FOCUS GROUPS

FOCUS GROUPS

1. DEFINITION

   • Anderson 1996
     • Informal, planned and moderated discussion
       • creates
         • Informational Dialogue - One person's ideas bounce off and create a chain reaction
   • Qualitative method
     • Collect descriptive data from a small group
   • Emphasis
     • Understand: experiences, interests, attitudes, perspectives

2. PURPOSES

   • Obtain information or raise awareness about a problem or issue
   • Discover motivations, attitudes or behaviors
   • Obtain market research data
   • Develop participants' understanding
   • Stimulate new ideas and creative concepts
   • Discern the needs of participants when planning, improving, or evaluating services
   • Identify problems with existing services

3. PROCEDURE

   • 1.Establish the group
     • Number of participants: no less than four and no more than twelve
     • Number of groups: more than one
     • Number of meetings: the necessary
     • Characteristics of the participants
       • with firm opinions from personal experience or preparation
       • that they are strangers to each other
       • who share qualities: educational, age range, occupation, political affiliation, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or medical condition
   • 2.Develop your questions
     • Start with easy-to-answer general and positive questions
     • Skip to specific key questions that focus on your problem of concern
     • Use probing or follow-up questions in light of participant feedback
     • Questions must make sense and be respectful
     • Develop a script
       • sections
         • 1. Opening covers the welcoming of the group by the facilitator: the purpose and context of the group are presented
         • 2. Questions: questions are asked
         • 3. Closing: thank the participants, they are informed how the data will be used
   • 3.Conduct the focus group
     • Moderator assures
       • a successful meeting
       • organize seating plan for participants
       • ensures comfortable and pleasant environment
       • welcomes discussion
       • allows each participant time to introduce themselves to the rest of the group and make comments whenever they want
       • ensures that all participants can make eye contact with each other as well as hear each other
       • record the discussion
   • 4.Analyse group data
     • Transcribe the recording to produce a record
     • correct the use of the speakers' grammar without changing the meaning of their comments
     • Include with each transcript other documents (hand notes, flip chart)
     • examine the content of the data
     • start the analysis by reading all the abstracts and transcripts
     • categorize data into: themes, patterns, and trends

4. ADVANTAGES

   • We have group dynamics and interactions
   • It is an efficient and inexpensive data collection instrument
   • Participants
     • have equal access to the discussion
     • there are no restrictions on who can speak
     • can recall details of their own experiences
     • release their own inhibitions
     • feel comfortable contributing your own comments
     • respond to comments made by other group members

5. USES

   • Empower citizens
   • Encourage change
   • Identify and describe social situations that could benefit from the research
   • creates an atmosphere conducive to self-expression, sustained by people who share common interests and supervised by a non-judgmental moderator

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