Instrument 3_Youth focus group guide

Instrument 3: IDD Youth Focus Group Topic Guide

Personal Responsibility Education Program: Promising Youth Programs
Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Focus Group Topic Guide

1. Background (5 min)

Thank you for joining us today. Our names are [NAMES OF FACILITATOR/NOTE TAKER], and we are from an independent research firm called Mathematica. We are part of a research team funded by the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

We are here today to learn more about your experiences with the two lessons on Internet safety adapted from the Digital Citizenship curriculum. The purpose of lessons is to help youth interact safely with people online and build healthy and rewarding friendships both online and off. Your point of view is really important to us. We expect the [focus group/interview] to take about 60 minutes of your time.

Being part of this [focus group/interview] is completely voluntary. There are no penalties or consequences for not answering our questions. You do not have to answer any questions that you are not comfortable answering. You may also stop taking part in the discussion at any point. There are no right or wrong answers to our questions. Our questions are designed to learn about your experience with the lessons and your opinions.

Privacy statement: To the fullest extent permissible by law, we will keep the information you share with us private. We will only use first names as we talk today. If we use quotes from this discussion, we will not include the real name of the person who made the statement. All names will be changed to ensure privacy. No one but the researchers will see any of the notes from our discussion. Do you mind if we record our conversation today to help us fill in our notes? [Note: if all youth do not agree, do not record.] We will destroy all notes once we are done writing our report.

Do you have any questions about what I just explained or about the discussion before we begin?

Ground rules for discussion

Before we start, we want to agree on some ground rules about how our time together should go.

• This will be an informal discussion. There are no right or wrong answers to our questions. We want to learn about your experiences with the Internet safety lessons and what you think about them.

• Please do not use your own or each other’s full names during our discussion today, please just use first names.

• There may be times in the discussion where you feel differently from others and we want to hear about that. Please remember to be respectful of everyone’s opinions, even if they are different from your own. Even though you may feel differently than others in this group, you represent others who aren’t participating today who may have similar feelings.

• Please remember to be respectful of everyone’s opinions, even if they are different from your own.

• We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the lessons, but you do not need to share your personal experiences outside of the classroom with us.

• We also ask that you keep the discussion private to respect each other’s privacy, and do not share what you hear here with others outside this room. We cannot, however, guarantee that everyone in the group will honor this request.

• Again, remember, your participation in this conversation is up to you. You do not have to participate and you do not have to answer any questions that you do not want to answer.

• Lastly, I have a lot of different questions to cover, so I may need to interrupt you to keep the conversation moving. Please don’t take it personally; it’s simply to ensure we cover all our questions today.

Would anyone like to add any additional ground rules for our discussion?

2. Assent (10 minutes)¹

I would now like to go over the assent process with you. Assent is when we explain:

• The purpose of this study

• The way our discussion today will work

• How we will use the notes we will take during our conversation today before you agree to participate

• Information about your rights and the risks for you

INTERVIEWERS SHOULD CONDUCT ASSENT PROCESS

• Pass out two copies of the assent form to each youth

• Read assent form aloud and ask youth if they have any questions

• Answer all questions

• Ask youth to sign it, give you one copy and keep one copy for themselves

Discussion questions (45 minutes)

Introductions and icebreaker

1. How would you describe the lessons on Internet Safety to someone else like a friend? What were the lessons about?

2. What was one or two new things you learned in the lessons that you didn’t know before?

   1. Is everyone online who they say they are? If not, why might they pretend to be someone else?

   2. Can you describe what a red flag feeling is?

   3. Can you tell me what someone might want to do if they have a red flag feeling?

   4. How do you know if an online relationship is healthy?

   5. Was there anything you learned that surprised you?

Now I’d like to talk about what you thought about each lesson and the specific activities your teacher did with the class. As a reminder, some of the activities in Lesson 1 included watching and talking about the Movistar: Love Story video; the scenarios where Sara is talking to someone online; and working as a group on Sheyna’s situation. Lesson 2 included watching the Teen Voices video, discussing friendships and feelings, and discussing the scenarios with Jason and Tim. [Note: For each activity below, provide more detail if youth don’t seem to remember]

3. 1. Discuss lesson 1, “Chatting and red flags”

      1. What did you like about the risky online relationship activity that included watching and discussing the Movistar: Love Story video and talked about the “real you” and grooming? What did you not like and why? Did you find anything confusing?

      2. What did you like about the texting scenarios with Sara and Asseal and Sara and axlex_easwest13? Were you able to relate to the scenarios? What did you not like and why? Did you find anything confusing?

      3. What did you like about Sheyna’s Situation and working through the Feelings and Options thinking routine to respond to a red flag feeling? Were you able to relate to the scenarios? What did you not like? Did you find anything confusing?

      4. How did you feel or think about the group quizzes at the end of lesson 1?

   2. Discuss lesson 2, “Rewarding relationships”

      1. What did you like about the Texting and Talking and the Teen Voices video? Were you able to relate to the youth in the video? What did you not like and why? Did you find anything confusing?

      2. What did you like about the Amaze video and discussion about healthy vs. unhealthy relationships? What did you not like? Did you find anything confusing?

      3. What did you like about the John and Tim scenario? Could you relate to the scenario? What did you not like? Did you find anything confusing?

      4. How did you feel about the group quizzes at the end of lesson 2?

4. Is there anything you recommend changing about any of the activities we just talked about to make them better or more interesting?

5. Did you like the way your teacher [or other staff member] taught the lessons? Why or why not?

   1. Could they have changed anything about the way they taught it to make it better? What do you recommend?

6. Was your teacher able to answer questions you had during the lessons about the topics you learned or activities you did?

7. Were there any topics you wish the lessons included that it didn’t cover? Or topics you wanted to learn more about? For example, more on romantic relationships and technology, drama with people online, how to handle cyberbullying, or how to safely video chat?

8. Do you think what you learned in the lessons will change how you act online, or has it already changed how you act online?

   1. How will it change how you talk to people online?

   2. How will it change what you choose to share about yourself online?

   3. How will it help you know what to do if something makes you uncomfortable online?

9. Would you recommend this lesson to a friend or other young people like you? Why or why not?

10. Do you have any other questions before we end?

Thank you!

1 For youth who are 18 or older a consent (rather than assent) process will be used, consistent with the consent form in Appendix B.

DRAFT 11/27/24 Mathematica 4