Assessment Plan

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?