Lecture 5 Qualitative Research Focus Groups

Focus Groups

• Focus groups are a qualitative research method.
• They gather data on individuals, the group dynamics, and interactions.
• Researchers often focus on a specific theme or topic.
• Participants discuss a topic or theme; responses to other viewpoints are noted.
• Group interaction is observed. Examples include analyzing voter "mood"
• Focus groups are different from group interviews. Several participants and a moderator.
• Focus group questions are tightly defined on a specific issue or topic
• Focus groups can be time-consuming and labor-intensive to organize.

Uses of Focus Groups

• Focus groups can explore people's experiences.
• Initially used in marketing research, but now widely used across social science.
• They examine how individuals form viewpoints and how those views are influenced.
• How people's views change during interaction with others holding differing opinions.
• Moderator facilitates, while participants drive the discussion, leading to more diverse perspectives.
• Individual opinions and arguments within the group are significant.

Conducting Focus Groups

• Obtain informed consent from participants.
• Filming or audio recording interactions is best practice.
• Note-taking is difficult to capture all interactions and non-verbal communication in focus groups.
• Identify group leaders and the range of perspectives.
• Focus on how people express opinions.

Important Conventions

• Only one person speaks at a time.
• Data and interactions are confidential and anonymous.
• Every participant's opinion is equally valuable.

How Many Groups and People per Group?

• The number of groups and participants varies based on the study.
• Bryman (2021) suggests 8-15 groups.
• Enough groups should be conducted until patterns repeat in terms of discussion points and themes.
• Consider socio-demographic factors such as gender, class, age, and political affiliation.
• A benchmark is 6-10 participants per group.

The Moderator

• Moderators should be unobtrusive but in control.
• Start with general questions, allowing participants to steer the conversation.
• Allow free discussion flow for participants to highlight important topics.
• Probing, prompting, and nudging can steer discussions.

Finishing a Focus Group

• Start with a brief introduction (thanking participants for attending).
• Outline the focus group's purpose, emphasizing confidentiality.
• Follow-up sessions might be required and need to be explicitly stated.
• Repeat these steps at the end of the session.

Recruiting Participants

• Recruit participants through non-random sampling methods.
• Researcher-driven recruitment, key informant recruitment, and spontaneous recruitment.
• Consult literature such as Bryman (2021) and Peek & Fothergill (2009).

Online Focus Groups

• Online focus groups are a cheaper and more accessible alternative.
• Reduce environmental impact with lower carbon footprints.
• Social desirability bias is lessened.
• Participant selection can be challenging due to time zone differences.

Limitations of Focus Groups

• Less control over the participants' direction of discussion.
• Participants can dominate the discussion, deviating from the research focus.
• Analyzing rich qualitative data from the interactions can be difficult.
• Organizing sessions can be time-consuming, costly, and need participant incentives.
• Recordings require extensive transcription, including the consideration of non-verbal communication.
• Participant dynamics—e.g., talkative versus shy participants—need detailed observation and careful consideration.

Questions for Discussion

• Importance of moderator training for successful focus groups.
• Necessity of participant stratification and how it impacts selection.
• Potential issues stemming from group interactions.

This quiz explores the concept of focus groups as a qualitative research method. It covers their purpose, structure, and the dynamic interactions that occur among participants. Delve into the uses of focus groups across various fields, particularly in social sciences and marketing research.