Mapa mental

FOCUS GROUPS

Edgar Aramil Español

Contenido del mapa

FOCUS GROUPS

Definition
- An informal discussion where one person’s ideas bounce off another’s creating a chain reaction of informative dialogue
Purposes
- To gather insight to, or raise awareness of, an issue or topic
- To prepare for a larger study
- To interpret previously obtained research results
- To uncover complex
  - Attitudes
  - Behaviours
  - Motivations
  - Reactions
- To develop new research questions and issues for further exploration
- To obtain market research data
- To develop understanding of consumers
- To stimulate new ideas and creative concepts
- To identify problems with existing services
- To learn how respondents talk in their own words about your focus of interest
Procedure
- 1. Establish the group
  - Reduced number of participants
  - Choose a group that pre-exists their research exercise
    - Teachers
    - Doctors
    - Supervisors
  - Choose strangers but who share something in common
- 2. Develop your questions
  - Ask general and positive questions
  - Ask specific key questions that focus on your problem
  - Use probing questions
  - Make sure that the questions are consistent and respectful
  - Test the questions with colleagues or friends and review them where necessary
- 3. Conduct the focus group
  - a. Opening section
    - The facilitator’s welcoming of the group
    - The purpose and context of the focus group are introduced
    - What a focus group is and how it will flow are explained, and presentations are made.
  - b. Question section
    - Where you ask the questions you have developed.
  - c. Closing section
    - Participants are thanked
    - Explain to the participants how the information collected will be used
- 4. Analyse group data
  - Transcribe your interviews
  - Type up significant notes
  - Gather together transcripts, notes and other documents in a preliminary record
  - Cut-and-paste your data into
    - Themes
    - Patterns
    - Trends
  - Organise your categories into subcategories and arrange them in order of importance
  - Edit your data to remove any extraneous details and to ensure you reflect your interviews in a fair, balanced and accurate way
Advantages
- It can collect general and complex program information in a short period of time
- Allows accurate tracking of participant responses
- Valuable information is accessed
- Doesn't require participants to be literate
- Provides an experience that participants enjoy while becoming interested in the conversation
Disadvantages
- Data can be difficult to analyze and compare across subgroups
- The opinions of extroverts can be misinterpreted from a common point of view
- Participants may be reluctant to express their true feelings in front of the group.
- It can be challenging to gather the required number of participants