Focus Groups in Qualitative Research

11 Key excerpts on "Focus Groups in Qualitative Research"

• 

  eBook - ePub

  Doing Social Work Research

  • Louise Hardwick, Aidan Worsley, Author(Authors)
  • 2010(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications Ltd

    (Publisher)

  6

  FOCUS GROUPS

   

  OVERVIEW

  Focus groups have been described in a number of ways by people who see them from quite different perspectives, most noticeably contrasted in their uses within market research and social science research. Kitzinger, from the latter approach, describes focus groups as ‘a form of group interview that capitalises on communication between research participants in order to generate data’ (1995: 299). It is important here to note that a distinction is made between a group interview – which, while broadly the same, is perhaps best differentiated as a concurrent sequence of interviews with individuals in a group – and the focus group – which involves much more emphasis upon the group experience, the interaction between the participants and, as noted, the communication between members of the group. Within the realm of market research one finds an emphasis being placed upon attitudes within the group towards products, services, advertising and the like. Of course, these notions are increasingly finding a place within social work with the development of the service user/carer as consumer. Powell and Single deploy the following definition of focus groups which neatly captures the purposeful assembling of focus groups for research that lifts them out from our more usual concept of a ‘group’:

    A group of individuals selected and assembled by researchers to discuss and comment on, from personal experience, the topic that is the subject of the research. (Powell & Single, 1996: 499)

  Given their simplicity, focus groups are a surprisingly under-used method of social research in relative terms. They seldom get a chapter to themselves in the literature of research methodology, perhaps because of their background in market research, and have only relatively recently made inroads into the broader arena of social research (Bryman, 2008). In many ways focus groups are a particularly appropriate method to consider in social work research, being one of the least directive and most empowering forms of data gathering – and therefore broadly in tune with social work values. Furthermore, the practitioner researcher, as a moderator of a focus group, would need to draw on a range of knowledge, skills and sensitivities that typically one could expect social workers (either qualified, or in the process of qualifying) to possess in abundance. Indeed, it may well be that the poor regard held by focus groups in some areas of research literature is due to the relative inadequacies of moderators who don’t posses sufficient skills in this area and find them hard to manage well. We would argue that focus groups ought to form part of more research activity in the social work area for all these reasons. Yet, having said that, the use of focus groups as a research method has expanded considerably in recent years and we are now seeing their use across a broad range of social situations, including education, sociology, health, organisations, evaluation, politics, psychotherapy and, of course, marketing (Stewart et al., 2007).

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - PDF

  Marketing Research

  • Carl McDaniel, Jr., Roger Gates(Authors)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  It takes a highly skilled researcher to get the discussion back on track without stifling the group’s interest, enthusiasm, and willingness to speak out. Focus Groups Focus groups had their beginnings in group therapy used by psychiatrists. Today, a focus group consists of 8 to 12 participants who are led by a moderator in an in-depth discussion on one particular topic or concept. The goal of focus group research is to learn and understand what people have to say and why. The emphasis is on getting people to talk at length and in detail about the subject at hand. The intent is to find out how they feel about a product, con- cept, idea, or organization; how it fits into their lives; and their emotional involvement with it. Focus groups are much more than merely question-and-answer interviews. A distinc- tion is made between group dynamics and group interviewing. The interaction associated with group dynamics is essential to the success of focus group research; this interaction is the reason for conducting research with a group rather than with individuals. One idea behind focus groups is that a response from one person will become a stimulus for another person, thereby generating an interplay of responses that will yield more information than if the same number of people had contributed independently. The idea for group dynamics research in marketing came from the field of social psychology, where studies indicated that, unknown to themselves, people of all walks of life and in all occupations would talk more about a topic and do so in greater depth if they were encouraged to act spontaneously instead of reacting to questions. Normally, in group dynamics, direct questions are avoided. In their place are indirect inquiries that stimulate free and spontaneous discussions. The result is a much richer base of information, of a kind impossible to obtain by direct questioning.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - PDF

  Marketing Research

  • Carl McDaniel, Jr., Roger Gates(Authors)
  • 2020(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  It takes a highly skilled researcher to get the discussion back on track without stifling the group’s interest, enthusiasm, and willingness to speak out. Focus Groups Focus groups had their beginnings in group therapy used by psychiatrists. Today, a focus group consists of 8–12 participants who are led by a moderator in an in-depth discussion on one particular topic or concept. The goal of focus group research is to learn and understand what people have to say and why. The emphasis is on getting people to talk at length and in detail about the subject at hand. The intent is to find out how they feel about a product, concept, idea, or organization; how it fits into their lives; and their emotional involve- ment with it. Focus groups are much more than merely question-and-answer interviews. A distinc- tion is made between group dynamics and group interviewing. The interaction associated with group dynamics is essential to the success of focus group research; this interaction is the reason for conducting research with a group rather than with individuals. One idea behind focus groups is that a response from one person will become a stimulus for another person, thereby generating an interplay of responses that will yield more information than if the same number of people had contributed independently. The idea for group dynamics research in marketing came from the field of social psy- chology, where studies indicated that, unknown to themselves, people of all walks of life and in all occupations would talk more about a topic and do so in greater depth if they were encouraged to act spontaneously instead of reacting to questions. Normally, in group dynamics, direct questions are avoided. In their place are indirect inquiries that stimulate free and spontaneous discussions. The result is a much richer base of information, of a kind impossible to obtain by direct questioning.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - PDF

  Marketing Research Essentials

  • Carl McDaniel, Jr., Roger Gates(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  In light of this finding and the finding that a number of people were using old toothbrushes to clean between their bathroom tiles, the package was redesigned with brighter, bolder colors and with a brush built into the top. A second limitation of qualitative studies is that they are not necessarily representative of the population of interest to the researcher. One would be hard‐pressed to say that a group of 10 col- lege students was representative of all college students, of college students at a particular univer- sity, of business majors at that university, or even of marketing majors! Small sample size and free‐flowing discussion can lead qualitative research projects down many paths. Because the sub- jects of qualitative research are free to talk about what interests them, a dominant individual in a group discussion can lead the group into areas of only tangential interest to the researcher. It takes a highly skilled researcher to get the discussion back on track without stifling the group’s interest, enthusiasm, and willingness to speak out. Focus Groups Focus groups had their beginnings in group therapy used by psychiatrists. Today, a focus group consists of 8 to 12 participants who are led by a moderator in an in‐depth discussion on one par- ticular topic or concept. The goal of focus group research is to learn and understand what people have to say and why. The emphasis is on getting people to talk at length and in detail about the subject at hand. The intent is to find out how they feel about a product, concept, idea, or organi- zation; how it fits into their lives; and their emotional involvement with it. Focus groups are much more than merely question‐and‐answer interviews. A distinction is made between group dynamics and group interviewing. The interaction associated with group dynamics is essential to the success of focus group research; this interaction is the reason for con- ducting research with a group rather than with individuals.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - ePub

  Using Research Instruments

  A Guide for Researchers

  • Peter Birmingham, David Wilkinson(Authors)
  • 2003(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  A focus group is a carefully planned and moderated informal discussion where one person’s ideas bounce off another’s creating a chain reaction of informative dialogue. Its purpose is to address a specific topic, in depth, in a comfortable environment to elicit a wide range of opinions, attitudes, feelings or perceptions from a group of individuals who share some common experience relative to the dimension under study. The product of a focus group is a unique form of qualitative information which brings understanding about how people react to an experience or product.

  (Anderson 1996: 200)

  Focus-group interviews have enjoyed consistent popularity over many years as an effective and economical instrument of data collection. If you have an interest in market research you will no doubt be aware of the dominance of the focus group within that field, having been utilised for decades to evaluate consumers’ opinions of products and services ranging from new cars to washing powders, television programmes to customer help-lines (Greenbaum 1998). The information they produce has been used to develop better products and to encourage consumers to use or buy them. This original commercial focus has gradually widened to include consumers of education, health and community programmes and services, such as the extent of parents’ support for new school facilities, patients’ levels of satisfaction with their treatment at their local hospital, pensioners’ thoughts on the quality of their local civic amenities, and so on. Political parties are the latest in a long line of clients of focus-group consultancies, keen to gather public opinion of their prospective parliamentary candidates and MPs, and what they stand for, with a view to maximising their appeal (Diamond and Bates 1992).

  During the 1980s market researchers were joined in their use of focus groups by social science researchers. They realised that the ways in which focus group interviews are organised–in particular the relaxed and convivial setting, the unrestricted nature of the discussion, and the neutrality of the moderator–meant they were particularly suited to collecting data on sensitive, delicate and otherwise complex or difficult social issues. Research on domestic violence, mental health and sexual behaviour (particularly in relation to HIV/AIDS and contraception), for example, has increasingly utilised focus groups in the data-collection phase (Richter et al

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - ePub

  Qualitative Organizational Research

  Core Methods and Current Challenges

  • Gillian Symon, Catherine Cassell, Gillian Symon, Catherine Cassell(Authors)
  • 2012(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications Ltd

    (Publisher)

  15 Focus Groups

  Binna Kandola

  Introduction

  The use of focus groups in the social sciences waxes and wanes depending on the prevailing attitude towards them and the popularity of alternative approaches. Although the last 20 years have seen an increase in their use for research purposes, they have been used as a research tool for nearly a century. Stewart et al. (2007) identify three influences on focus group methodology:

  • Sociology and social psychology.
  • Clinical psychology.
  • Market research.

  Researchers with a sociology or social psychology background tended to use the method to gain insights into group-related topics such as social interaction and cohesion. These applications broadened out in the 1940s with the advent of radio. Broadcasters and researchers were interested in finding out why some programmes were more popular than others. Technology was created that enabled group participants to press buttons while listening to a programme indicating whether they liked or disliked something. Modern versions of these devices are still in use today. There was, in other words, a focus on the research, as all data were obtained from groups of people. The clinical psychology approach was less direct, preferring people to discuss whatever it was they wanted to give expression to. This type of approach was more influenced by psychotherapy and facilitators tended to have a psycho-therapeutic background. Market researchers, however, tended to be less concerned about the theoretical background and would use whatever technique and methodology they felt was appropriate. This might sometimes be less rigorous but it shows us that the focus group is a versatile and adaptable method, which can be fun as well as informative. Following these traditions, the roots of focus groups can be traced back to the early twentieth century.

  However, if you look beyond the social sciences to other disciplines you will find methods that appear remarkably like focus groups but are called something else. In design, architecture and engineering circles there is a technique called the charette. This enables stakeholders to have their say in, for example, the design of a building. This approach has its roots in the nineteenth century and possibly earlier. So focus groups, or other variations, have a long history.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - PDF

  Successful Focus Groups

  Advancing the State of the Art

  • David L. Morgan(Author)
  • 1993(Publication Date)
  • SAGE Publications, Inc

    (Publisher)

  Seen in this light, focus groups are not just a different way of doing things we have been doing all along, they may also lead us to change the very way that we think about the problems that interest us. The downside of new methods is captured in a different hammer prov- erb: “When you give a small child a hammer, he [sic] will discover that a lot of things need pounding” (Kaplan, 1964). As a result, focus groups will be used to “pound” so many things that a few of them are guaran- teed to get broken. As responsible researchers, it is our duty to consider situations that extend focus groups beyond their actual range of utility. In presenting the list below, we have tried to avoid problems that can occur with any research method. For example, one should not undertake research when one has too little control over the research situation. For focus groups, this often involves sponsors, supervisors, or other influ-entials who want to handpick the participants; this selection bias, whether direct or inadvertent, can severely jeopardize the results of the focus group process. Similarly, many of the caveats that apply to qualitative research in general also apply to focus groups. In particular, most qualitative research is based on trust and open communication, so it makes no sense to attempt focus groups unless the researchers are respectful, tolerant, and considerate of the target audience. 11 DAVID L. MORGAN and RICHARD A. KRUEGER Do Not Use Focus Groups When the Primary Intent Is Something Other Than Research The primary purpose of projects that rely on focus groups is to collect qualitative data to answer research questions. Unfortunately, there is a constituency that wants to apply the termfocus groups to other pur- poses, such as resolving conflicts, building consensus, increasing com- munication, changing attitudes, and making decisions.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - PDF

  Marketing Research Essentials

  • Carl McDaniel, Jr., Roger Gates, Subramanian Sivaramakrishnan, Kelley Main(Authors)
  • 2013(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  What you really want to do is do a qualitative study on the front end and follow it up with a quantitative study.” 20 Focus groups, like qualitative research in general, are essentially inductive in approach. The research is data-driven, with findings and conclusions being drawn directly from the information provided. In contrast, quantitative studies generally fol- low a deductive approach, in which formulated ideas and hypotheses are tested with data collected specifically for that purpose. Other disadvantages relate to the focus group process itself. For example, focus group recruiting may be a problem if the type of person recruited responds differently to the issues being discussed than do other target segments. White middle-class indi- viduals, for example, participate in qualitative research in numbers disproportionate to their presence in the marketplace. Also, some focus group facilities create an impersonal feeling, making honest conversation unlikely. Corporate or formal settings with large boardroom tables and unattractive or plain decor may make it difficult for respondents to relax and share their feelings. The greatest potential for distortion is during the group interview itself. As a par- ticipant in the social interaction, the moderator must take care not to behave in ways that prejudice responses. The moderator’s style may contribute to bias. For example, an aggressive, confronting style may lead respondents to say whatever they think the moder- ator wants them to say, to avoid attack. Or “playing dumb” may create the perception that the moderator is insincere or phony and cause respondents to withdraw. See the Ethics in Research box for more discussion on how bias can creep into qualitative research. Bias is a concern in research, even more so in quali- tative research. Quantitative research, in which num- bers and statistical analysis tell the story, provides relatively less room for bias.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - PDF

  A New Era in Focus Group Research

  Challenges, Innovation and Practice

  • Rosaline S. Barbour, David L. Morgan, Rosaline S. Barbour, David L. Morgan(Authors)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Palgrave Macmillan

    (Publisher)

  Finally we wish to suggest that focus groups can also be usefully combined with experimental studies and that this afford a strong trian- gulation research design. Mostly these methods are used in a sequential research design (e.g. Debucquet et al. 2012). A student from a seminar in Lyon proposed an experiment investigating how children (girls and boys) accept counter-stereotypical behaviours in stories depending on the way the hero is depicted (i.e. whether alone or with peers). She proposed to use focus groups in order to explore how these counter- stereotypical behaviours are accepted when children are with their peers (and not ‘alone’ with the experimenter). Focus groups could tap into and elucidate collective strategies elaborated by a group in relation to the depicted behaviours, allowing researchers to observe how social norms frame the discourse, how the group interactions maintain (or challenge) the stereotypes, etc. Thus, it is possible to combine qualitative and quantitative methods in a triangulation strategy (Flick et al. 2012) if we recognize that qualitative and quantitative approaches do not neces- sarily refer to different and incompatible epistemologies or paradigms (Kelle and Erzberger 2004; Kelle 2006; McGrath and Johnson 2003). References Acocella, I. (2012) ‘The focus groups in social research: Advantages and disadvantages’. Qualitative and Quantitativ, 46: 1125–1136. doi: 10.1007/ s11135-011-9600-4. Barbour, R. (2007) Doing focus groups. London: Sage Publications. Barbour, R. (2014) ‘Analyzing Focus Groups’, in U. Flick (ed.), The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis. London: Sage. pp. 313–327. 8 Focus Groups in Triangulation Contexts 173 Bauer, M., & Gaskell, G. (1999) ‘Towards a paradigm for research on social representations’. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 29(2): 163–186. Bauer, M., & Gaskell, G. (2008) ‘Social representations theory: A progressive research programme for social psychology’.

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - ePub

  Qualitative Marketing Research

  Understanding Consumer Behaviour

  • Dominika Maison(Author)
  • 2018(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  3    Qualitative methods The different tools in the hands of a marketing researcher Classic qualitative marketing research methods: focus group interviews and individual in-depth interviews

  Focus group interviews (FGIs), also called focus group discussions (FGDs), are the most commonly commissioned type of qualitative research in marketing (Belk, Fischer, & Kozinets, 2013; ESOMAR, 2016; Greenbaum, 1993). The greater number of group discussions compared to individual interviews in the marketing context is mainly down to fashion (being considered more spectacular) and convenience (shorter performance times, ease of interview observation by clients), not actual methodological premises. From methodological point of view both methods are essentially very similar and can often be used interchangeably. This doesn’t mean that both methods are identical as certain differences do exist between them, thus, when deciding whether a group or individual interview is more suitable, we must be aware of the consequences of using each of these methods (see Table 3.1 ).

  A focus group interview is a discussion between several people, usually about six to eight, led by an interviewer, called a moderator. The moderator’s task is to guide (focus) the interview appropriately in order to find out as much as possible about the research subject (Cowley, 2000). This approach has four characteristic elements: (a) it is carried out in a group setting (several participants), (b) it is focused around (concentrates on) a specific topic, (c) the conversation is in-depth (not superficial), and (d) it is in the form of a discussion, not just a question and answer session. Its theoretical basis is two main fields of knowledge: (a) qualitative research methods (individual in-depth interviews, observations, and projective techniques), (b) social psychology – knowledge on small groups, their dynamics, and group processes (drawing from what is known about therapeutic groups, support groups, and interpersonal training).

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book
• 

  eBook - ePub

  Qualitative Methodologies in Organization Studies

  Volume II: Methods and Possibilities

  • Malgorzata Ciesielska, Dariusz Jemielniak, Malgorzata Ciesielska, Dariusz Jemielniak(Authors)
  • 2017(Publication Date)
  • Palgrave Macmillan

    (Publisher)

  © The Author(s) 2018

  Malgorzata Ciesielska and

  Dariusz Jemielniak (eds.)

  Qualitative Methodologies in Organization Studies https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65442-3_5

  Begin Abstract

  5. Focus Group Interviews

  Katarzyna Gawlik

  1  

  (1) Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland

   

    Katarzyna Gawlik

  Keywords Focus group, focus group interview, FGI Group effect Moderator Sample Scenario

  End Abstract

  5.1 Introduction

  This chapter aims to discuss one of the most common methods applied in qualitative research—focus group interviews. The method will be defined and explained in terms of its both standard and distinctive qualities in the context of qualitative research. This will follow with an analysis of a typical research process. Next, we will focus on the scope of application of this method. The chapter will end with a closer look at the most popular variants of the focus group interview method.

  5.2 What Is a Focus Group Interview?

  In the broadest sense, we can say that a focus group interview (FGI) is a group discussion among several invited respondents, moderated by a researcher according to a pre-designed scenario. Actually, the name of this research method, that is, focus group interview, underlines its most important features. First, an FGI-based research is conducted in the form of an interview. Second, the interview is held in a group setting. Third, the interview is not fully structured , but rather freely focused on the main theme of the research.

  As one of the fundamental methods of qualitative research, focus group interviews have a lot in common with other approaches discussed in this book. Like in the case of many other methods used in qualitative research, the main and most general objective of application of FGI is granting us a better understanding of the studied matter or group, an in-depth insight into them. Other traits of qualitative research, shared also by focus group interviews, stem largely from the said general objective. It’s worth mentioning the issue of purposive sampling, devoid of qualities of the statistically understood representativeness. This makes samples in qualitative research—also in FGI—much smaller than in the case of quantitative

  Sign up to read

  Learn more about book