Focus group

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Focus group

• Forouzanfar

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Concept map Where are we and where are we going?
Phenomenology Grounded theory Ethnography Action
research
What are
differences between qualitative and
quantitative? Dimensions of research in QM
Appraisal of QR
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General points

• To gain exploratory data
• Stands on own
• Shape future research
• When we dont know any surrounding the topic
• Key issues from multiple respondents at once
• Not merely interviewing several people at once

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Background

• 1940 in market research
• Program evaluation in institutes
• Developing content of new programs
• For past three decades difficult groups
• Assessing stigmatized people
• Marginalized and minority group

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FGD as a unique experience

• Data generated in a group
• Through a nonreplicable happening
• Responding to each other not just researcher
• Identifying language, concepts and definitions
• Respondents hierarchy
• Group effect a unique source of data

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FGD as a unique experience

• Agreement
• Disagreement
• Change mind
• Challenge previously held attitudes and beliefs ,
  taken-for-granted assumptions
• Explain themselves
• Query each other

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FGD design

• project level design issues
• Multimethod framework
• Group selection
• Standardization
• Group level issues
• Role of researcher and moderator

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Multi method design

• Survey research then focus group
• Focus group then survey methods
• Survey research then focus group as follow up
• Focus group then survey methods as follow up

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Qualitative multi method design

• FGD then in-depth interview
• In-depth interview then FGD

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Sampling

• Heterogeneous
• Range of responses
• Sacrifices depth
• Muted minorities
• Homogenous
• In-depth understanding
• Comfort within group
• In sensitive topics
• Segmentation
• Stratifying groups
• Comparative dimension

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Standardization

• Being on track
• Greater comparability
• But again less standardization
• Allow more freedom
• Issue of power
• Interaction
• Learn as you go
• Mixed method

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Role of researcher

• Important work before the fgd
• Interview guide
• Opening question
• Beginning with an exercise
• Someone else to moderate
• Standardization and flow

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Summary advantages
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Summary advantages