Focus Groups

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?

Focus groups are a qualitative research technique that allow a group of individuals to express their attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and opinions on a topic in conversation together.

Focus groups permit participants to guide discussion and also allow researchers to examine how participants interact with and are influenced by one another. Speaking in a group setting may encourage people to think of and discuss something they wouldn't have considered on their own.

Organization of Focus Groups

Key questions

Before holding a focus group, there are several important questions to address:

Who will serve as moderator for the focus group? What are a moderator's key responsibilities?
How do I prepare for a focus group?
How much time should I plan for? How many times does my group need to meet?
Where should my focus group take place?

Prepare your answers by reviewing the slide presentation and video at right.

Organization of focus groups

Structured versus unstructured focus groups

→ Structured focus groups: Moderator is more directive, often having a set agenda from which they do not allow the group to deviate.

Why structured focus groups? Researcher has a good idea of their central topic and wants to spend time exploring it.

→ Unstructured focus groups: Group conversation is more free flowing and exploration is encouraged.

Why unstructured focus groups? Researcher might want to gather more information to refine their research questions or hypothesis.

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.

Focus Group Facilitator Guide

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.

Focus Groups in Action

The video below shows successful and unsuccessful focus groups. Working alone or in pairs, identify the successful and unsuccessful strategies employed in these two examples.

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.

Reflection Questions

Why Focus Group?

What are the unique purposes focus groups serve relative to other research methods, like an interview?

Master Moderator?

Describe the key responsibilities of a moderator during a focus group. How can a moderator effectively prepare?

Focus Group Limitations?

What are limitations of using focus groups in social science research?

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