FOCUS GROUPS: AN INTRODUCTION

1
FOCUS GROUPS AN INTRODUCTION

• Presented by Kathryn S. Mueller

2
METHODOLOGY

• SOURCES
• King, A. J. Lonnquist, M. P. l992. of Action
  Learning from the Literature Fifty Years
  Research. U. of Minnesota, Center for Applied
  Research and Educational Improvement,
  Minneapolis, MN.
• Krueger, Richard A. and Jean A. King. 1998.
  Involving Community Members in Focus Groups.
  Thousand Oaks, Ca. Sage Publication, Inc.
• Krueger, Richard A. l994. Focus Groups. Thousand
  Oaks, Ca Sage Publications, Inc.
• Krueger, Richard A. David L. Morgan. 1998. The
  Focus Group Kit. Thousand Oaks, Ca. Sage
  Publications, Inc
• Morgan, David L. l998. The Focus Group
  Guidebook.Thousand Oaks, Ca. Sage Publications,
  Inc.

3
Are Focus Groups for you?

• Are You
• A socially-oriented person i.e., a people
  person
• A good listener?
• Able to see patterns in what different people
  say?
• One that enjoys getting out into the real
  community?
• Able to think on your feet?
• A good observer of human interactions both
  verbal and non-verbal?
• Able to record conversations and interactions?
• Able to establish rapport with people?
• Able to accept diversity of people, opinions,
  values?
• Discreet in listening, hearing and sharing
  information?
• Able to make people feel comfortable and trusting
  in sharing their thoughts?
• Able to control your own verbal and non-verbal
  expressions?
• Fascinated by new, old or controversial ideas
  emerging?
• One who enjoys hearing stories?

4
What is a focus group?

• A type of qualitative research technique,
  involving group discussions or group interviews
  wherein a trained moderator guides the discussion
  of topics or ideas in order to generate
  meaningful information.
• A group of participants (typically 6 to 8 ) ,
  who come from a similar background, brought
  together in a comfortable, permissive, real-life
  environment in order to promote mutual insight
  and elicit impressions, novel ideas and solutions
  to problems.
• A method of listening to people and learning
  from them.

5
What do we mean by qualitative methods?

• Research methods that use interpretive
  description (words) rather than statistics
  (numbers) to analyze underlying meanings and
  patterns of social relationships. Methods
  involve
• - (1) exploration and discovery
• (2) context and depth (look behind peoples
  thoughts and experiences)
• (3) interpretation (providing an understanding of
  why things are the way they are)

6
Types of Focus Groups

• FULL GROUPS (6 to 10)
• MINIGROUPS (2 to 5)
• TELEPHONE GROUPS ( RARE)

7
EXAMPLES OF FOCUS GROUPS RESEARCH

• A LARGE CHRISTIAN DENOMINATION WANTED TO KNOW IF
  IT SHOULD ESTABLISH A NEW CONGREGATION IN AN
  INNER-CITY ZONE
• A PRIVATE HOSPITAL IN A METROPOLITAN AREA WANTED
  TO EXTEND ITS SERVICES IN CERTAIN SECTIONS OF
  THE CITY
• A LARGE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WANTED TO INCREASE
  ITS ACTIVITIES IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
• AN ISD WANTED KNOW WHY ITS HIGH-SCHOOL-BASED
  DRUG PREVENTION PROGRAM WAS MORE SUCCESSFUL AT
  SOME SITES THAN AT OTHER SITES..
• A GRADUATE STUDENT WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE
  EXPERIENCES OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LOWER
  GRADE-POINT AVERAGES.

8
USES (CONTINUED)

• A CORPORATION WANTED TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF THE
  NEW EMPLOYEE CHILD CARE CENTER THAT IT WAS
  BUILDING.
• A COUNTY MEDICAL PROGRAM WANTED TO LEARN WHY SOME
  NEW PARENTS ATTENDED FREE CHILDBIRTH CLASSES
  WHILE OTHERS DID NOT.
• A LARGE CORPORATION WANTED TO TEST THE REACTION
  TO A NEW PRODUCT.
• A MAJOR UNIVERSITY WANTED TO USE THE BEST
  APPROACH T0 RAISING FUNDS FOR A NEW MUSEUM
  COMPLEX-

9
A CAPSULE HISTORY OF FOCUS GROUPS

• CAN BE DIVIDED INTO THREE PERIODS
• (1) SOCIAL SCIENCE ORIGINS EARLIEST WORK CARRIED
  OUT PRIMARILY BY SOCIAL SCIENTISTS IN BOTH
  ACADEMIC AND APPLIED SETTINGS
• -RESEARCH BY SOCIOLOGISTS EMORY BOGARDUS AND
  WALTER THURSTONE IN THE 1920S
• -ROBERT K. MERTON AND PAUL LAZARSFELD IN DEPT OF
  SOCIOLOGY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
• collaboration just before WWII
• contributed to war effort via focus groups
• Merton and two students in l946 write The
  Focused Interview
• becomes book in l956 coined focus groups

10
HISTORY (continued)

• (2) THE MOVE TO MARKETING
• FROM ROUGHLY 1950 THROUGH 1980S USED ALMOST
  EXCLUSIVELY IN MARKETING RESEARCH
• (social scientist created shift move to other
  methods)
• SOCIOLOGISTS AND POLITICAL SCIENTISTS DRAWN MORE
  TO SURVEY RESEARCH, ESP. LARGE-SCALE, NATIONAL
  SURVEYS
• MARKETING RESEARCHERS DEVELOP GROUP DEPTH
  INTERVIEWS
• INTENTED TO UNCOVER CONSUMERS PSYCHOLOGICAL
  MOTIVATIONS
• EXAMPLE THE BOXED CAKE MIXES
• THE NO-NOISE VACUUM
  CLEANER

11
History (Cont).

• (3) Current Uses
• -Widespread Methods Such As
• Social Marketing (ex for public health)
• Evaluation Research (needs assessment)
• Academic Research (research questions)
• Product Marketing(New product ideas)
• Quality Improvement (Interventions)
• Political Campaigns (l988 Bush-Dukakis
• Presidential Race--the Willie Horton
  Ad)

12
HistoryCurrent Uses (continued)

• -Positioning studiesto find the most effective
  way to reach target audience
• Habits and usage studies
• Attitude Assessment (toward a program, community,
  or to gauge morale)
• Idea generation to stimulate new ideas in all
  fields
• Employee attitude and motivation studies

13
Uses (continued)

• Use in Quantitative Research
• Preliminary exploration of a research topic and
  to confirm findings
• Combine with survey research
• helps to solve some of complex problems
  that may arise from using both quantitative and
  qualitative research
• use surveys to select focus group members
• most common use focus groups to help develop
• a survey

14
Some myths about focus groups

• Focus groups are always low-cost and quick
• Focus groups always require expert professional
  fee-for-service moderators
• Focus groups require special facilities
• Focus groups must consist of strangers
• Focus Groups will not work for sensitive topics
• Focus groups produce conformity
• Focus groups must be validated by other methods
• Focus groups tell you how people will behave
• There is one right way to do focus groups

15
Beliefs that should be encouraged

• Be skeptical of all research methods
• no research method is ever perfect or
  foolproof
• High-quality moderating is crucial to focus
  groups
• the moderator has a major impact on the
  data that
• groups may produce
• Teamwork produces the best focus groups
• quality note-takers, analysts, reporters are
  critical
• The research team can always learn from
  participants
• research is all about learning from others

16
Some Common Mistakes in FocusGroup Research

• METHODOLOGICAL MISTAKES
• 1. using focus groups where quantitative
  research is needed
• 2. using focus groups to make major decisions
• 3. using focus groups to generate date they
  were not designed to generate
• 4. using focus groups to predict sales or a
  product or service
• 5. using focus groups to sell products

17
Mistakes (cont)

• Procedural Mistakes
• 1. Research objectives are not clearly
  identified
• 2. Participants are inappropriate
• 3. Moderator is inadequate
• 4. Facility does poor job in recruiting
  participants
• 5. Facility (the environment) is inadequate
• 6. Moderator is given insufficient attention
• 7. Moderator fails to control groups dynamics
• 8. Assistant moderators are inadequate

18
Mistakes (cont)

• ANALYTICAL MISTAKES
• 1. OBSERVERS ARE BIASED
• 2. RESULTS ARE QUANTIFIED
• 3. TOO MUCH EMPHASIS PUT ON THE INPUT OF A FEW
  PARTICIPANTS
• 4. FIANL REPORT IS MISUSED

19
Why do Focus groups work?

• Why do focus groups work?
• INTERACTION WITH OTHERS HELPS CLARIFY AN
  INDIVIDUALS TRUE ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS
• SELF DISCLOSURE IS NUTURED AND POSSIBLE IN A
  PERMISSIVE, NON-JUDGMENTAL ENVIRONMENT WHERE
  GROUP MEMBERS READILY RESPOND AND INTERACT
• THE MODERATOR USES AN INDUCTIVE PROCESS
• UNDERSTANDING IS BASED ON THE
  DISCUSSION
• THE METHODOLOGY ITSELF IS ROBUST

20
Conceptualization

• Consider the purpose, uses and target audience ,
  matching these to the available resources in a
  written plan.
• why should a study be conducted?
• what types of information are
  important?
• who wants the information?

21
The Moderator

• Should be comfortable with group processes and
  knowledgeable of group dynamics
• Mildly controls the level of enthusiasm and
  guides the discussion.
• Must have good listening skills and have a good
  sense of humor, timing, and mood change.
• Leads the discussion while taking notes on future
  questions or directions to lead the discussion.
• The assistant moderator takes comprehensive
  notes, operates any recording device that is
  used, and notes body language.

22
Techniques to Maximize Effectiveness

• Develop a moderator guide
• Develop categories of questions
• -opening, introductory, transition, key and
  ending questions
• Select an analysis strategy
• - transcript-based analysis or tape-based
  analysis or note-based analysis or
  memory-based analysis
• Utilize the five second pause.
• Probe statements or questions to stimulate
  elucidation.
• Restrict the tendency to nod
• Avoid judgmental responses.
• Utilize final questions Have we missed anything?
  Is there anything that we should have talked
  about today?

23
Prepare for the unexpected

• No one may show up.
• Only a few may attend.
• Meeting place inadequate.
• The groups doesnt want to talk.
• The group doesnt want to break.
• Hazardous weather prior to the meeting.
• Running out of time

24
Problem Participants

• The Expert--can intimidate the other members.
• The Dominant Talker- monopolizes the
• session.
• The Shy Respondent- says nothing.
• The Rambling Respondent--talks a lot, but never
  gets to the point.

25
Written Report

• Written Report Should Include
• Cover page
• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Statement of the Problem
• Methodology
• Results
• Limitations and alternative Explanations
• Conclusion and Recommendations

26
Oral Report

• A continuum of possibilities
• can range from conversational sharing of ideas
  to formal briefings
• Tips
• Pace the presentation
• Allow adequate time for questions and answers
• Present findings important for the sponsor first
• Monitor your audiences level of interest
• Try to limit the number of main points to seven
• Use visuals to highlight points

27
Ethical Issues

• Are Participants at risk?
• Privacy Basic Issues
• -Protecting confidentiality
• Privacy The sponsors relationship to the
  participants
• -Protecting the rights of participants
• Privacy What the Participants Learn about each
  other
• Dealing with stressful topics
• Setting boundaries
• Protecting the Sponsors Privacy
• -Protecting the rights of the sponsor
• Address issues as An ounce of prevention avoid
  a pound of cure.

28
Conclusion Are Focus Groups Right for You?

• Use focus groups when
• Your goal is to listen to and learn from other
  people
• You can explore the topics that interest you
  through conversations among the participants
• You can obtain in-depth knowledge by listening
  as the participants share and compare their
  experiences, feelings, and opinions.
• You can pursue interpretive questions about how
  and why through group discussions
• Your purpose is to identity problems that you
  need to address
• Your purpose is to plan for programs, survey
  questionnaires, quality initiatives, etc.
• Your purpose is to improve the implementation of
  a project

29

• Your purpose is to assess the outcome of a
  program or intervention
• You want to understand or reduce a gap in
  understanding between groups of people
• You are researching complex behaviors and
  motivations
• You want to understand diversity
• You need a friendly, respectful research method
• You have a team of people who all want to work
  together so the projects sponsors can better
  understand the people who participate in the
  focus groups

30

• Avoid focus groups when
• Your goals are something other than
  research--such as selling, educating,
  negotiating, or decision making
• You cannot hold a focused discussion, due to
  either the breadth of your topic or the size of
  your group
• You will not carry on meaningful discussions in
  the groups you bring together
• Your driving motivation is to save time and money
• You need strong predictions about how people will
  behave

31

• Your asking to hear from people will imply
  commitments to them that you cannot keep
• You want to bring together participants who are
  not comfortable with each other
• Your topic is something that the participants are
  not really capable of talking about
• You need statistical data
• Your topic will create serious invasions of
  privacy
• Your topic will create unacceptable levels of
  stress

32
Now What About You?

• In focus group research, you will be exposed to
  different ways of seeing the world hopefully
  understanding the reality of others
• You will gain insights into the feelings of
  other people
• You will seek to tell someone elses story
• You will begin your analysis with careful
  listening
• In the final analysis, hopefully , your research
  will not be just a pile of facts, but a rich
  source of insights into the human task of
  implementing change and understanding diverse
  views and values.
• Ultimately, the question is not what focus groups
  are, but what you can do with them--and how to do
  it
• I invite you to become a member of the group!!!