A practical guide for applied research walks readers step by step through the howtos of conducting focus group research. Dennis w rook stressing the interaction of the moderator and group as well as the mechanics of designing, conducting and interpreting the outcome of focus groups, this work provides a systematic treatment of focus. Using focus groups in communitybased participatory. Focus groups procedural guide this overview of procedures used in developing and implementing a focus group are just that an overview. Theory and practice, second edition provides a systematic treatment of the design, conduct, and interpretation of focus group discussions within the context of social science research and theory. Focus groups can be a highly efficient data gathering tool but they are also appropriate in more critical, politicized, and more theoretically driven research contexts lunt and livingstone 1996, p. Using data from a focus group study of the effects of violence on everyday life, this article provides an analysis of four such contexts. Theory and practice applied social research methods. This book is distinguished from other guides and handbooks on focus groups by its emphasis on the theoretical dimension. Costeffective and methodologically sound ways to get practitioners involved in your. See this volume complements that line of work by distilling, from research and experience, the theories of change that appear to be guiding community change efforts and synthesizing evidence about the effectiveness of these efforts. How to conduct focus groups to enhance college health practice. In practice, focus groups will reflect type a and type b approaches to varying degrees.
A communitybased participatory approach requires that community members be involved in all phases of the research process. American college health association annual meeting. The use of focus groups in social science research focus groups originated in sociology merton and kendall 1946 were primarily used by market researchers in recent years templeton 1987 and. What is a focus group discussion and when can i use it. We describe three focus group studies with american indians in kansas and missouri, using a newly developed method of conducting and analyzing focus groups with community input 72 focus groups, 519 participants. To evaluate and critique reports in the nursing literature in the period 19901999 of the use of focus groups as a research method. The sample for a focus group has individuals with characteristics of the overall population and can contribute to helping the research gain a greater understanding of the topic.
Focus group interviews are typically based on homogeneous groups. The who, what, when, where, why, and how many of focus. Focus groups can be a highly efficient data gathering tool but they are. Focus groups can be a useful tool for gathering information about the performance of a process. In this module, you will transition into applying what youve learned previously to conduct a focus group, from design to implementation. Focus group international journal of applied science and. A practical guide to focusgroup research rosanna l. You will be able to clarify the purpose of focus groups for qualitative market research and learn associated best practices. Subscriptions for the hardcopy version are free to researchers with addresses in the uk. Much of the work presented here is taken from two sources.
Pdf over the past decade, focus groups and group interviews have reemerged as. The focus group technique is a type of qualitative research methodology. A qualitative framework for collecting and analyzing data. Topics covered in this publication include focus group basics, preparing for the focus group, developing effective questions, planning the focus group. Tbe bulk of tbese sessions were conducted by tbe autbor, otbers were mn by colleagues on tbe project. More detailed information can be found in the reference section below. Includes a clear, wellorganized example of a focus group summary report that shows how to organize and document focus group results. A focus group discussion is a way to gather together people to discuss a specific topic of interest. Translates marketing research techniques on conducting group interviews into a form more applicable for social sciences research. It examines some key considerations affecting the use of focus groups, and highlights three central features of focus group research. Study purpose methodology conceptualization logistics facilitation preparation presession session analysis reporting using this fivestage process as a guide will contribute to the completion of an. Using an engaging, straightforward writing style, authors richard a. A focus group is most effective with 712 participants.
Shamdasani, is a concise, useful and complete primer on the subject of focusgroup. Krueger and mary anne casey draw on their many years of handson experience in the field to cut through theory and. The article examines the theory and practice of focus groups in adult education research. Depending on the research objective, the focus group can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods. Theory and method abstract theoretical issues and practical considerations in the conduct and analysis of focus groups are presented and discussed. Applied social research methods series, thousand oaks, ca sage publications, inc. Focus group practice claudia puchta, jonathan potter. Although the focus group methodology has become an increasingly popular research measure in the past 15 years, very little has been written about the ethical issues. Flexible and efficient, focus groups add a social dimension to verbal data in evaluation.
Theory and practice applied social research methods by. How to conduct focus groups interaction design foundation. It is not intended for focus groups in the context of developing a research hypothesis. Focus groups generally utilize convenience sampling. Theory based stakeholder evaluation tse, instead of fusing the theories of different stakeholders into a single unified theory, keeps the program theories of diverse stakeholder groups separate from each other and from the program theory embedded in the institutionalized intervention itself. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view download pdf for offline viewing. The current article will present the four types of triangulation followed by a discussion of the use of focus groups fgs and indepth individual idi interviews as an example of data source triangulation in qualitative inquiry. Instead of focusing on just one client at a time, the therapist can devote his or her time to a much larger group of people. Theory and practice offers a unique blend of focus group theory and practice in a single, easytoread source. The setting allows people to practice behaviors and actions within the safety and security of the group. This methodology brief outlines a fivestage process for conducting focus groups and reporting on the results. After youve bought this ebook, you can choose to download either the pdf version or the epub, or both. The book examines every facet of focus group research, from selection and recruitment of group.
Stewart dw, shamdasani pn thousand oaks, california, usa. The who, what, when, where, why, and how many of focus groups this guide is intended for use for focus groups in the context of preparing a new survey or doing an evaluation project. Breen faculty of education, university of technology, sydney, australia abstract this article guides readers through the decisions and considerations involved in conducting focusgroup research investigations into students learning experiences. Introduction to conducting focus groups, by noaa coastal services center, is a comprehensive introduction to key elements and practices that will increase the success of a focus group effort. Provides interesting examples of focus groups in practice. Aug 01, 1990 the fully updated third edition of focus groups.
Focus group interviews involve conducting openended interviews with. Focus groups thus allow the researcher to ground eventual improvementsin a sound understanding of a software system development practice, e. Pdf using focus groups in social research researchgate. Focus group methodology is an introductory text which leads readers through the entire process of designing a focus group study. Feb 28, 2004 focus group practice is unique in providing a picture of focus group moderation and interaction that is based on the study of what actually happens in highclass market research focus groups and in using recent theories of interaction, for example discourse and conversation analyses, to throw light on the practice of moderation. While, technically, it is possible to use larger groups in practice these are very hard to facilitate and it often leads to certain participants being left unheard while a small group of users dominates the proceedings. Focus groups were an efficient, inexpensive method of obtaining information for the recruitment and retention of difficulttoreach families for intervention, particularly information about unique.
This paper follows the growth of focus group research, looks for situations in. Group interviews are among the most common methods of research in the social sciences. This book critically examines the potential of, and suggests ways forward in, harnessing a versatile and powerful method of research focus groups. As with any research study, the first stage in conducting a quality focus group is to. Design research in information systems theory and practice. Introduction to focus groups conduct a focus group coursera. Hence, the moderators primarily aim to facilitate discussion, rather than to direct it. Volume 16 issue 4 july 1999, pages 287372 focus groups. The validity and reliability of focus groups as a research. It is important to run more than one focus group to see if the question set is. Focus groups, experiential learning, active engagement, facilitation, apprenticeship. Eacb group consisted of, on average, 6 researcb participants and tbe discussion lasted approximately 2 bours and was taperecorded. The focus groups for the validation of the folders investigated whether there was relevance between the text and the. By experiencing firsthand the challenges of facilitating focus groups, the students achieved new insights and learning in qualitative research.
This article argues that focus group discussions are shaped by multiple social contexts, a fact that is often ignored by researchers. It provides systematic treatment to the design, conduct, and interpretation of focus group data within the context of social science research and theory. The aim of focus groups in social science research is to understand. It also includes discussions on crosscultural and virtual focus group. Explanatory qualitative analysis information requirements are derived from an expectancy value model of attitudes. Using the results of the study to inform the re research and practice. This book is an excellent starting point for anyone contemplating the use of focus groups. Focus group resources websites american college health association health promotion section research committee. Mar 20, 2014 the fully updated third edition of focus groups. Focus group history, theory, and practice among the most widely used research tools in the social sciences are group depth interviews, or focus groups. This publication, introduction to conducting focus groups, is the fifth in a series of guides developed to bring information to this audience about the use of social science tools in their field of work. Social research update is published quarterly by the department of sociology, university of surrey, guildford gu2 7xh, england. Principles and practice focus group methodology is an introductory text which aims to lead readers through the entire process of designing a focus group study, from conducting interviews to analysing data and presenting the findings. The focus group fg has been actually employed by marketing, and is becoming importanct also in other areas.