Focus group discussions
Focus group discussions are an exploratory research tool - a ‘structured group process’ conducted for the purpose of exploring people’s thoughts and feelings and obtaining detailed information about a particular topic or issue (Sherraden, 2001). Focus group discussions generally last from an hour and a half to two hours (NOP website), longer than this and the discussion loses momentum (Sherraden, 2001). If the discussion is well managed, it allows deep-seated feelings on a subject to emerge naturally (NOP website).
Groups are usually composed of seven or eight people, selected purposively, based on a set of criteria, plus a recorder, and led by a trained moderator. This size yields a variety of viewpoints and good participation. Groups can have a larger size range, e.g. four to twelve members, but smaller groups tend to be dominated by one or two people and larger groups inhibit the participation by some members (Sherraden, 2001).
The focus group moderator’s job is to facilitate the discussion and to encourage all respondents to contribute their thoughts, feelings and ideas (NOP website). The discussion is usually semi-structured using a checklist of issues constructed iteratively by the research team.
Focus groups are used widely by product marketing companies and in health related research. In development-related research, focus group discussions are often seen as being a participatory-type method. While they can be used alongside participatory methods, they can be used as a single self-contained method or alongside quantitative research.
Uses
Focus group discussions are useful early on in a study when the researcher wants to gain a rapid understanding of key themes or issues of controversy. Use focus groups when you are not sure of the exact questions you want to ask. They can be useful for:
- Generating qualitative data (insights into needs, expectations, attitudes, perceptions, beliefs and feelings of participants)
- Broadening the research field – surprise issues may emerge
- Identifying key issues – for follow up later using other research methods
- Developing emergent themes
- Generating hypotheses for testing later in research
- Developing interview schedules (for key informants or sample surveys)
- Corroborating or triangulating findings generated earlier - by quantitative or qualitative methods (including individual sample questionnaires, structured or semi-structured interviews with key informants, and participative research tools)
- Providing clear and expressive vignettes to support quantitative findings
- Getting reflective feedback for impact assessments or on government policies or interventions
Advantages
- Relatively easy to undertake
- Efficient - interviewing a number of people at the same time
- Quick - results can often be obtained in a reasonably short time span.
- People often express views that they might not express in other settings, or if interviewed as individuals. Social interaction within the group can yield freer and more complex responses, when there is interactive synergy, snowballing, spontaneity, and security of participants within the group (Sherraden, 2001).
- Flexible - the researcher can probe for clarification or greater detail. Unanticipated lines of discussion can be pursued.
- Responses have high ‘face validity’ due to the clarity of the context and detail of the discussion.
- Focus groups can work well a range of different populations, including people who may have limited education, modest verbal skills, and low self-esteem, and lack of prior experience expressing personal views.
- Results can be available quickly
- Low cost.
- Preparation time: moderate to low
- Interviewee time: low
- Time to administer: low
- Time for analysis: moderate
- Additional resources: low
Disadvantages/Limitations
- Moderator requires special skills - stimulating and managing a guided group discussion is not as easy as it sounds, and the skill of the moderator can have a tremendous impact on the "success" of the group, i.e., whether discussion flows freely (Sherraden, 2001). ‘Moderating focus groups is much like writing poetry: anyone can do it, but few do it really well’ (Ellison Research, 2001).
- Groups can be difficult to assemble.
- Persuading people to give up their time
- Finding a suitable time
- To pay or not to pay? Paying can introduce bias - paid respondents may try to say what they think the researcher wants to hear
- Groups can vary considerably.
- The setting and conditions must be conducive to discussion - individuals must feel secure and confident within the group.
- Individual responses are not independent of one another.
- The evaluator has less control than in an individual interview.
- Data can be difficult to summarise and analyse – a lot of specific information, some of it very tangential to the topic (Sherraden, 2001).
- Findings may not be reliable
- Conformity effects – the pressure in groups to conform to the norm the group establishes. Important opinions may not be expressed
- Participants are not randomly sampled so findings are not generalisable