A focus group is a research method that brings together a small group of people to answer questions in a moderated setting. It's kind of like a group interview. The researcher will provide questions to serve as prompts for discussion. Just like in a regular conversation, you do not have to chime in on every single question unless you want to. It should flow like a conversation amongst the group, rather than a question/answer session.

Focus groups are scheduled for up to one hour, depending on how the discussion flows and how quickly we get through the different topics. Sometimes the conversation is great and may overflow past one hour, but as a reminder, you are under no obligation to stay any longer than you would like to.

Yes there is no commitment to participate and you can withdraw participation at any time.

That being said, if you do change your mind please let me know in advance if possible (email rsmit024@odu.edu). I need a minimum of 5 participants per focus group, so if there are cancellations, I may need to reschedule the whole group.

We do not have any concrete incentives such as money, but this will be a safe place to discuss your experiences with others going through a similar situation and your participation will help us to better understand this and how deconstruction-focused content creators and organizations can better serve you as you journey through this difficult process.

After you fill out the online screening form to indicate your availability, I will check to make sure you're eligible. I will then contact you with one of the times that worked for enough other people. If you confirm, I'll send you the Zoom link for that time, as well as one reminder the day before or day of the focus group. After that, I will never contact you again unless you want me to. Your info will not be saved or shared.

Due to the nature of focus group discussions, with only 5-10 participants, it will not be possible to maintain complete anonymity among your fellow participants. However, the discussions are on Zoom and if you would prefer to use an alias name and keep your camera off, you may. I do encourage participants to have cameras on for the sake of facilitating discussion that mimics in-person conversation, but it is not a requirement. Your full name and contact information will never be shared, ever.

I take the protection of your privacy and confidentiality very seriously. I am following all institutional procedures. Participants will not be identified in the body of research. As a reminder, participation is completely voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time. The Zoom meetings will recorded and the data stored on an encrypted institution server. No identifying information will be used for any participants outside of general demographics collected in the screening survey. All participants will be coded rather than identified by name (e.g. "Participant 1A, etc.).

Please email Rae at rsmit024@odu.edu if you have further questions about privacy or confidentiality.