School, 1.29.08)
6
1/30/08
Objective 2 - Question 2: Local opportunities that help kids succeed.
THEMES: 1) Community-based; 2) School-based; and 3) Environment/Surroundings
Middle School Youth (N=10) Parents (N=10)
Responses (N=22) Responses (N=12)
Community-Based Opportunities (n=4, 18%) Community-Based Opportunities (n= 9, 75%)
o Summer Camps (3) o Citizen (Local Newspaper)
o Antitiem Recreation League o Girl Scouts
o Boy Scouts
School-Based Opportunities (n=11, 50%) o BAAA Football
o Band/Chorus/Orchestra (3) o AYSO Soccer
o Sports o BASC Soccer
o Homework Club o South Mountain Little League
o Enrichment Club o Karate
o Yearbook Club o Youth Groups at Pentecostal Church
o Web reader
o Study Buddies School-based Opportunities (n=0%)
o Chess Club
o Math Club
Environment/Surroundings (n=3, 25%)
Environment/Surroundings (n=7, 32%) o Schaffer Park
o Schaffer Park o Old Train/ Trolley Building (was to be turned into Boys/Girls Club, never
o Subway Restaurant (where kids hang out) happened)
o Carnival in May o Building new Library
o Building a Library
o Greenbrier Family Recreation (15 min. away)
o Greenbrier State Park (10 min. away)
o Antietam Battlefield (15 min. away)
Common Themes: Parents and youth both showed similar emphasis on environment/surroundings.
Key Differences: Youth moderately emphasized school based opportunities, while parents highly emphasized community-based opportunities. Parents showed
no mention of school-based opportunities and youth showed little emphasis of community-based opportunities.
Objective 2 - Question 3: What barriers get in the way of kids making use of their opportunities?
Focus Group Themes – Boonsboro (Boonsboro Middle School, 1.29.08)
7
1/30/08
THEMES: 1) Program-Based Barriers; 2) Personal Factors; 3) Family Factors; and 4) Environmental Factors
Middle School Youth (N=10) Parents (N=10)
Responses (N=28) Responses (N=6)
Program-Based Barriers (n=0, 0%) Program-Based Barriers (n=3, 50%)
o Not knowing what is available (2)
Personal Factors (n=28, 100%) o Need more choices of activities
o People think its cool to get bad grades (10)
o Youth are more interested in video games (10) Personal Factors (n=2, 33%)
o I'm too interested in video games (3) o Money
o Friends might think you don't want to spend time together o Time conflicts
o Cool to do drugs
o Get made fun of Family Factors (n=0%)
o Don't want to get involved
o Not enough time Environmental Factors (n=1, 17%)
o Transportation
Family Factors (n=0%)
Environmental Factors (n=0; 0%)
Common Themes: Parents and Youth showed no mention of family factors.
Key Differences: Youth focused 100% on personal factors. Moderate emphasis on program based barriers among parents.
Focus Group Themes – Boonsboro (Boonsboro Middle School, 1.29.08)
8
1/30/08
Objective 4 – What is needed to help all kids be successful?
THEMES: 1) Community-based; 2) School-based; and 3) Environment/Surroundings
Middle School Youth (N=10) Parents (N=10)
Responses (N=21) Responses (N=16)
Community-Based Needs (n=11, 52%) Community-Based Needs (n=11, 69%)
o Teen Center (10) o Have High School Students volunteer for service hours at Youth
-game room, arcades, pool, video Center/Senior Center/Day Care Center/Yard work (4)
-outdoor area for sports, dance, o AG Center/Dairy Club/4H (2)
-computer, homework room o Youth Center (Use old Library/Trolly Bldg., Old Auction House or
o Farming Program Government Funded)
o Art/Music Classes
School-based Needs (n=9, 43%) o Family Bingo Night
o Outside lunch space o Community Meetings
o Open school gym evenings/weekends o Rent out Bowling Alley
o Extend lunch
o Extension of locker breaks School-based Needs (n=3, 19%)
o Sodas back in school o Parent Board to oversee grading rules, equity in grading (2)
o After school programs o More equity in PTA across all schools
o Less homework
o Larger school (too crowded, small) Environment/Surroundings (n=2, 13%)
o Make school start earlier, end earlier o Have Builders donate land
o Put limit of population growth
Environment/Surroundings (n=1, 5%)
o New playground equipment at school
Common Themes: Parents and youth emphasized community based needs and de-emphasized environmental/surroundings
Key Differences: Parents showed little emphasis on school based needs, where youth showed moderate emphasis.