PFG is centered around the needs and challenges of FG students. To gain deeper insights into their everyday experiences, the Appraisal Phase employs qualitative data gathering methods that will encourage them to share their reflections. It also invites HEI staff to provide their insights.
The Appraisal Phase initiates the learning process that will continue throughout PFG’s Roadmap and beyond. It explores the social dimension in which FG students navigate higher education and their individual challenges. Adding an institutional lens, relevant HEI staff are engaged to identify their approaches to address those challenges. Working in partnership with both groups will build initial relationships and provide insights about their specific contexts.
Participatory methods are of particular relevance to build an environment where participants feel genuinely heard rather than surveyed. The interviews or focus group discussions will be semi-structured through guiding questions, providing space for free-flowing conversations in which individual reflections and experience are centered
The Appraisal Phase will produce a briefer that synthesizes the experiences of FG students navigating higher education alongside the perspectives of HEI staff who encounter these realities institutionally. By drawing insights from both groups, the briefer identifies needs, challenges, and opportunities shaping PFG’s future approach and projects. Results of the Appraisal Phase will be shared with partnering HEIs.
Project FirstGen Philippines 