Chapter 6 analyzing focus group results 141 participants, and that a short verbal summary at the conclusion of the discussion allows for verification. Focus group guide focus groups can help you identify and analyse emerging psychosocial hazards and inform future planning identified in the risk assessment process. Homogeneity is most often sought in terms of occupation, social class, educational level, age, education, or family characteristics, and gender unless interaction across these groups is what is driving the study. Wherever possible, there should be a focus group team. Focus group article about focus group by the free dictionary. To enhance the credibility of focus group evidence and maximize potential learning from this popular qualitative data collection method, we offer a set of questions to guide evaluators reflection and decision making about focus group design and implementation. An online focus group is one type of focus group, and is a subset of online research methods. As discussed previously, fg may be considered as much a standalone research method as one used in conjunction with other methods.
A group of people from a particular population who are asked by a trained facilitator their opinions and beliefs about a particular subject which is of interest to the population from which they were selected. You need to document the findings of your recent focus group in order to communicate the results to your marketing team. Focus group discussions generally last from an hour and a half to. This paper uses the definition of focus group as a controlled group discussion, on the basis that the group interaction generated through discussion is of prior importance to this methodology. One person is the facilitator and the other is the note taker. A focus group lasting more than 90 minutes probably includes too many questions or topics for discussion. Focus group reports may be very detailed or may be a simple summary of the discussion. In this chapter, i will focus on the importance of the focus group method, its history, and its benefits and pitfalls. Following the conclusion of the focus group or series of focus group sessions, the moderator may prepare a report for the client company. Th ese techniques are commonly used in policy research and are applicable to many research questions.
You need to present your findings in a concise, professional format. Key findings the main findings from data generated by the focus group discussions are summarized below. The moderator arrives with a set list of 1012 questions that. The unit or department at the university of arizona is conducting a program assessment under the supervision of insert responsible party, director, etc. Pdf the focus group research method has been used in a variety of settings over the years. Conducting focus groups in a crossnational setting means finding a balance between wanting to make the data as comparable as possible. A focus group is a moderated discussion group anywhere from 6 to 10 participants. A focus group is useful in analysing a topic or getting an opinion on a. The method is seen as having some advantages over singleperson. Dos and donts of a positive focus group experience 5. A small group selected from a wider population and sampled, as by open discussion, for its members opinions about or emotional response to a particular subject. The questions and the manner in which the focus group is facilitated will vary based on the type of participants. A focus group is a part of marketing research technique.
This section details the process applied by the health information and standards. A focus group is a market research method that brings together 610 people in a room to provide feedback regarding a product, service, concept, or marketing campaign. The market research company bmrb conducted 12 focus groups for the project. Select the team conducting a focus group interview requires a small team, with at least a facilitator to guide the discussion and a rapporteur to record it.
The focus group fg has been actually employed by marketing, and is becoming importanct also in other areas. Focus group resources websites american college health association health promotion section research committee. It can negatively impact the discussion if the facilitator is stopping to write things down. Focus groups are a inexpensive way to identify peoples preferences, motivations, thoughts, feelings and attitude towards a product or service. In a typical focus group, approximately 6 to 10 people spend 60 to 90 minutes voicing their opinions about your website or application. The use of focus group in the research design the goal of a focus group is to have the participants understand the topic of interest to the researcher, irrespective of its use, alone or together with other research methods. Bradley th is course provides an overview of two types of qualitative data collection methodologies. Focus group definition is a small group of people whose response to something such as a new product or a politicians image is studied to determine the response. Directorate to ensure that the focus groups are of high quality, meaning that they. A focus group could be defined as a group of interacting individuals having some common interest or characteristics, brought together by a moderator, who uses the group and its interaction as a way to gain information about a specific or focused issue. The purpose of the study is to examine insert topic of study. The report generally provides a written summary of the results of the session or sessions as interpreted by the moderator.
A methodology for crossnational comparative focus group research. American college health association annual meeting. Generate and pretest an interview guide the interview guide sets the agenda for the focus group discussion by establishing the research questions to be addressed in the focus group. Focus group definition and meaning collins english dictionary.
Focus group definition is a small group of people whose response to something such as a new product or a politicians image is studied to determine the response that can be expected from a larger population. A focus group is a small set of six to ten people who usually share common characteristics such as age, background, geography, etc the set comes together to discuss a predetermined topic. The questions and the manner in which the focus group is facilitated will. Focus group interviewing richard krueger 4 beginning the focus group discussion the first few moments in focus group discussion are critical. The clients and moderator develop this guide together. Focus groups synonyms, focus groups pronunciation, focus groups translation, english dictionary definition of focus groups. Article information, pdf download for focus groups in health research. Instead, i find it more useful to think that the degree of formal structure in a focus group is a decision that the research makes according to the specific purposes of the research project.
Small number of people usually between 4 and 15, but typically 8 brought together with a moderator to focus on a specific product or topic. The shared characteristics may relate to a particular problem, livelihoods occupation, age, social group, place of residence, experience of. Important skills that a group moderator should possess 3. The potential for future development of focus group theory and methodology in feminist research is argued, and illustrated, in particular, with reference to the. The nhs uses focus groups to assess staff opinion on how a trust is progressing towards achieving a particular goal e. The focus group needs to be appropriate for the type of participants in the group. The facilitator should be a native speaker who can put people at ease. A trained moderator leads a 3090minute discussion within the group that is designed to gather helpful information. Focus group participants should be characterized by homogeneity, but with sufficient variation to allow for contrasting opinions.
Focus group definition of focus group by the free dictionary. It is important to have a note taker to record the focus group feedback. Online focus groups and qualitative research in the social sciences. A focus group is a specially selected group of people who are intended to represent the. Focus group definition, a representative group of people questioned together about their opinions on political issues, consumer products, etc. Focus groups international journal for quality in health. A small group selected from a wider population and sampled, as by open discussion, for its members opinions about or emotional response to a particular. Focus groups have discussions in which their opinions are recorded as a form of market research. Focus group definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Each participant is chosen after filling in a screener questionnaire, which allows the researcher to ensure a good mix of people represent the target audience for the project. As such, the focus group method is sometimes referred to as a focus group interview, a group interview, or a group depth interview.
Steps in conducting focus group interviews follow this stepbystep advice to help ensure highquality results. Focus group definition of focus group by merriamwebster. At this time, the moderator makes a quick check to ensure. A focus group discussion fgd is a qualitative research method and data collection technique in. They are typically an appropriate research method for consumer research, businesstobusiness research and political research. Never gossip about the focus groups after the study. Relocation of congolese refugees in lunda norte, angola unhcr 19, july, 2017 3 breakdown by sex and age group of focus group discussion participants. As a qualitative data collection technique, the focus group has advantages over other qualitative methods, such as the indepth interview and the nominal group technique. While this publication provides basic information about putting together a focus group project, the researcher or facilitator will play a critical. Semistructured interviews and focus groups margaret c. Facebook, hardtoreach participants, online focus group, third culture kids, qualitative research. Small number of people usually between 4 and 15, but typically 8 brought together with a moderator to focus on a. The first step in many approaches to the analysis of focus group data is to. The goal of todays meeting is to understand if the internal communications and news you currently receive is effective, relevant and valuable to you.
The method of using group interviews was described as long. This paper introduces focus group methodology and discusses its relevance to those researching health care provision. Focus groups explicitly use group interaction as part of the method kitzinger 1995. A focus group discussion involves gathering people from similar backgrounds or experiences together to discuss a specific topic of interest. A small group selected from a wider population and sampled, as by open discussion, for its members opinions about or emotional response to a particular subject or area, used especially in market research or political analysis. The goal of todays meeting is to understand if the internal communications and news you currently receive is effective, relevant and valuable to. Online focus groups and qualitative research in the social. Focus groups typically last about 60 to 90 minutes.
Depending on the research objective, the focus group can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods. A focus group is typically 710 people who are unfamiliar with each other. The timeframe of a focus group will vary based on the complexity of the product or idea being shared, the total number of products andor ideas shared with the group, and the number of attendees. Focus groups law and legal definition uslegal, inc. Information and translations of focus group in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Focus group discussions are frequently used to obtain perspectives and attitudes of people about issues, seek explanations for behavior, triangulate data obtained through other qualitative methods. Focus group definition of focus group by medical dictionary. We created the focus group report template to help you communicate the findings of a focus group quickly and efficiently. Some theoretical and practical considerations, 5 3. A focus group, as a research method, involved more than one participant per data collection session wilkinson 2004.
Focus groups definition of focus groups by the free. In a brief time the moderator must create a thoughtful, permissive atmosphere, provide ground rules, and set the tone of the discussion. A moderator invites prescreened, qualified respondents who represent the target of interest to log on to. Pdf the use of focus group methodology in education. In focus group discussion participants are free to.
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