Focus Groups
Updated 23 October 2019
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Focus groups are an informal research
method using personal interviews with selected individuals to
determine attitudes and needs. Although focus group
results shouldnot be seen a representative of any particular
audience, they can be indicative of audience knowledge,
predispositions and behavior Focus groups are often used
in advance of employing survey research. The steps used in
conducting a focus group:
- Develop general
questions based upon your information needs. The
questions should be open-ended in encourage discussion.
- Select as a
moderator someone skilled in interviewing techniques.
The moderator must be strong enough to control the discussion
and keep it on track.
- Recruit six to 12
participants. Decide upon a sampling
strategy. From what kind of people do you wish to hear
opinions? Sometimes a screening questionnaire will
narrow the field for you. Sometimes a quota sampling
technique is used. It is not unusual for the participants
to be compensated (money, free meal,etc.). It is best to
work with homogenous groups (even if it means conducting
additional focus groups).
- Record the session. Make
certain participants know that the session is being recorded.
- Have observers
sitting outside of the group. They should record
their impressions in notes.
- Limit the discussion
to one or one and one-half hours.
- Talk about problems
and needs-- not solutions. (It is very likely that
the participants are not qualified to discuss solutions.)
- Prepare written
report on session. Begin with a statement of what
a focus group is and its purposes. (It is very possible that
you client may not be familiar with the concept.)
Indicate the time and location of the session, as well as how
the participants were selected. Summarize the
session. When possible, identify participants by name,
age, occupation, hometown and any other pertinent
information. Where possible, use direct
quotations. At the end of the summary, present your
group's analysis of what its considers were the most
significant findings learned from the session.
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