The focus group assessment technique was used to conduct an assessment of continuing education needs of rural women living in or near the Moberly Junior College district. (This technique uses small group interaction to identify responses to a set of questions.) Nine to ten rural women participated in each of two meetings. When a focus group was assembled, the nominal group process was followed to seek answers to questions concerning typical women's feelings toward acquaintances or themselves. Perceptions of needs were written down, posted, and discussed; each woman then prioritized the needs. Obstacles to meeting the needs of rural women were also discussed. Different lists of needs were developed by the two focus groups of rural women--one made up of participants in a free cooking school, the other of participants in University of Missouri Extension Club activities. The focus group technique generated qualitative data that would have been largely missed by other survey methods. The personal contact and public relations information to which participants were exposed were valuable by-products of focus groups. (Lists derived from the two focus groups are included.) (YLB)