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Task 1.2: Continue Research and Conduct a Focus Group

You and your teammates have been asked to continue your research on GM animals as well as to conduct a focus group on the genetic modification of pets.

Reminder: In your research you may encounter theological or religious arguments, particularly regarding ethics. Remember that you have been asked to avoid this line of discussion in any of your deliverables.

The steps below will help you with your task.

Before you begin:

• Review the Resources link (above) to get a feel for what you have available to you.
  
  
• Review the General Skills Resources link (in the left menu), particularly on references and citations, to understand what resources are available to you. You may refer to these resources as you complete your work to help keep track of what you find in your research.

 

Overview of your task

Once you're ready to begin, you'll have a number of different steps to complete. The remainder of this guide will provide detailed help on each of your steps, divided into sections. Every step you'll be completing is listed below, linked to further detail on how to complete that task.

Here is the general approach to this task that is recommended:

1. Manage your project - continue to keep your work coordinated and on-target.
2. Continue your research - address any feedback you have received on your research, or look into additional questions that you have identified.
3. Conduct a focus group - based on the groundwork you laid in the previous task, conduct a target discussion on key issues. As part of this, you'll also have an opportunity to reflect on your experience.
4. Develop outline for final report - begin to organize your thoughts for your report, based on what you learned in your focus group and research.
5. Reconvene with your team and submit your work - put together what your team has done in this task.

Note: Steps 2 & 3 above can be conducted in either order or at the same time, depending on your schedule and work style.

Detailed Help

Choose the step you'd like assistance with: (click an item to jump to that section)

• Manage Project
  
  
• Continue Research
  
  
• Conduct a Focus Group
  
  
• Develop Outline for Final Report
  
  
• Reconvene with Your Team
  
  
• Review and Submit Your Work
  

Manage Project (back to top)

Part of your job in this rotation involves working with your team to:

• Determine what tasks need to be accomplished
  
  
• Assign specific work to individual people
  
  
• Monitor what progress has been made
  
  
• Keep track of what still needs done
  

1. Keep the same project manager as in the last task. The project manager will rotate at the next topic.
   
   
   • Refer to the step-by-step guide in task 1.1 for more detailed information on project management.
     
     
2. Review the email from Dr. Woodrow to clarify your understanding of what is being asked of you. Keep in mind how this task fits into the main projects.
   
   
• Your team discussion may identify questions you have about these topics or additional points you want to research to include in the main projects for this rotation.
  
  
3. With your team, discuss what needs to be accomplished and who is responsible for each item. Keep in mind that one area may require more work than others and to divide tasks accordingly. It may be helpful to look through the steps below to get a better feel for what needs to be done.
   
   
4. Use the status report template your team created in the previous task to document what needs to be completed and who is responsible for its completion.
   
   
• If the design of your template did not serve the purposes for project management in the previous task you may want to refine it. Refer to the steps in the previous task to do so if needed.
  
  
• The project manager needs to submit a status report of the team at the end of this task.

Continue Research (back to top)

The work throughout this rotation is to complete projects in three general areas:

• Team presentations (one on each of the three topics and one concluding presentation)
  
  
• Team debates (one for each topic)
  
  
• A final report from each individual team member

Keep these things in mind as you conduct your research to help determine what information is useful and how it might fit into a team presentation, team debate, or your final report.

Tip: If you complete your work and are ahead of schedule, consider planning ahead for future work.

1. Research any open issues that your team identified in the previous task or that were discussed with your mentor.
   
   
   • If you are having difficulty finding information consult with your teammates to see if they can help you find what is needed. If you’re still having trouble, talk with your mentor.

Conduct a Focus Group (back to top)

You need to conduct a focus group to gather people’s views on the issue around genetically engineering pets.

1. Download the Focus Group Guidelines from Dr. Woodrow’s email. These guidelines will be used for future focus groups as well, so keep the file in a convenient place.
   
   
2. Review the Resources link (above) for information on what a focus group is and what is involved in conducting a focus group.
   
   
• Conduct additional research on focus groups as needed to plan the focus group you are responsible for organizing. Look for ways to avoid the mistakes people commonly make in conducting a focus group.
  
  
3. If you have not already done so, schedule a time and place to hold the focus group. Give the members of the group adequate notice beforehand, and give yourself enough time to complete research before conducting the session.
   

Tip: Places such as public libraries often have rooms that can be reserved for non-commercial purposes.


4. Finish recruiting people for the focus group, focusing your attention on those who meet the selection criteria you generated in the previous task.
   
   
   • If you’re having trouble finding enough people who fit the criteria and are willing to participate, you may need to discuss the issue with your team and/or adjust your criteria.
     
     
5. Review the list of topics you have been asked to cover. You may add topics based on the research you’ve completed.
   
   
6. Finalize preparations for your focus group including determining how you are going to conduct it, what you need for your chosen structure, and how you are going to record the information.
   
   Tip: Using audio or video recording equipment (if available) can help minimize delays from taking notes, reduce the loss of data, and keep things moving forward. Make sure to let the focus group participants know why the equipment is being used and how the recordings will be used, whether to collect quotes to be used as part of the presentation to Congress or even just for accurate record-keeping.
   
   
   • Put together the information you plan to present to the focus group, rehearsing it to ensure you have enough mastery of the material to describe it clearly.
     
     
     • While you need to be prepared to discuss all the main points you discovered in your research, you also need to be flexible. Expect to modify the information you present based on the views and knowledge of the people you have selected for your focus group.
       
       
7. Conduct the focus group using the information from your research and the attachment in Dr. Woodrow’s email as a guide.
   
   Tip: Pay attention to what ethical arguments people bring up in discussing the questions. While many people may not explicitly identify the ethical perspective they come from, the arguments they make can be good indications of such. Watch how people with different perspectives react to information can help you in your work (e.g., debates).
   
   
8. Write a summary report of the focus group, addressing the following points:
   
   
   • The items described by Dr. Woodrow in her email
     
     
   • Responses elicited from the focus group
     
     
   • Questions participants brought up that you had not anticipated.
     
     
   • Analysis of the overall response from the focus group
     
     
   • How the information you gained impacts your projects (presentation, debate, report)
     
     
   • People’s views and opinions of the questions you asked
     
     
   • Memorable or informative quotes from the group
     
     
   • Any lessons learned or changes you would make for future focus groups
     
     
   • Any additional relevant information
     
     
   • The focus group report can take a variety of forms, including a narrative, an outline, using a table, or a combination of methods. Choose the format you feel best captures the information.
     
     
9. Answer the questions under the Reflect on What You Learned tab (above).

Develop Outline for Final Report (back to top)

1. Organize and prioritize the information you found during your research regarding genetically modified pets. Determine what information is critical, what is important, and what information may not be necessary.
   
   
2. Develop an outline of the information you plan to use for your final report. The information you actually use for the report will likely evolve as you work through the rest of the rotation, and the outline can be a rough draft for this stage of research.
   
   
   • Look at the General Skills Resources link (in the left menu) under “Writing” for information on creating a good outline.
     
     
   • Look at the Resources link (above) for links to different methods or software programs that can help you organize your thoughts and develop outlines. Many of these programs are free or have a free trial period.
     
     
     • You can also conduct your own research for methods or programs to help you organize your thoughts and develop an outline.
       

   Tip: If time allows, try something new. Even though you may already have a method for developing an outline, there may be other ways to accomplish the task that you’re not yet familiar with. Try experimenting with the possibilities to see if there is a new approach that you enjoy more than your current method.

Reconvene with Your Team (back to top)

1. Meet with your team to discuss the information each person found, any questions or issues the research uncovered, any issues that weren’t fully resolved, and what needs to be done to answer any issues that still need to be addressed, and other points as determined by your team.
   
   
   • Discuss with your team the information you were responsible for and what you believe should be included in the presentation.
     
     Tip: There can be a lot to learn when one person believes information should be included and another doesn’t. Keep the conversation open to disagreement in order to uncover important points that may otherwise be missed.
     
     
   • Discuss the focus groups each person ran, including a summary of what selection criteria (if any) were used in the end, people’s views and questions, points that went well, and problems you ran into. You and your teammates may have ideas on how to avoid these problems in your future focus groups.
     
     
   • Note: Depending on when your team reconvenes and the individual scheduling of the focus groups, not everyone may have completed their focus group together. If so, you can save the in depth discussion with your team about the focus groups for the next task.
     
     
2. Together, revise your rough outline to include information from your additional research and from the focus groups that your team found that may be useful for the presentation.
   
   
   • While your outline may change before it is finalized, the content and order need to be getting closer to what your team plans on using to develop the presentation.
     
     
   • Include information that people disagree on and note accordingly. You can make modifications as you get deeper into it, adding or removing points as needed.
     
     
3. Project manager only: Update your team status report detailing the progress that was made and what still needs to be accomplished.

Review and Submit Your Work (back to top)

1. Review your work.
   
   
   • Did you conduct adequate research to address any open issues and questions from your previous round of research?
     
     
   • Did you take thorough notes of the information you came across in your research and where you found it?
     
     
   • Does your focus group summary capture the main details you learned from the group?
     
     
   • Did you use all the research and focus group data to inform your development of your report outline?
     
     
   • Did your team work together to refine the outline for the presentation?
     
     
   • Did you provide a thoughtful response to the reflection questions?
     
     
   • (Project Manager) Did you update your team status report to reflect the current state of progress?
     
     
2. Submit your work.
   
   
   • Review the checklist located in the Submit Your Work section of this task to ensure completion of the task before submitting your deliverables to your mentor.

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Task 1.2 Resources

The links below are intended as a starting point for your work. If you are unable to find all the information you need, or if the information here leaves questions you still need to answer, you may need to conduct further research to complete your work. In the event of a broken link, use the description as a starting point to search for similiar links.

While Wikipedia is a valuable resource, unlike some other websites anyone can contribute to or modify the site (whether they're knowledgeable about the topic or not). As a result, the site is subject to constant change by questionable sources. Be sure to cross-check information on Wikipedia with other reputable sites to ensure accuracy.

Note Taking Software

The programs below are intended as examples of software options available and not intended as an endorsement. Other programs may be available.

Free Note-taking Software
An entry from Wikipedia listing and describing note taking software programs that are free. This resource appeared in an earlier task.

Inspiration
Constructs concept maps showing the relationship of data using easy to use tools and converts concept maps into outlines. A 30 day free trial is available. This resource appeared in an earlier task.

Microsoft One Note
A note taking tool that allows you to easily enter, edit, and reorganize your information. You can enter detailed information and collapse sections to produce a more concise outline. One Note integrates with other Microsoft products allowing you to save your notes in a MS Word document or to send pages from internet explorer to One Note. A 60 day free trial is available or you can test it online. This resource appeared in an earlier task.

Focus Group

Focus Groups
An entry from Wikipedia on focus groups. This resource appeared in an earlier task.

Guidelines for Focus Groups
Guidelines for preparing for, conducting, and analyzing a focus group with a specific example to illustrate points. This resource appeared in an earlier task.

Focus Group Fundamentals
Information on focus groups, factors that influence the quality of focus groups including the similarity of participants, and what the type of information focus groups produce. This resource appeared in an earlier task.

Dos and Don'ts for Focus Groups
Recommendations of things to do in a focus group and common mistakes to avoid. This resource appeared in an earlier task.