ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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We were once able to conduct some focus groups away from the museum and in
such a way that the group wasn't quite sure until the end which local
cultural organization we were. We worked with a market research company that
had their own rooms for this, including one-way windows so we could watch.
We were able to get some really candid responses and interesting comparisons
with other type of experiences in the community. They didn't know who they
"should" try to make happy, so they were more likely to actually tell us
what they thought. 

Joanna Fisher 

-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michelle Nichols
Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 9:16 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Focus Group

ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
****************************************************************************
*

Beryl's information is excellent.  In addition, try to resist the temptation
to have a museum staffer in the room with the focus group if the focus group
will be run by someone who does not work for the museum.  No matter how
objective you ask your focus
group participants to be, they might still think they need to make you happy
and say happy things about your museum, even if they have some unhappy
things they want to say.  To keep the focus group as objective as possible,
museum staff should try to
stay out of the room if the free focus group offer also includes a
facilitator who does not work for your museum.    It means you will have to
work closely ahead of time with whoever is running the focus group so he/she
has as much information as
possible about your museum, info about what you want to do with the
information ('cause folks might ask), and lists of questions to ask the
participants.

Focus groups can be very powerful - and sobering.  Hope you get some great
information that is useful in many ways!

Michelle

Michelle Nichols, Master Educator - NASA Forum Programs
The Adler Planetarium
1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL  60605
312-322-0520 
312-322-2257 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org





Visit the Adler Planetarium Website
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org


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