Assessment Plan
As a group we have decided to
utilize mixed methods to gather information for our community project. We are
conducting one focus group and one survey. We are going to utilize social media
to recruit members for our focus group as well as to give an invitation to
participate in our survey. We are planning on inviting 15 people to participate
in our focus group with the hopes of getting 6-8 attendance confirmations. The
focus group will be held on February 12, 2015 at 6:00PM at the Hidden Valley
Clubhouse where light refreshments will be served. Our group will use social
media and email blasts to boost our numbers for the survey. We are hopeful we
can get 50+ people to take the survey. The survey will consist of 5 questions
based on a 4 point Likert Scale. The
questions for our survey are:
1.
I
consider recreational marijuana use (non-medicinal) among early adolescents (11-14
years of age) harmful.
2.
It’s
important to talk with my early adolescent child about marijuana use.
3.
I
am interested in credible information regarding the effects recreational
marijuana use has on adolescent development.
4.
It’s
important that credible informational materials about early adolescent marijuana
use be available to parents through public education.
5.
I
believe early adolescent marijuana use is a growing problem.
Dave Coan is responsible for facilitating
the focus group while Mylinda Barrick and Robert Brant take notes and assist
Dave in answering closing questions. Mylinda is playing the role of the
organizer by reserving the clubhouse and creating the event on Facebook. All
group members are responsible for creating the survey and focus group
questions. Robert and Mylinda will be responsible for transcribing their notes
for analysis. All members will take part in assessing what information is most
important to address in the final product, the educational pamphlet for parents
addressing adolescent marijuana use in southern Utah.
Semi-structured Assessment Guide
Introductory
Verbal Script:
Okay, I'd like to get started. I know that we briefly introduced ourselves as
you entered. I would like to formally introduce myself and my associates and
explain to you why we are here tonight.
My name is Dave. I will be moderating this
focus group tonight. With me are Mylinda and Robert who have graciously agreed
to take notes and assist me in answering any of your concerns. We are graduate
students in a Master of Social Work Program at the University of Utah.
We have asked you to come tonight because
we need your help. We are deeply concerned about the growing trend among young
adolescents who are getting introduced to recreational marijuana use at an
early age. Research strongly indicates that as more states legalize marijuana,
the perceived risk of use goes down, and consequently the increased use by
adolescents rises. In Washington County, the average age of initial
introduction to marijuana use is 14. This means that some youth are older when
they start to use, and some adolescents are younger than 14. Thus, we feel this
growing problem should be addressed well before this age.
Furthermore, we know from ample research
that one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from starting originates in
the home. Unfortunately, we know that many parents lack the knowledge necessary
for effectively talking to their kids about the dangers of marijuana use.
We hope that in this meeting tonight you
can help us to gain further insight so that we may more effectively disseminate
this information to parents of young adolescents like yours.
Discussion
of Informed Consent: Before
we ask you to go around the room and introduce yourselves- first name only, I
want to briefly go over the ground rules. Our foremost goal tonight is to
create a safe place that will augment discussion. There are no right or wrong
answers. The goal is that we throw out ideas. Therefore, we ask that you
respect others by listening to their comments without interruption or outwardly
expressing judgment. I will be asking questions that we have carefully selected.
We ask that you remain focused on each question before we proceed to the next.
We also ask that you keep interruptions such as texting or answering your
phones to a minimum. By remaining engaged, we expect this meeting to last no
more than thirty minutes. Finally, as you might have noticed, we will be
recording this meeting to ensure accuracy. Once this audio recording is
transcribed, the recording will be erased. We will take all necessary steps to
ensure anonymity. You are `not obligated to answer any questions, and should
you object to this meeting being recorded you are free to leave at any time.
If there are no questions, I would like to
go around the room and have you introduce yourself and answer some questions.
List
of Questions to be Asked:
1.
Do
you feel that it would be valuable to talk to your early adolescent child
(11-14 years of age) about marijuana use? If so, what might be some of the
barriers preventing constructive dialogue?
2.
What
type information do you feel is necessary when having a constructive dialogue
of marijuana use with your early adolescent child?
3.
Do
you feel that you lack credible information regarding the negative effects of
early adolescent marijuana use?
Wrap
Up: We
want to thank you for your time and the valuable insights you have brought to
our attention. This information will help us create an effective pamphlet
available through Southwest Behavioral Health Center that aids parents in
talking about recreational marijuana use with their adolescent children. Are
there any closing questions?
