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This study's purpose was to provide qualitative evidence to support the development of two observer‐reported outcome measures assessing the physical symptoms/complications of achondroplasia in children and impacts on children's quality of life. Individual/focus group concept elicitation interviews were conducted with parents of children aged 2 to <12 years with achondroplasia and experts. Qualitative analysis of transcripts, based on an adapted grounded theory approach, informed item generation and measure development. Cognitive debriefing (CD) interviews were conducted with parents to confirm relevance and understanding. Thirty‐six parents participated in concept elicitation interviews. The analysis identified major physical symptoms/complications and impacts of achondroplasia, which informed the development of the Achondroplasia Child Experience Measures (ACEMs): ACEM—Symptom and ACEM—Impact. ACEM—Symptom was comprised of eight major symptoms/complications including pain (58%), ear infections/fluid in ear (56%), and low stamina/tiring easily (56%). ACEM—Impact consisted of 31 major impacts in the domains of daily functioning, emotional well‐being, social well‐being, and need for assistance/adaptive devices. Impacts on functioning included difficulty reaching objects/high places (89%) and toileting (67%). Emotional impacts included feeling different (53%) and feeling frustrated/annoyed (47%). Social impacts included difficulty participating in sports/physical play (86%) and being treated as younger than age (83%). Following CD interviews with 16 additional parents, validation‐ready ACEM measures were generated. The study improves our understanding of the experiences of children with achondroplasia and provides evidence supporting the content validity of the ACEMs. Validated ACEMs may be used to assess potential benefits of future treatments for comorbidities of achondroplasia.

Sociologists have long reflected on what should be taught in sociology. In recent years, the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has produced several important publications on key principles and learning goals for the introductory course. However, little current work has systematically examined what peer-recognized leaders in the field deem important for introductory sociology. This paper is an effort to fill this research gap. Our research questions include: What do leaders think students should understand after an introduction to sociology course? Do the goals of Teaching Award winners differ from those of other leaders? How do the leaders' goals compare with those expressed in leading SoTL publications? To address these questions, we interviewed a sample of 44 leaders in 2005-2006. Using qualitative content analysis, we systematically coded, analyzed, and compared their goals.

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The study aimed to explore how having achondroplasia affects older children and adolescents' day‐to‐day functioning and well‐being. Individual/focus group interviews were conducted with older children/adolescents between the ages of 9 to <18 years and diagnosed with achondroplasia to elicit key concepts. An adapted grounded theory approach informed the qualitative analysis of interview data. Thirty‐two children and adolescents completed interviews. Study results revealed five impact domains, including physical health, functioning, school impacts, emotional well‐being, and social well‐being. Frequently reported impacts on physical health included low stamina/tiring easily (81%) and back pain (69%). Key impacts in the functioning domain were difficulty with reaching objects or high places (84%) and walking long distances (75%). Emotional impacts included feeling different (63%), worried/scared (47%), and embarrassed/self‐conscious (47%). Impacts on social well‐being included difficulty with sports or physical play (81%) and others treating child as younger than their actual age (75%). The most frequent school impact was trouble participating in physical education (81%). A preliminary theoretical model depicting the experiences of older children/adolescents with achondroplasia was constructed based on the analysis. The preliminary theoretical model of older children and adolescents' experiences of living with achondroplasia may be used to inform future research and clinical practice.