Open AccessUsing Focus Groups to Obtain Students' Perceptions of General Education
Author(s) -
Wright Sheila P.,
Hendershott Anne
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
to improve the academy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2334-4822
DOI - 10.1002/j.2334-4822.1992.tb00210.x
Subject(s) - focus (optics) , focus group , perception , mathematics education , psychology , pedagogy , medical education , sociology , medicine , physics , neuroscience , anthropology , optics
This article describes a study that used focus group methodology to examine the perceptions students have of their experiences in the interdisciplinary portion of their general education requirements. In addition to identifying the content and the kind of teaching that they found most appealing in the general education curriculum, students also reported that general education courses affected their thinking, their behavior, and their attitudes toward working in small groups. The authors discuss the findings in terms of their implications for faculty, administrators, and instructional/faculty developers.