Using a Focus Group Study:

What is a focus group?

• A focus group is a relatively small, homogeneous, and informal group of individuals who are assembled to discuss a specific topic led by a trained moderator.

Who is in a focus group?

• A focus group is typically composed of 6 to 12 people.
• Participants are reasonably homogeneous and are selected on the basis of specific characteristics (age, gender, occupation, interest, education, group membership).

What is the purpose of a focus group?

• A focus group is used to provide qualitative data about the attitudes, perceptions, and opinions of participants regarding the topic of discussion.
• Focus groups are not intended to reach a consensus, to arrive at a plan, or to make decisions about what course of action to take.
• Focus groups do not generate quantitative information that can be projected to a larger group.

Planning the Study:

What are the steps involved?

1. Identify the purpose of the study.

• You should identify the purpose of the focus group by writing a general purpose statement that reflects the information you do and do not want to obtain.
• Ask yourself the following questions:
• Why should such a study be conducted?
• What kinds of information will be produced?
• What types of information are important?

2. Identify goals.

• Identify the specific questions to be addressed.
• Determine how the information from the focus group will be used.
• Identify the outcomes required for the focus group to be successful.

3. Determine who to study.

• Be as specific as possible when selecting individuals for inclusion in a focus group.
• Group members with homogeneous characteristics should be selected.
• You should use purposive sampling where individuals are selected based on predetermined criteria (geographic location, income, etc.).
• The goal of selection is not generalizability, but to get an understanding of a topic in detail.

• The guide is used to serve as a map to chart the path of the focus group from beginning to end.
• Introduction: welcome, purpose, and guidelines
• Warm-up: set the tone and set participants at ease
• Clarification of terms: provide definitions of key terms
• Easy and non-threatening questions: initial questions should be general and less threatening
• More difficult questions
• Wrap-up: identify major themes from participant’s responses
• Member check: determine how each member perceives selected issues
• Closing statements: answer remaining questions and express thanks

Conducting the Interviews:

What are the steps the moderator should follow?

1. Planning for the focus group

• The moderator has to determine before hand whether the immediate goal is to obtain participants’ a) past behaviors, thoughts, or feelings; b) current behaviors, thoughts, or feelings; or c) future or ideal behaviors, thoughts, or feelings.

2. Introductions

• The moderator should greet the participants without using professional titles such as doctor or president.

3. Opening the discussion

• The moderator should start by discussing the components included in the introduction section of the moderator’s guide (purpose of the interviews, etc.)
• Stress that there are no wrong answers, clarify any difficult or novel concepts and jargon, and describe the level of confidentiality to be maintained throughout the study.

4. Creating and maintaining a comfortable environment

• The equipment to be used should be set up prior to the participants’ arrival.
• The moderator should try to keep the participants’ attention on the group rather than on the moderator (now let’s talk about . . . vs. now I want to talk about . . .).
• The moderator should provide positive feedback and praise.

5. Controlling the topic

• The moderator must gain the required information within the boundaries of the focus group interview (participants cannot be contacted later to clarify a response).
• Moderators should begin with more general questions before inquiring about specific areas.
• The moderator’s statements should communicate genuine interest in the individuals’ responses and that questions not be asked as a test (no "correct" answer).
• Questions should be open-ended in nature.
• Once moderators begin interacting, it is necessary for the moderator to probe. Probes are used to get participants to expand on previous statements so responses are more specifically and fully revealed, or to increase their involvement or to clarify concepts and responses.
• When using probes, it is important for the moderator not to lead respondents or to appear aggressive or intimidating.
• Once a topic has been introduced, it is desirable that the respondent carry on the discussion with little interruption from the moderator.
• When the group or specific members move off topic or require a push, the moderator becomes more interactive, providing guidelines and direction.
• Moderators should keep the following questions in mind: a) Am I obtaining the information that I need? b) Am I addressing the questions of interest? and c) Am I promoting the comfort and interaction of all the group members?
• Moderators must guard against anyone that could jeopardize the cohesion of the focus group. Such people often try to dominate or intimidate others in the group by acting as if they know a lot about the topic.
• Quiet or withdrawn group members are a particular challenge. It is often helpful to use a polling technique of eliciting each participant’s feelings about a particular topic. The moderator should avoid serial questioning of asking each participant to comment in the same order on every issue.
• Eye contact can be made with members who are not participating in order to encourage participation, or the moderator may withdraw his or her eye contact in order to discourage an overly verbose participant.
• Moderators can use other nonverbal cues to facilitate discussions (leaning towards a participant to encourage more talking or leaning away to discourage it). Moderators who are aware of the body language of the participants to be able to maximize the potential of the focus group dynamic.

6. Ending the focus group interview

• The moderator should not allow the discussion to extend beyond its scheduled ending time
• Before the end of the discussion, the moderator may wish to summarize the main points presented in the focus group, or ask for a final opinion on a particular issue, or allow the participants to express their final thoughts on a particular issue or the focus group in general.

What types of focus group questions should the moderator ask?

• Opening question
• round robin question that everyone answers that are factual in nature;
• designed to be answered quickly (10-20 sec) and identify characteristic participants have in common;
• Introductory questions
• introduce the topic of discussion and/or provide an opportunity to reflect on past experiences
• not critical to analysis - intended to foster conversation
• Transition questions
• move the conversation into the key questions
• help participants view the topic from a broader scope
• participants become aware of how others view the topic
• Key questions
• drive the study
• typically consist of 2-5 questions
• usually first ones to be developed
• Ending questions
• bring closure to the discussion
• enable participants to reflect on previous comments
• three types:
• all things considered - participants state their final position on critical areas of concern
• summary - moderator summarizes (2-3) the discussion and asks the participants to comment on the accuracy of the summary
• final - after summary question, moderator gives overview of the purpose of the study; final question: "Have we missed anything?"

Analyzing the Data:

What kinds of data analysis can be done with focus group research?

• Transcript-based analysis: tapes are transcribed and then the analyst uses the transcript along with the field notes
• Tape-based analysis: an abridged transcript is prepared from listening to the tapes; this transcript contains comments related to the topic at hand plus the moderator’s summary comments
• Note-based analysis: relies primarily on field notes, a debriefing session, and summary comments; the tape is used primarily to verify specific quotes and to transcribe the summary
• Memory-based analysis: the moderator presents an oral summary immediately following the focus group

What are some steps that can be followed in analyzing and reporting the data?

1. Description of subjects and group

• A thorough and adequate description of the subject selection procedures and participants must be provided. This includes criteria for sampling, how subjects were identified, how subjects were contacted, the number of subjects contacted, the percentage of those who agreed to participate, and the percentage who eventually participated.

2. Considerations prior to data analysis

• Prior to data analysis the moderator can do several things to make data analysis less difficult. They are taking notes during the interview, making member checks during the interview, applying appropriate procedures for transcribing data, and summarizing big ideas from the focus group interview immediately on its completion.
• data transcription: focus groups should be transcribed immediately after they are conducted.
• summarize key ideas: find the big ideas (look for patterns of findings), consider the choice and meaning of words, consider the context, consider the consistency of responses

3. Methods of analysis

• Analytic approach:
• Code the data into predetermined categories
• Develop categories based on the data and then code the data
• Use the data as a basis for summary statements that capture the main ideas of the interviewer
• Interpret the data through an intensive analytic technique
• Step 1: Identifying the big ideas
• Occurs during and immediately following the focus group interview.
• Step 2: Unitizing the data
• Refers to the process of identifying those units of information that will later become the basis for defining categories
• A unit should be aimed at assisting the researcher to better understand the topic
• A unit should be the smallest amount of information that is informative by itself. The size can very from a phrase to a sentence or paragraph.
• Whenever possible, the unit should include a direct quote from a participant.
• Units can be highlighted on the transcript or entered into the computer.
• The information units are cut into separate slips of paper so they can be categorized
• Step 3: Categorizing the Units
• Units are sorted into relevant piles that will eventually represent categories or themes
• Briefly describe the criteria for each category on a separate slip of paper. Rules for inclusion can be rewritten during the categorization process
• Step 4: Negotiating categories
• Steps 1-3 should be done by two data analysts working alone. They should then work together to negotiate and compare these categories.
• Analysts should attempt to come to a consensus on category titles, rules, and information units
• Step 5: Identify themes and use of theory
• Consider of any of the big ideas established in the first step are supported by the categories.
• Big ideas that are reframed and restated are referred to as themes. Themes consider the big ideas from the focus group data as well as the information units and categories.
• The theoretical propositions that led to the study should be identified early on and used as a framework for developing data analysis. Theory can also be used to assist in interpreting the categories and the findings.
• The intent of focus groups is to report the views of the participants, not to generalize to larger groups.
• The goal should be to find out why rather than how many.

What should be included in the written report?

• Cover page
• Summary
• Table of contents
• Statement of problem, key questions, and study methods
• Results or findings
• Summary of themes
• Limitations and alternative explanations
• Recommendations
• Appendix