Back to Contents
The generation step essentially consists of a structured brainstorming
session (Osborn, 1948) guided by a specific focus prompt that
limits the types of statements that are acceptable. The focus
statement or criterion for generating statements was operationalized
in the form of the instruction to the participants given above.
The general rules of brainstorming applied. Participants were
encouraged to generate as many statements as possible (with an
upper limit of 100); no criticism or discussion of other's statements
was allowed (except for purposes of clarification); and all participants
were encouraged to take part. The group brainstormed ninety-six
statements in approximately a forty-five minutes.
The complete listing of brainstormed statements is given in Table 1. Participants were given a short break while the statements were printed and duplicated for use in the structuring stage.
Back to Contents