Focus Groups

Focus groups have historically been associated with market research, but since the 1980s, they have been increasingly used as a qualitative method in health and social science, and are now common in the area of communication disorders research. Essentially, the focus group method involves bringing together a small number of invited research participants, often between 5 and 10 people, to discuss a particular topic, guided by a facilitator or moderator (the researcher). The participants usually have something in common and are invited to share their opinions, experiences, or ideas on the topic in question in a dynamic, conversational exchange, which is then recorded (usually audio, but sometimes through video recording) and transcribed for later analysis by the researcher.

Focus groups are used to gain in-depth information ...