Focus Group

Purpose

The purpose of focus groups varies depending on the topic under investigation. In some studies, a focus group serves as the primary means of collecting data via a strictly qualitative approach. In other studies, a group discussion or focus group is used as a preliminary step before proceeding to quantitative data collection, usually known as a mixed-method approach. In still other studies, a focus group is employed in conjunction with individual interviews, participant observation, and other qualitative forms of data collection. Thus, focus groups are used to complement a mixed-method study or they have a self-contained function, given their ability to function independently or be combined with other qualitative or quantitative approaches. As a result of their versatility, focus groups serve the needs of many researchers in the social sciences.

History

The history of focus groups dates back to the 1930s, when Emory S. Bogardus, a scholar, wrote about group interviews and their usefulness to researchers. During World War II, focus groups were conducted to determine the usefulness of the military's training materials and the success of war propaganda in the war effort. Following World War II, focus groups were used primarily to obtain responses and gather opinions about films, written materials, and radio broadcasts. Beginning in the 1980s, focus groups were used in a wide variety of research settings, thus expanding their initial role as mere gauges for government and marketing research.

Format

Although focus groups have enormous versatility and diversity in how they operate, a step-by-step format for conducting focus groups has emerged in recent years. The first step is to determine the goals of the study. Although not highly specific at this point, it is common for the researcher to write a general purpose statement that lays the foundation for the research project. The second step is to determine who will serve as the moderator of the focus group. Selection of a moderator is of utmost importance to the success of the focus group, as the moderator promotes interactions among group members and prevents the group from digressing from the topic of interest. The next step involves refinement of research goals. Lists of information to obtain during the focus group interviews are created, and these lists serve as the basis for formulating questions and probes to be used later in the focus group interviews. Following this step, participants are recruited for the focus group, preferably through intentional sampling, with the goal of obtaining a group of individuals that is most apt to provide the researcher with the needed information. After the participants have been selected, the number of focus group sessions is determined. The number of focus group sessions will vary and will depend on the number of participants needed to make the focus group interviews successful. The next step is to locate a focus group [Page 501]site where the interviews will be conducted. However, there are no specific parameters for how this step is to be accomplished. The seventh step involves the development of an interview guide. The interview guide includes the research objectives and ensuing questions that have been developed and refined from earlier steps in the process. The questions are constructed with the intent to facilitate smooth transitions from one topic to another. The culminating step is to conduct the focus group interview. The moderator should be well prepared for the focus group session. Preparation includes having the necessary documents, arranging the room and chairs, and arriving early to the site to test any media to be used during the focus group interview. After the group interview is conducted and recorded, it is most frequently transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The interview is transcribed so the researcher is able to adequately interpret the information obtained from the interview.

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