Unit Overview

There's something about talking together that brings a subject to life. Speaking one-on-one in a private setting serves an important purpose, but the conversation really livens up when a group of people sit down and start hashing it out. Maybe it's something about the type of people who bother to make time to meet up and share their viewpoints. Maybe it's the collective energy that builds between neighbors committed to making a difference. Whatever the reason, it's undeniable that interviews conducted in a group setting are dynamic and highly informative.

All that momentum requires careful guidance, or the whole scene can look a lot like herding cats. For all the possibility of group interviewing, there are plenty of problems a moderator must negotiate. Some people may talk over others, or make offensive statements. Other people may hang back and need a little push to get in on the action. The discussion may wander (or leap!) off topic. A masterful moderator has to be prepared to think on their feet. We'll start with reviewing the method behind the madness and get you legged up to run successful focus groups.

Key Terms

Focus group: a group of individuals assembled by researchers to have organized discussion about a specified topic to gain an understanding of their related views and experiences.

Generalizable: extent to which research findings can be applied to a larger population or different situation.

Groupthink: tendency for individuals to agree with the group due to desire for conformity.

Hypothesis: a proposed and testable explanation between two or more variables to predict an outcome or explain a phenomenon.

Moderator/Facilitator: the individual who organizes and runs the focus group.

Participant: an individual who is recruited to take part in the focus group.

What is a Focus Group?

Limitations of Focus Groups

Although focus groups can allow researchers to explore the topic of their research in greater depth, there are some limitations to consider. These include:

• Groupthink, which makes it difficult to identify how individual opinions may be swayed just by being in a group.

• Results are not generalizable to the entire population of interest to the research.

• Researcher has less control than in an interview.

• Time consuming to assemble and schedule group interviews.

• Challenging to ensure confidentiality in a group setting.

Organization of Focus Groups

Recruiting Research Participants

Who should I recruit?

One of the first questions to consider once you have decided on the focus of your project, or your research questions, is who can provide the information needed to answer the questions. In an ideal world we would want to talk to everyone involved ( the population) but that is rarely realistic. Instead we find a small number of individuals (a sample) who are knowledgeable about the problem or topic and ask them to share their experiences and expertise.

In quantitative research, such as surveys, it is important to have a sample that represents the population in order for the researcher to be able to say with confidence that what was learned from the sample applies to everyone in the population. However, in qualitative research we are less concerned with generalizing and more concerned with depth of understanding. For example, with qualitative research we are not trying to say what percentage of people in Michigan have experienced discrimination in the health care system. Instead, we might want to know what it is like for an individual in Michigan to experience discrimination. How did they feel when it happened? What were the ways they coped? What suggestions do they have for changing the healthcare system? Sometimes a small number of in-depth, descriptive responses from people with direct experience are more important for answering our questions.

Facilitator Guide

One key step of focus group preparation is developing a guide or script for the focus group facilitator to follow. The facilitator guide helps the facilitator stay on track by outlining topics to cover in the focus group and listing specific questions that the facilitator should encourage participants to discuss. Below you will find a suggested guide that can be downloaded and edited to suit the specific topics you'd like for your focus group participants to discuss.

Study Information Sheet

To comply with guidelines for ethical research conduct, focus group participants should be given an information sheet that communicates standard information about what their participation will entail so that they can make an informed decision about whether or not they consent to participating. An example document that can be downloaded and edited appears below.

Where should I conduct the interview or focus group?

Interviews should be conducted in a location that is comfortable for the interview participant and the interviewer. It is generally recommended that the interview participant be offered the opportunity to select the interview location. When considering suitable public meeting options, keep in mind that background noises - clanking coffee cups, crowded diners, cheering at ball games - may distort audio quality. The sensitivity of the questions contained in the interview guide should also be considered, with interviews covering more personal or potentially distressing topics held in a location that provides adequate privacy. The safety and wellbeing of interviewers should also be considered. For example, if the interview is to occur in the participant's home, is there a plan to check in with another researcher at a set time and backup information on location in case problems arise?

How should I record the conversation?

Recording interviews helps ensure that a respondent's statements are accurately reproduced. However, some interview participants may feel nervous about being recorded or may even refuse to participate in a recorded interview. It is important to always have a respondent's permission to record the interview, and to place the recorder in a visible location as a reminder that the conversation is being recorded. It is the respondent's right to refuse to be recorded. In that event, thorough notes must be taken to ensure that their responses are captured as accurately as possible.

Interviews are commonly audio-recorded using digital recorders or mobile applications designed to be used on a smartphone or tablet. It is generally recommended to have a primary and backup method for audio-recording interviews. When considering options, keep in mind that the recording device or application needs the following functionalities:

• Clear audio quality.

• Easy file export from the device to a computer.

• Memory space and battery life for several hours of recording.

Product Recommendations

Summary

Focus groups are a qualitative data collection technique that allow researchers to learn the feelings, attitudes, thoughts, and opinions of a small group of people in a short period of time. A key part of a focus group is the interaction between participants and how group interaction shapes and influences responses.

Typically, focus groups includes 6-10 people and can follow either structured or unstructured formats. Focus groups are run by moderators who possess a unique set of skills including empathy, objectivity, adaptability, as well as being an observant and active listener. Although useful for in-depth exploration of research topics, focus groups have some limitations, including an inability for the researcher to disentangle individual versus group opinions and a lack of generalizability to an entire population.