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Focus groups Conducting focus groups Focus groups are a special kind of group interview combined with techniques of qualitative analysis. Most focus groups consist of five to ten persons who are selected to discuss a specific topic or issue. Criteria for selecting participants depend on the purpose of the investigation. When a focus group is used as part of an exploratory study, as in preparation for constructing a questionnaire, the investigator would select persons matching the characteristic of those who will be interviewed later. When the purpose is to learn how opinions may be changing on some issue, participants might be selected purposively to represent a range of views of the issue. Once selected, the investigator brings the participants together for one or more sessions and initiates a discussion. The investigator decides in advance what he or she wants the group to talk about and prepares a set of questions to get the group discussion started. Although questions are prepared in advance, they are presented informally to the group. The order in which questions are presented to the group depends on how the discussion develops. As the conversation develops, new questions may occur to the investigator and be presented to the group for discussion. The investigator or an experienced moderator asks the questions and keeps the discussion focused on the issue being investigated. As views are expressed, the moderator seeks clarification, asks for agreement or disagreement on opinions that are expressed, and probes for additional comments. All the guidelines presented in Chapter 11 for effective interviewing also apply to moderating a focus group. The moderator establishes and sustains rapport with the group, maintains a neutral role in asking questions, encourages all participants to speak without letting any one person dominate the discussion, and keeps the discussion focused on the issue. Managing a focus group requires a great deal of skill and tact. The investigator may serve as the moderator or may select a person who is skilled in group processes to moderate the focus group. Focus group sessions generally last one hour or at the most two hours. Recording the discussion may be done by an assistant, who maintains a set of notes on what is said, or by audio or video recording. Taking notes by hand is a difficult task. Discussions can become heated, with several persons talking at once. Important points can easily be missed or incorrectly recorded. For these reasons, focus group discussions are usually recorded on audio tape. Audio is recommended over video recording because it is easier, less expensive, and less noticeable to participants, and, therefore, less reactive. Participants in focus groups generally ignore the microphone used for audio recording, but are much more aware of the camera and lighting that may be necessary for video recording. In addition, audio recordings are also easier to transcribe for later analysis. In addition, an observer can add to the audio record by recording notes on the kinds and levels of emotion and facial and body expressions of agreement and disagreement that were expressed at various times by participants. These additional observations can add meaning to the verbal content of an audio recording. Content analysis techniques are used to analyze the recorded discussion of focus groups. A set of categories, based on themes or issues, is developed for coding the discussion. The steps involved are the same as those described in Chapter 12 for conducting content analysis. If you are considering using focus groups in your research, we suggest you visit: Qualitative Research: Telephone Focus Groups, Face-to-Face Focus Groups presents lively discussions on more than 15 full length articles on telephone focus groups; includes practical advice on how best to manage telephone and face-to-face focus groups Another site, Using Focus Groups for Evaluation, describes how use of focus groups can help in conducting an evaluation study. While focused on evaluation, this site also has general value for any use of focus groups. It describes and illustrates the organization and use of focus groups and discusses what they can tell you and what they can't tell you. |