Please note that conducting effective focus groups requires training in specific approaches and skills. Pdf guidelines for conducting a focus group defining a. Extension richland county, the ohio state university 1495 w. In a brief time the moderator must create a thoughtful, permissive atmosphere, provide ground rules, and set the tone of the discussion. Sometimes it takes listening to the opinions of others in a small and safe group setting before they form thoughts and opinions. Tips for conducting a focus group rand corporation. More detailed information can be found in the reference section below. Traditionally, focus groups have been conducted in person using the facetoface format. Focus groups can be used to operationalise, test or pilot key concepts, questions or ideas. Similar to other types of qualitative research, focus groups should be used to. Conducting focus groups a guide for first time users. Below is a list of facilitation tips that will help you in conducting focus groups for your hiv prevention program.
It is used to learn more about opinions on a designated topic, and then to guide future action. How to conduct focus groups to enhance college health practice. The groups composition and the group discussion should be carefully planned to create a nonthreatening environment, so that participants feel free to talk openly and give honest. Focus group interviewing richard krueger 3 first steps with focus group studies 1. Focus group resources websites american college health association health promotion section research committee. So here below is our guide to focus group research costs. Through a focus group, you can learn about users attitudes, beliefs, desires, and reactions to concepts. A method and apparatus for optimizing the signal transmission speed between a signal source and a signal receiver of a microelectronic circuit is disclosed. How to conduct a focus group the grantsmanship center. Depending on the research objective, the focus group can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods. Details about these approaches and skills can be found in krueger, r.
Successful focus groups are truly a team effort and according to focus group expert david morgan, any weak link in the chain can ruin the entire project. Strategies to ensure success introduction institutional researchers are often asked to conduct focus groups as an efficient way to address an institutional concern or problem. Tips for conducting focus groups massachusetts technical. These studies typically require substantial assistance from outside. In addition, you are provided with the appropriate focus group forms, including the verbal consent script, which will also act as a signin sheet for the focus groups. Responses given in a focus group are verbal, openended, relatively broad and qualitative. Guidelines for conducting a focus group surveys assume that people know how they feel. Focus groups are an effective way to reach out to your potential audience so they can provide feedback and comments that help designers evaluate their projects andor test new ideas. Pdf preparing for and conducting focus groups in nursing. One person is the facilitator and the other is the note taker. Best focus group guides and resources community govloop. This publication, introduction to conducting focus groups, is. Sep 22, 2014 we get a lot of questions about how costs for focus groups are derived. In focus groups a small number of participants meet with.
Conducting an online focus group by jeanine stancanelli. Plan the study plan your study with the input of your strategy team, stakeholders, and research experts so that collaboratively you determine. Top online focus groups companies greenbook directory. A bitesize guide to run focus groups for patient and public engagement. The focus group needs to be appropriate for the type of participants in the group. Top online focus groups companies top market research firms administering online focus groups where respondent insights, opinions, and reactions are collected by way of an online group discussion. A bite size guide to running focus groups for patient. A focus group is a small group discussion guided by a leader or moderator. Cccse focus group toolkit for conducting focus groups with college students has sample moderator guides, focus group reports, room setup, invitation emails, consent forms, profile and response sheets for participants and even a sample post focus group report. Part 2 article pdf available in british journal of nursing mark allen publishing 223. The question section is where you ask the questions that you designed and tested in step 4 3. Focus group overview as part of a series of efforts by organization to understand prisoner reentry issues in location, staff from organization will be conducting focus groups with recently released and successfully reintegrated former prisoners in citycounty name on date.
Focus groups allows for an intimate, small group and creates an accepting environment that encourages participants to share their different insights and opinions without fear of judgment. Before conducting a focus group, the following steps should be completed. A beginners guide to conducting focus groups online. Nov 27, 20 focus groups are about participant interaction, they are flexible and conversation shouldnt be forced. A focus group is a very useful assessment method for helping to determine the why and dive in deeper on student experiences. Avoid technical jargon and acronyms participants may not understand. Focus groups are a inexpensive way to identify peoples preferences, motivations, thoughts, feelings and attitude towards a product or service. The typical objective of a focus group is not consensus or debate, but rather to generate ideas and provide an opportunity for stakeholders to express feelings about a particular topic. Preparation for a focus group can be broken down into two key areas. The first few moments in focus group discussion are critical. Recording focus groups roles and responsibilities of note takers focus group note taking form. The group needs to be large enough to generate rich discussion but not so large that some participants are left out. Guidelines for conducting a focus group data innovation project.
An effective tool for involving people in measuring quality and impact judith a. A focus group is a qualitative research method in which the researcher asks questions in a group setting and participants are encouraged to discuss their answers with others. Guide and template for conducting diversity planning focus. In this activity students are introduced to the purpose of a focus group and general tips for conducting them so they can use the feedback to inform and improve. Similar to a survey, a focus groups used to help you learn what your members or customers think about your products, services, processes or brand and to guide your future product. Ensure that only members for whom the content of the focus group is relevant are invited to participate e. Sep 20, 2019 focus groups are useful tools that require only a small number of participants when compared to many other social science methods. The use of focus groups in social science research focus groups originated in sociology merton and kendall 1946 were primarily used by market researchers in recent years templeton 1987 and are increasingly being used as a research tool in the social sciences.
Focus group data can be used to collect information for many purposes, such as conducting a needs assessment or evaluating a program. The belief that focus groups are less expensive to conduct than individual interviews is less clear as much depends on the research design berg, 1998. The aim of focus groups in social science research is to understand. In a typical focus group, approximately 6 to 10 people. Never gossip about the focus groups after the study.
Focus groups are not as appropriate when you want to capture a broad range. It may also be helpful for those who need a refresher. Focus groups purpose focus groups involve a series of guided discussions about specific topics with selected small groups, and are a way to obtain information about the needs in your community. It is argued that what distinguishes this methodology from other methods is the interactions which take place within. Dos and donts of a positive focus group experience 5. Developing a focus group protocol and core questions develop a protocol. However, improvements in technology have resulted in the emergence of the online focus groups. Pdf conducting focus groups with child participants. At the end of the focus group, be sure to clean and reorganize the room. Hence, the moderators primarily aim to facilitate discussion, rather than to direct it. Conducting focus groups is easyish as long as you have a good moderator and observers. Narrative information about opinions, experiences, beliefs or perceived norms.
Focus groups typically last about 60 to 90 minutes. Focus group research costs explained athena brand wisdom. These are often referred to as focus group discussions fgds. Important skills that a group moderator should possess 3. When well executed, a focus group creates an accepting environment that puts participants at ease allowing then to thoughtfully answer questions in their own words and add meaning to their answers. When to use focus groups use focus groups when you want. One can get a great deal of information during a focus group session. Pdf designing and conducting focus group interviews.
Villard extension agent, 4h youth development, chair and associate professor ohio state univ. Using focus groups in schools sage publications inc. Having only a small handful of loosely structured questions with prompts helped. The concluding chapter returns to the theme of focus groups as a qualitative method to look at the. Basically, focus groups are interviews, but of 610 people at the same time in the same group.
In a typical focus group, approximately 6 to 10 people spend 60 to 90 minutes voicing. Give some thought to what you want to learn from the group and the questions that will best elicit this information. Successful focus groups start with thorough planning. Although focus group research plays an invaluable role in many projects, knowing when, and when not, to use focus groups can save you time and money.
Typically, ir professionals depend on external consultants and. The group s composition and the group discussion should be carefully planned to create a nonthreatening environment, so that participants feel free to talk openly and give honest. A focus group is a moderated discussion that typically involves 5 to 10 participants. The method includes the step of providing a signal transmission path whose length provides a predetermined ratio between its resistance and characteristic impedance which will reproduce the transmitted signal at the. Because focus groups are one of the few methods in which data is gathered from a group, it is useful as part of a mixed method approach. This tool is a qualitative method of data collection wherein a skilled moderator facilitates discussion on a selected topic among a small group of respondents, allowing them to respond spontaneously to the issues raised. Focus groups conducted by trained, independent facilitators ensure open, honest communication with conclusions that are unbiased. Introduction and history 3 participants are encouraged to talk to each other instead of answering the moderators questions. Focus group interviewing richard krueger 4 beginning the focus group discussion the first few moments in focus group discussion are critical. What you want to learn when you need to have that information how youll apply what you learn your budget. These focus groups led to three papers regarding focus groups with children and the ethics of researching and evaluating with children. Focus groups can reveal a wealth of detailed information and deep insight. Pdf conducting focus groups a guide for first time users.
Ten top tips for great focus groups theres no doubt that great focus groups require meticulous planning. A focus group lasting more than 90 minutes probably includes too many questions or topics for discussion. For example, exclude health professionals from focus groups when the topic is a health issue. In a brief time the moderator must create a thoughtful, permissive atmosphere, provide ground rules. Basics of conducting focus groups national alliance for. Larger focus group studies have at least four focus groups, multiple staff, no readymade recruitment source, recruitment occurs across several segments or 6. Ideally, each focus group would be guided by a moderator who asks questions and a scribe responsible for taking notes andor recording the session. Evaluation briefs no centers for disease control and.
Feel free to ask clarifying or followup questions as needed, but be mindful of overall time. A focus group is a carefully planned discussion led by a moderator designed to gather opinions on a defined topic. They are relatively expensive to conduct because of the number of participants involved and will generally be used to deal with major usability or user experience issues for large groups of users. However, at the beginning, it was really hard to just to let the conversation flow naturally even if it did divert from my questions. Within this small group environment, it is possible to obtain a great deal of information in a short period of time. Two key components of planning your focus groups include developing the focus group guide and. A focus group is a small group discussion guided by a trained leader. A growing literature on the setting up and running of focus groups for social. Discussion is interactive examples of topics 10172016 survey research laboratory 4. Basics of conducting focus groups written by carter mcnamara, phd focus groups are a powerful means to evaluate services or test new ideas. Online focus groups are an extension of traditional focus groups, which have been utilized in qualitative research for decades and, for the most part, the principles are consistent with traditional focus groups. Preparing for and conducting focus groups in nursing research. Put your thoughts in writing bulleted outline welcome introduce moderator and.
How a focus group differs from a usability test or contextual interview. Toolkit for conducting focus groups, provided by omni, is a great resource intended to assist in conducting focus groups and enhance ones facilitation skills. Chapter 6 examines a variety of additional possibilities that go beyond the basic format. It is important to have a note taker to record the focus group feedback. Wherever possible, there should be a focus group team. The project team, also referred to as the research team, is critical to the outcome of the focus group project. A focus group is, in essence, a large scale interview. Focus groups are arguably the most frequently employed qualitative technique, and as such are used as a. Focus groups are also good ways of exploring issues, themes and. American college health association annual meeting. Strangely, there doesnt seem to be much on the internet on this subject. My top ten tips below cant guarantee great groups on their own, but they will go a long way to address common pitfalls such as. Although there are several benefits in using focus groups across a broad range of applications, there are some instances in which focus groups should definitely not be used, and we discuss four of them here. A focus group is a small group of six to ten people led through an open discussion by a skilled moderator.
Steps for conducting focus groups or individual indepth interviews 1. They are referred to as focus groups because the group itself can have a common attribute e. This briefing will cover the things you need to think about when planning to hold a focus group. In addition, anyone involved in the production, distribution or marketing of tobacco products should be excluded from focus groups regarding the issue of tobacco control. Steps for conducting focus groups or individual indepth. How to conduct focus groups interaction design foundation.
The main purpose of focus group research is to draw upon respondents attitudes, feelings, beliefs. This publication, introduction to conducting focus groups, is the fifth in a series of guides developed to bring information to this audience about the use of social science tools in their field of work. Write questions as openended questions requiring more than a yes or no response to evoke conversation among the group members. Focus groups are essentially small group interviews. Introduction to conducting focus groups office for coastal. The questions and the manner in which the focus group is facilitated will. Focus groups are a powerful means to evaluate services or test new ideas. Develop a clear and concise purpose statement of what needs to be known and why. Construct simple, onedimensional questions using words with which the participants are familiar. Moderating focus groups require special skills, including. Anyone considering using focus groups for a research project who has not conducted one before. Focus groups are a traditional market research technique. Conducting focus group discussions the purpose of focus group discussions is to gain knowledge about a particular topic or need by interviewing a group of people directly affected by the issue.
The opening is the time for the facilitator to welcome the group, introduce the purpose and context of the focus group, explain what a focus group is and how it will flow, and make the introductions. It can negatively impact the discussion if the facilitator is stopping to write things down. In this chapter, i will focus on the importance of the focus group method, its history, and its benefits and pitfalls. Focus groups may be used in a process of triangulation to complement other research methods or to inform the development of other research tools eg survey questions. While focus group research is an excellent methodology to meet many research objectives, there are times to use them and times to not use them when to do a focus group to delve deeper into issues identified through a larger, quantitative study. Focus groups are useful tools that require only a small number of participants when compared to many other social science methods. Topics covered in this publication include focus group basics, preparing for the focus group, developing effective questions, planning the focus group session and analyzing the data. Qualities of an effective focus group facilitator 11. The focus group fg has been actually employed by marketing, and is becoming importanct also in other areas. Focus groups procedural guide this overview of procedures used in developing and implementing a focus group are just that an overview. Focus groups can help guide marketers in providing better goods and services. Much of the work presented here is taken from two sources. The purpose of the focus groups is to gain specific and reliable information on the risks and needs of the returning prisoners in the community name community. The focus group fg is one of the qualitative research methods to be utilized in the search for answers to such questions.