Focus Group Research

Prepared By
Dr. Fauzia Malik
What is a focus group?
The focus group is a discussion-based
interview that produces verbal data
generated via group interaction. Focus
groups aim to build conversation among
participants rather than conversation
between the interviewer (or focus group
facilitator) and individual participants.
Focus group..

 • A focus group is a form of qualitative research in

which a group of people are asked about their
perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a
product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or
packaging.
 • Questions are asked in an interactive group setting
where participants are free to talk with other group
members.
 • During this process, the researcher either takes notes
or records the vital points he or she is getting from the
group. Care should be noted to select members of the
group carefully for effective and authoritative responses.
Focus Group Research
Features
• A focus group is an interview conducted by
an experienced and professional moderator
among a group of respondents or
participants.
• The interview will be conducted in a form of
group discussion among 6 to 10 respondents
in an unstructured and natural way where the
participants are free to express ideas and
concerns.
Types Focus Groups
• Single focus group – This is the classical type of
focus group where all respondents are placed in
one group to interactively discuss the topic.
• Two-way focus groups – This format involves
using two groups. One group actively discusses
the topic and the other group observes the first
group and then discusses their interactions.
• Dual moderator focus groups – The moderators
work together with one moderator asking the
questions and leading the session and the other
moderator ensuring that all questions are asked
and any new evolutions are discussed further.
Types Focus Groups
 Dueling moderator focus groups – The two
moderators purposefully take opposing sides on an
issues or topic to fuel discussion.
 Respondent moderator focus group – One of the
respondents will temporarily act as the moderator
which changes the dynamics of the group.
 Mini Focus Groups – This format uses smaller
groups of only 4-5 participants.
 Teleconference or online focus groups – These
formats use conference calling, chat rooms or
other online means to conduct the focus group to
allow for better outreach to participants.
The use of focus groups to address
PROCESS (i.e. how, why) as well as
CONTENT (i.e. what) questions
WHAT TYPE OF EVIDENCE DO
FOCUS GROUPS PRODUCE?
The essentialist position
 Conventional uses of the focus group fit squarely into an
‘essentialist’ framework, which is an approach to research that
assumes that there is ‘truth’ to be found and that some methods
are better than others at getting closer to it. The advantage of
focus groups is that, when managed well, they can produce a
broader as well as more in-depth understanding of an issue or
topic, because the interaction process stimulates memories,
discussion, debate and disclosure in a way that is less likely in a
one-to-one interview (Wilkinson, 2003). The emphasis within the
essentialist framework is on content (i.e. thoughts, feelings,
beliefs, values, knowledge, ideas, and so on) and on being
skilled enough to moderate the interaction process to optimise
both the quantity and quality of the content produced by the
focus group discussion (Krueger & Casey, 2000).
The social constructionist position
 Hollander (2004) points out that focus groups are actually very
limited in their potential for understanding individual thoughts,
feelings and experiences but are excellent for ‘analysing processes
of social interaction’. Given that the former is the most common use
of focus groups (Wilkinson, 1998), it is important to appreciate that
no matter how skilled or experienced the moderator, they cannot
and do not provide a ‘transparent window on reality’ (Frith &
Kitzinger, 1998, p. 304). On the contrary, it can be argued that the
‘reality’ represented by focus groups is collaboratively produced
through a process of context-specific meaning making (Wilkinson,
2003). Of particular interest here is not so much the ‘reality’ itself
(or the meanings created by the discussion process) but the way this
reality is ‘constructed, defended and modified’ (Wilkinson, 2003),
particularly if group members are empowered to guide the direction
and flow of the discussion (Glitz, 1998). From this so-called ‘social
constructionist’ position, the focus group is much more than a tool
for accessing cognitions and meanings – it is ‘by definition an
exercise in group dynamics and the conduct of the group, as well as
the interpretation of results obtained, must be understood within
the context of group interaction’ (Stewart & Shamdasani, 1990, p.
7).
THE FOCAL STIMULI
 The ‘focusing’ component of focus group research
refers to the boundaries of the discussion in relation to
a particular stimulus object, event or situation.
Originally the stimulus object was a form of mass
media communication (e.g. a film or a pamphlet). In
marketing, the focus of research might be people’s
reactions to a particular advertising campaign or
consumer product. In the social sciences, the stimulus
might be a scenario (e.g. a sexual encounter as a way
of accessing attitudes towards safer sex; O’Brien,
1993), a concrete event (e.g. driving and young
people’s risk taking; Basch, 1987), or even a concept
(e.g. household crowding and its effects on
psychological well-being; Fuller et al., 1993).
FOCUS GROUP DESIGN AND
PLANNING
 1 .Sampling and recruitment of participants
 The sample should be chosen to reflect those segments
of the population who will provide the most meaningful
information in relation to the project objectives.
Participants should have something to say about the
topic of interest or something to demonstrate when
using focus groups to understand processes.
Recruitment strategies have important consequences
for the degree of cooperation and commitment
generated amongst respondents. The time and energy
invested in meeting with ‘local’ people and making
personal contact with potential participants at the
outset can help build group rapport.
2. Sample size
Sample size varies widely .The decision rests on
the type of evidence required and from whom, as
well as considerations of cost in terms of time
and resources.
3 . Group size
A systematic review of recent focus group
research in psychology yields an average of nine
participants per session as conventional, with a
range of six to twelve. This conclusion is
consistent with the figures quoted in the focus
group methods literature, although some would
advocate between six and eight participants as
ideal (Albrecht et al., 1993; see also Wilkinson,
2003).
4. Location, setting and length of session
Two prime considerations for participants are
convenience and comfort. The location should be
easy to reach and the research schedule should not
pose any difficulties for them (e.g. child care and
transportation problems). Once in place, the
conditions of the room itself should be conducive to
a smooth-fl owing discussion and basically
comfortable (e.g. an appropriate ambience of
informality, availability of refreshments, nearby
toilets, suitable seating and table arrangements). It
is also usual to supply name tags. Most focus group
researchers agree that between 1 and 2 hours is
the standard duration for each session involving
adults, and a maximum of 1 hour for sessions
involving children.
FOCUS GROUP
IMPLEMENTATION
At its most basic level, the successful
implementation of a focus group study
depends on two key factors: preparation and
good people skills (Greenbaum, 2000;
Wilkinson, 2003).
 1 Facilitator style and skills
 From the above it is clear that the style and skills of
the facilitator are fundamental to the effectiveness
of the focus group
 2 Topic guide
 A topic guide is necessary only if content is the
focus of the study. The guide should nonetheless
only be suggestive, giving the moderator latitude to
improvise fruitful questions and pursue
unanticipated lines of inquiry.
 3 Listening and questioning skills
 the listening and questioning style of the facilitator
is key to determining the nature of the discussion.
This will be reflected in the sequence of questions
as well as how the questions are worded.
RECORDING THE DATA

Focus groups generate data in the form of

transcripts produced from audio tape
supplemented by a few general field notes to
minimize the burden of having to
simultaneously observe, listen and facilitate. It
is crucial to first obtain the informed consent
of the participants and to give assurances of
confidentiality. Note that the larger the group
the less easy it is to get a clear recording using
one tape recorder alone, so it is important to
carefully plan and trial the logistics of
recording.
TRANSCRIPTION
 Transcription is a primarily mechanical task. Its time-consuming and laborious
nature, however, has often led researchers to analyse the content directly from
the Focus group discussions can sometimes become imbalanced, being
dominated by one or two members at length in a discussion can set the tone
and direction of the conversation, legitimising some topics as the focus of
conversation over others. This is ‘difficult’ for a discussion in which the
intention is to increase the breadth and depth of discussion about a range of
preplanned topics, but a rich source of data for those interested in looking at
group dynamics. On the other hand, the facilitator will need to be mindful of the
ethics of allowing someone not only to inhibit the contributions of others but
also potentially to upset them. The group facilitator may need to intervene if
other group members are becoming visibly disengaged or distressed by the
‘dominating’ participant tape, which entails transcribing only the most
illustrative comments. Since the purpose of a focus group is to gain insight into
how respondents’ represent a particular issue as a whole and on a collective
rather than an individual basis, it is important to capture the entire character of
the discussion, warts and all. Any form of shortcircuiting of the transcription
process or selective editing is therefore undesirable, particularly insofar as the
interactive process is integral to the way that particular content is produced
(e.g. Hopkins, 2007).
ANALYSIS OF FOCUS GROUP
DATA
 there is ‘no single – or even preferred – way of analysing
(focus group) data’.
 Two methods of interpretation applicable to the analysis
of focus group material, are interpretative
phenomenological analysis (IPA) and discourse analysis.
 Interpretative phenomenological analysis is a form of
qualitative analysis which explicitly acknowledges that
the process of analysing experiences and the meaning of
these experiences will necessarily involve ‘interpretation’
on the part of the researcher .
 discourse analysis is based on the epistemological
assumption that what people say is a form of purposive
social action which has a function to serve in a particular
interactional context.
FEEDBACK OF
RESULTS/FINDINGS
 Feedback to participants or an organisation raises a
dilemma for the researcher. It is unusual for access to
be granted within a company without some expectation
of feedback. However, some of the information arising
out of the focus group may not be what the sponsor
wants to hear and may even be personally
compromising. One also has to consider that what
people have talked about in the group may be not what
they would wish to pass on, and not pleasant to receive.
The decision as to how much, if any, of the information
and analysis to discuss with the company sponsor has to
be an individual one. Clearly no attributable information
should be given; the confidentiality agreed with the
group members must be absolute.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS IN
FOCUS GROUP RESEARCH
1. The ‘e-focus group’
2 . Using focus groups with children and
young people
Advantages
• In a face to face interview, moderator can keep the discussion
under control and focus on the areas of interest as described in
the moderator discussion guide.
• Free and open discussion among the respondents results in
generation of new ideas which can be very useful for business
decision making.
• A focus group is not static. The moderator can bring any changes
in order to better facilitate the discussion during the group
discussion. This dynamism allows better results in terms of
information derived by a focus group.
• Fully equipped modern focus group facilities enables clients’
personnel to observe the discussion in order to better understand
the research findings and also to quality control the whole
process.
• Expressions other than those in verbal form such as gestures and
stimulated activities can provide researcher with useful insights.
Disadvantages
• Inexperienced moderator may face problems in
controlling some participants who try to dominate
the group.
• Respondents may be reluctant to share some
sensitive ideas and concerns publicly.
• Due to small sample size and heterogeneity of
individuals, focus groups findings may not be
adequate to make projections.
• A focus group can be a very artificial set up
which influence the respondents to express and
act unnaturally. The findings may be far from the
actual.
Reference
https://
in.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binarie
s/46878_Breakwell_Ch17.pdf
https://www.slideshare.net/aniankolekar/focus
-group-67425248