FOCUS GROUP
1. Welcome and Introduction
2. Background
3. Ground rules
4. Opening question
5. Concluding remarks from participants
1. Welcome and Introduction
Our school should be safe and peaceful. Schools should have such infrastructures that will motivate students, teachers and staffs to attend. But with time, we perceive school becomes unsafe not only to students, but also to teachers and staffs. Homicide, suicide, school violence, theft, injuries, bullying and cyber bullying, uses of explosives, substance use, caste conflicts develop fear.
Perception of unsafe school has negative consequences like high rates of absenteeism, dropout, adverse health consequences, and academic underachievement.
Well, I, Dr. Debdulal Dutta Roy, Asst. Professor of the Psychology Research Unit of the Indian Statistical Institute has submitted one project on Safe School Survey to the Ministry of Statistics and Program implementation, Govt. of India through our technical advisory committee.
The project initializes focus group discussion in order to explore the possible indicators and determinants of safe school.
2. Background
Example
Questions for a Focus Group on Dental Flossing
Engagement questions:
1. What is your favorite toothpaste?
2. What do you notice when you look at other people’s teeth?
Exploration Questions:
3. Who in particular has influenced your dental habits?
4. What are the pros and cons of flossing your teeth?
5. When you floss, how do follow through? When you don’t, why not?
6. How do you feel when told about possible damage caused by not flossing?
7. How do you feel about yourself when you floss regularly? When you don’t?
Exit question:
8. Is there anything else you would like to say about why you do or do not floss your teeth on a regular basis? Note: Flossers and non-flossers in separate groups.
Focus group rules
A. IMPORTANCE ON SAFE SCHOOL RESEARCH
SAFE SCHOOL ACT
The codes of conduct aims at
prohibiting bullying and harassment, on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientations.
Studies have shown that bullying and harassment contribute to high rates of absenteeism, dropout, adverse health consequences, and academic underachievement. When left unchecked, such bullying and harassment can lead to, and has led to, dangerous situations for young people.
Glossary
http://www.safeschoolshub.edu.au/resources-and-help/Glossary
The indicators that I assume are:
Safe school
Discussion board members: District Education Officers, Block
Education Officers, senior teachers, NDRF/
SDRF, civil defence volunteers, NSS and
NYKS volunteers and other stakeholders
The questions:
a. In the last 5 years, have you noted any of the events in your school or in any other school in your locality?
b. If yes, where ? how did it occur ?
c. What preventive measures did they have taken ?
Indicators
The indicators are (a)school building infrastructure covering natural and man-made disaster,(b)school crime (suicide,homicide,theft,ragging,weapon carrying), (c)Violence in school (d) Any fatal injury during school hours/on the way to/from school, (e)Emotional disgust, fear, anger or discomfort felt by students/teacher towards people who do not conform to society's gender expectations.
INVITATION TO FOCUSED GROUP DISCUSSION ON SCHOOL SAFETY SURVEY
Date 8.7.2016 (Friday)
9:00-10:00 : Inauguration
a. Speech of BDO on school safety highlighting 'Swachh Vidyalaya'
b. About DRCSC activities (Local In-Charge)
c. Introducing ISI faculty (Moderator) by Moumita Mondol(Asst. Moderator)
d. Purpose of Focus group discussion
e. Vote of thanks by Moumita Mondol(Asst. Moderator)
Tiffin (10-10:30)
Technical Sessions
10:30-11:30 Discussion with Administrative and School authorities
11:30-12:30 Discussion with Asst.Teachers and Staffs
12:30-1:30 Discussion with Parents and local people
1:30-2:30
2:30-3:30 Valedictory session
Details
1. Damage / Collapsed school building
2. Buildings are unfit for use. It indicates limited classroom space, overuse of temporary buildings, rising damp and leaking roofs.
3. Any homicide of student/teacher/staff
4. Any sort of violence in school
5. Any fatal injury (e.g., homicide or suicide) that occurs (a) on school property; (b) on the way to/from school; or (c) during or on the way to/from a school sponsored event.
6. Any victimization, teacher injury, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, and student use of drugs and alcohol.
7. Any fighting, weapon carrying, bullying, dating and sexual violence, and suicide.
8. Any discrimination is made based on religion, caste, sex, gender identity, age, national origin, physical or mental disability.
9. Any violation of inclusiveness.
10. Bullying and harassment for same-sex attracted, trans and gender diverse young people.
11. Emotional disgust, fear, anger or discomfort felt or expressed towards people who do not conform to society's gender expectations - homo and trans phobia.
12. Arsenic or toxicity in water, water level crisis
13. Language difference
14. Inadequate space (running 1-4th grade students in one room)
15. alcohol, liquor use
13,14,15 are based on fgd at kashipur, purulia
victimization, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, the presence of security staff at school, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions.
Measures:
Definitions:
VIOLENCE: It is defined as ‘the abusive or unjust exercise of power(Rivara, 2002). It includes Nonphysical acts like threatening, name-calling, harassment or stalking are also violent acts.
Ref: Rivara FP. Understanding and preventing violence in children and adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002; 156: 746-747.
INCIDENTS
Apr 25, 2015 - Malda (WB) : Forty children were injured after a staircase in a school building collapsed here during strong tremors caused by a devastating earthquake in Nepal on Friday morning. The children, featuring both girls and boys, were rushed to the hospital. Earthquake materials should be used in school building construction.
Healthy School building concept: Building materials with minimal toxic components and maximized durability, acoustics, thermal properties, and opportunities for recycling and reuse. Designs take full advantage of natural lighting and airflow, and they ensure efficient and quiet air handling to achieve the highest levels of indoor air quality and student productivity.
Swachh Vidyalaya
Ref: http://unicef.in/CkEditor/ck_Uploaded_Images/img_1397.pdf
Every school in the country must have a set of essential interventions that relate to both technical and human development aspects of a good Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme. Following is a set of these essential elements:
Sanitation
Daily handwashing with soap before mid day meal
Drinking water
Water, sanitation and hygiene behaviour change communication activities should be part of the daily routine of all children. Hygiene messages may be integrated into the textbook curriculum or may be imparted through supplementary reading materials, activity based learning methodologies or even during the morning assembly sessions.
MAINTENANCE
Daily maintenance
1. Welcome and Introduction
2. Background
3. Ground rules
4. Opening question
5. Concluding remarks from participants
Conducting focus group
1. Welcome and Introduction
Perception of unsafe school has negative consequences like high rates of absenteeism, dropout, adverse health consequences, and academic underachievement.
Well, I, Dr. Debdulal Dutta Roy, Asst. Professor of the Psychology Research Unit of the Indian Statistical Institute has submitted one project on Safe School Survey to the Ministry of Statistics and Program implementation, Govt. of India through our technical advisory committee.
The project initializes focus group discussion in order to explore the possible indicators and determinants of safe school.
2. Background
Repeated violence in school has generated great public concern and fostered wide
spread impression that schools are unsafe. This results in school phobia, drop out,
negative affectivity, parental mistrust to school authorities, and decline in school
image. In order to stop school violence and to design healthy school, it is important to identify the indicators of safe school. Skiba, Simmons, Peterson and Forde (2006) assumed four factors of safe school as Connection climate, Incivility and disruption, Incivility and disruption
- Connection climate (Interpersonal trust between students and teachers or staffs.
- Incivility and disruption: Interpersonal conflict.
- Personal safety : Freedom from physical harm and threat of physical harm, and freedom from hostility, aggression, harassment, and devaluation by members of the academic community.
- Delinquency/major safety : illegal or immoral behavior especially by young people.
- Confluence of culture: Harmonious relation among students and teachers of different communities.
- Non - hierarchical organizational structure: Collective decision making.
- Encouraging unbounded consciousness : Encouraging to think and act in different or new ways.
- Assimilation of unbounded individual consciousness with universal consciousness: Giving opportunity to merge personal thoughts with universal thoughts.
- Non-labeling : Not describing one with short name that can harm one's personal feeling about own self.
- Inner control for prevention of violence: Developing values to protect self from vulnerability.
- Cleanliness, ramp, barrier free environment for the disabled students
From 5-10 is based Tagore's vision of Shantiniketan.
Authors also notbed differences in perception of school safety among students, teachers and staffs. In India, Saha and Dutta Roy (2015) characterized safe and unsafe school with five characterisics as confluence of culture, non - hierarchical organizational structure, assimilation of unbounded individual consciousness with universal consciousness and harmonious development of the layers of consciousness in order to develop inner resistance to violence in school. Dutta Roy (2015) proposed freedom to think, unbounded consciousness, and analyze consciousness layers without any controlled condition. It asserts non-labeling and inner control for prevention of violence. Both Saha and Dutta Roy examined postulates of Rabindrik Psychotherapy in designing safe school. In designing ethics of school psychology, National Association of School Psychologists emphasized on healthy school in 4th principles of 1st clause. It asserts “ School psychologists use their expertise in psychology and education to promote school, family, and community environments that are safe and healthy for children”.
On this backdrop, first objective of the study is to develop questionnaire for assessing domains of safe school climate - perceived dignity, freedom, connection climate, incivility and disruption, personal safety, delinquency/major safety. Few more domains like cleanliness, ramp, barrier free environment for the disabled students. UNDP’s National Programme for Actions in Disability (NPAD) stressed on barrier free school enviroment. A barrier-free environment is a space that allows free and safe movement, function and access for all, regardless of age, sex or condition, a space or a set of services that can be accessed by all, without obstacles, with dignity and with as much independence as possible. There is a popular belief that a ramp and an elevator/lift is all that is needed to make a built space barrier-free. It must be clearly understood that barrier-free goes far beyond just a ramp and has many other necessary aspects. These range from door and passage widths to flooring surface, from counter heights to door handles and railings, from signage and auditory signal to tactile guides. Second objective is to examine differences in safe school climate among students, teachers and staffs. Third objective is to examine relation between safe school climate perception and academic achievement. Fourth objective is to determine main and interaction effects of demographic variables of students in perception of safe school climate. Findings will be used for psychological counselling and guidance to students suffering from school phobia or neagativity to school. Besides, results will be useful to design safe school climate and theory development.
3. Ground rules
Focus group is not
Focus group is not
- A debate ƒ
- Group therapy ƒ
- A conflict resolution session ƒ
- A problem solving session ƒ
- An opportunity to collaborate ƒ
- A promotional opportunity ƒ
- An educational session
Focus group participants won’t have a chance to see the questions
they are being asked. So, to make sure they understand and can
fully respond to the questions posed, questions should be:
Short and to the point ƒ
There are three types of focus group questions:
1. Engagement questions: introduce participants to and make them comfortable with the topic of discussion
2. Exploration questions: get to the meat of the discussion
3. Exit question: check to see if anything was missed in the discussion
Short and to the point ƒ
- Focused on one dimension each ƒ
- Unambiguously worded ƒ
- Open-ended or sentence completion types ƒ
- Non-threatening or embarrassing ƒ
- Worded in a way that they cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” answer (use “why” and “how” instead)
There are three types of focus group questions:
1. Engagement questions: introduce participants to and make them comfortable with the topic of discussion
2. Exploration questions: get to the meat of the discussion
3. Exit question: check to see if anything was missed in the discussion
Example
Questions for a Focus Group on Dental Flossing
Engagement questions:
1. What is your favorite toothpaste?
2. What do you notice when you look at other people’s teeth?
Exploration Questions:
3. Who in particular has influenced your dental habits?
4. What are the pros and cons of flossing your teeth?
5. When you floss, how do follow through? When you don’t, why not?
6. How do you feel when told about possible damage caused by not flossing?
7. How do you feel about yourself when you floss regularly? When you don’t?
Exit question:
8. Is there anything else you would like to say about why you do or do not floss your teeth on a regular basis? Note: Flossers and non-flossers in separate groups.
Focus group rules
A. IMPORTANCE ON SAFE SCHOOL RESEARCH
SAFE SCHOOL ACT
The codes of conduct aims at
prohibiting bullying and harassment, on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientations.
Studies have shown that bullying and harassment contribute to high rates of absenteeism, dropout, adverse health consequences, and academic underachievement. When left unchecked, such bullying and harassment can lead to, and has led to, dangerous situations for young people.
Glossary
http://www.safeschoolshub.edu.au/resources-and-help/Glossary
The indicators that I assume are:
Safe school
Discussion board members: District Education Officers, Block
Education Officers, senior teachers, NDRF/
SDRF, civil defence volunteers, NSS and
NYKS volunteers and other stakeholders
The questions:
a. In the last 5 years, have you noted any of the events in your school or in any other school in your locality?
b. If yes, where ? how did it occur ?
c. What preventive measures did they have taken ?
Indicators
The indicators are (a)school building infrastructure covering natural and man-made disaster,(b)school crime (suicide,homicide,theft,ragging,weapon carrying), (c)Violence in school (d) Any fatal injury during school hours/on the way to/from school, (e)Emotional disgust, fear, anger or discomfort felt by students/teacher towards people who do not conform to society's gender expectations.
INVITATION TO FOCUSED GROUP DISCUSSION ON SCHOOL SAFETY SURVEY
Date 8.7.2016 (Friday)
9:00-10:00 : Inauguration
a. Speech of BDO on school safety highlighting 'Swachh Vidyalaya'
b. About DRCSC activities (Local In-Charge)
c. Introducing ISI faculty (Moderator) by Moumita Mondol(Asst. Moderator)
d. Purpose of Focus group discussion
e. Vote of thanks by Moumita Mondol(Asst. Moderator)
Tiffin (10-10:30)
Technical Sessions
10:30-11:30 Discussion with Administrative and School authorities
11:30-12:30 Discussion with Asst.Teachers and Staffs
12:30-1:30 Discussion with Parents and local people
1:30-2:30
2:30-3:30 Valedictory session
Details
1. Damage / Collapsed school building
2. Buildings are unfit for use. It indicates limited classroom space, overuse of temporary buildings, rising damp and leaking roofs.
3. Any homicide of student/teacher/staff
4. Any sort of violence in school
5. Any fatal injury (e.g., homicide or suicide) that occurs (a) on school property; (b) on the way to/from school; or (c) during or on the way to/from a school sponsored event.
6. Any victimization, teacher injury, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, and student use of drugs and alcohol.
7. Any fighting, weapon carrying, bullying, dating and sexual violence, and suicide.
8. Any discrimination is made based on religion, caste, sex, gender identity, age, national origin, physical or mental disability.
9. Any violation of inclusiveness.
10. Bullying and harassment for same-sex attracted, trans and gender diverse young people.
11. Emotional disgust, fear, anger or discomfort felt or expressed towards people who do not conform to society's gender expectations - homo and trans phobia.
12. Arsenic or toxicity in water, water level crisis
13. Language difference
14. Inadequate space (running 1-4th grade students in one room)
15. alcohol, liquor use
13,14,15 are based on fgd at kashipur, purulia
victimization, bullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, the presence of security staff at school, availability and student use of drugs and alcohol, student perceptions of personal safety at school, and criminal incidents at postsecondary institutions.
Measures:
Recent exposure to violence was measured by directly asking the children to report violence they had experienced or witnessed personally over the past year. In the evaluations performed on a one to one basis, children were repeatedly reminded to report only what they had seen and heard and not events reported to them by others or seen on television. All respondents were stressed at the time of questioning that they should respond "yes’’ only in the case of nonplay situations. Exposure to verbal abuse was enquired. The settings in which the violence occurred were probed e.g. school, house and neighborhood. A 5-point scale ranging from never, rarely (once or twice in year), sometimes (once or twice in month), often (once or twice per week) and very often (daily) was used to judge the frequency of witnessing. Media exposure was studied by asking them about the duration of television viewing per day and their preference of shows and movies.
Violence committed by the adolescents was measured by asking them to self report along a five point scale during the past one year. The nature of violence was enquired as threatening others, slapping, hitting or punching someone before or after the other person hit them and beating one up or attacking someone with an object.
The Pre Adolescent Adjustment Scale (PAAS) was used to assess the psychosocial adjustments of the students towards home, school, teachers, peers and general issues. This is a validated tool which has been used in previously(9).
Informed consent was obtained from the principals, the students and/or their parents. Ethics Committee of the Institute approved the study.
Ref: http://www.indianpediatrics.net/july2006/july-607-612.htm
Definitions:
VIOLENCE: It is defined as ‘the abusive or unjust exercise of power(Rivara, 2002). It includes Nonphysical acts like threatening, name-calling, harassment or stalking are also violent acts.
Ref: Rivara FP. Understanding and preventing violence in children and adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2002; 156: 746-747.
INCIDENTS
Apr 25, 2015 - Malda (WB) : Forty children were injured after a staircase in a school building collapsed here during strong tremors caused by a devastating earthquake in Nepal on Friday morning. The children, featuring both girls and boys, were rushed to the hospital. Earthquake materials should be used in school building construction.
Healthy School building concept: Building materials with minimal toxic components and maximized durability, acoustics, thermal properties, and opportunities for recycling and reuse. Designs take full advantage of natural lighting and airflow, and they ensure efficient and quiet air handling to achieve the highest levels of indoor air quality and student productivity.
Swachh Vidyalaya
Ref: http://unicef.in/CkEditor/ck_Uploaded_Images/img_1397.pdf
Every school in the country must have a set of essential interventions that relate to both technical and human development aspects of a good Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme. Following is a set of these essential elements:
Sanitation
- Separate toilets for boys and girls, with one unit generally having one toilet (WC) plus 3 urinals. The ratio to be maintained is preferably one unit for every 40 students.
- Menstrual hygiene management facilities including soap, adequate and private space for changing, adequate water for cloth washing and disposal facilities for menstrual waste, including an incinerator and dust bins.
Daily handwashing with soap before mid day meal
- Sufficient group handwashing facilities allowing groups of 10-12 students to wash hands at the same time. The handwashing station should be simple, scalable and sustainable, relying on usage of minimum water. These handwashing facilities can be developed using local materials.
- Group handwashing with soap sessions are conducted before the mid day meals are served, and are supervised by teachers, who emphasise good handwashing techniques. The handwashing sessions are used as an opportunity for delivering hygiene messages, especially the message that hands should be washed at two critical times: before eating and after using the toilet. The sessions can also be used to deliver messages on sanitation and drinking-water safety. Adequate time allocation (preferably 10-12 mins) before the mid day meal time, to ensure that every child and teacher can wash hands with soap, conveniently.
Drinking water
- Daily provision of child-friendly and sustainable safe drinking water and adequate water for handwashing.
- In addition water for school cleaning and also food preparation and cooking. Safe handling and storage of drinking water should be practised throughout the school.
- All water, sanitation and handwashing facilities need to be clean, functional and well maintained to ensure that the intended results are achieved and capital investments made in installing these systems are not lost.
- Annual Maintenance Contracts can be issued, which will include regular maintenance of facilities, regular supply of cleaning materials, consumables like soap, disinfectants, brooms, brushes, buckets etc. The AMC may include identification of repair tasks and arrangement for repair facilities. Alternatively some local arrangements can be made, which can include appointment of local sweepers/cleaners, appointed by the school/district, who are provided with a regular supply of consumables.
- Regular/daily inspection of water and sanitation facilities by an appropriate group of persons as appointed by the SMC.
Water, sanitation and hygiene behaviour change communication activities should be part of the daily routine of all children. Hygiene messages may be integrated into the textbook curriculum or may be imparted through supplementary reading materials, activity based learning methodologies or even during the morning assembly sessions.
MAINTENANCE
Daily maintenance
- General cleaning of indoor floors of the entire school complex including toilet and kitchen.
- Cleaning of any water-logging in the entire school premises.
- Dusting of general storage, desks and benches and toy/book storage for children.
- Check for all leaky taps, valves, flushing cisterns etc.
- Check for any blockage in the drains, sewage pipes and waste water pipes
- Check for loose locks and shutters of all the doors, windows and almirah etc.
- Loosening of fine sand with a shovel wherever required
- Cleaning of dust from all appliances and walls etc.
- Remove dumped rubble/debris/building waste from the premises.
- Observe any water logging in open areas.
- Check for clogged drains on the ground, courtyard, and water outlets from courtyards.
- Remove stains and marks on the enamel painted portions of the walls (especially corners and edges) door,window, almirah shutters with damp cloth/mill detergent dampened cloth.
- Check for any damp marks on the walls, ceilings, and floor.
- Check for any termites in the building.
- Check for proper hardware operation of all doors, windows and almirahs.
- Check for any cracks on walls and roofs.
- Check if main water storage tank cover and outlets are leaking and the stored water is clean.
- Check if all the manhole covers/inspection chamber covers are properly in place and not damaged.
- Check if the First Aid kit is up-to-date and the medicines are within their expiry date. Replenish as per need.
