Evaluation of focus group question examples

The following are some examples of focus group questions used for reflecting on the process and outcomes of an Emerging Minds resource development project. These resources were aimed at supporting families to respond to the negative impacts of the social determinants of health.

The review had two separate focus groups: one for lived experience co-designers, and one for Emerging Minds employees including the project coordinator, resource reviewers and communications staff.

Lived experience co-designer focus group questions

We understand that some of you have had different levels of involvement in the project, so please feel free to answer what you can.

The process

1. What, if anything, have you gained from the experience of participating in the codesign process?
2. How did the project capture the views of children? How well did the project do this? What could be improved?
3. Has anything changed about your understanding of the issues and approaches to the topic you were involved with? If so, what?
4. Were you surprised by any of the ideas or processes involved in the meetings?

5. What did you think of the processes the facilitator used to help you design the resources?
a) If you were going to give advice to a codesign facilitator about how to improve the way they supported a group to design resources, what would it be?
b) What was your experience of codesigning with staff as well as other people with lived experience?
c) Were there processes or parts of the project where you felt uncomfortable? What helped navigate any distress you may have experienced? What could be done differently next time?
6. Did anything surprise you about how different people approached the project?
7. Would you participate in a similar process again? Why or why not?
8. Compared to other lived experience partnerships you have been involved in, how was this similar or different?

Outcomes

9. How did this project help create new knowledge, or new ways of doing things (or not)?
10. How well do you think the resources achieved their goal? (Remind of the goal)
11. Do you think the resources contain useful information for families (or not)? Can you give examples?
12. Do you think the resources would offer new ideas for families (or not)? Can you give examples?
13. Do you think the resources might help families feel less isolation, blame or shame (or not)? Can you give examples?
14. Do you think the resources would help families reflect on what they are already doing to get through tough times (or not)? Can you give examples?

Implementation

15. What has been done so far regarding sharing the resources? How has this gone?
16. What more is needed to ensure that practitioners and families get access to these resources?
17. What more is needed to ensure that practitioners and families are able to use these resources?

To finish

18. Would you be part of this process again? Is there anything you would change if you participated again? Is there anything we could do better?

Staff member focus group questions

Process

1. What were your thoughts on the project and the overall process?
2. What values, attitudes and skills impacted how you undertook the process?
3. Comment on the following elements of the process, thinking about what indicated to you that these things were present (or not):
a) How inclusive did you think it was? And how was this achieved?
b) How respectful …?
c) How participative …?
d) How iterative …?

e) How outcomes-focused was the process?
4. What was different or similar to how you have worked before?
5. What did you learn from the process?
6. What changes might you make to the process if you were to repeat it?

Outcomes

7. How well do you think the project achieved its intended goal?
8. How did the process translate and honour lived experience voices in outcomes? How did it partner with and/or check back in with lived experience about this?

Implementation

9. What has been done so far regarding implementation? How has this gone?
10. What do you think needs to be considered in further developing an implementation plan for these resources?