The Focus Group Method as an Empirical Tool in Software Engineering

2008 ◽  
pp. 93-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyrki Kontio ◽  
Johanna Bragge ◽  
Laura Lehtola
Keyword(s):  
Software Engineering ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Focus Group Method

scholarly journals Using Symbols and Shapes for Analysis in Small Focus Group Research

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oladokun Omojola
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Focus Group Research ◽  
Group Research ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Small Focus ◽  
Focus Group Method

Substantial literature exists to support the growing importance of focus group research, having been around for decades. Its ubiquity under the scholarship radar is not in doubt while the analyses of findings commonly seen are scholarly and significantly sophisticated. However, these analyses have been found to be limited in scope for fresh adopters of the focus group method, non-literate beneficiaries of research findings and business people who are critically averse to lengthy textual statements about outcomes. This article introduces the use of symbols as a means of analyzing responses from small focus group discussions. It attempts to demonstrate that using symbols can substantially assist in the prima facie determination of perceptions from a focus group membership, its patterns of agreement and disagreement, as well as the sequence of its discussions.

scholarly journals Precincts and Prospects in the Use of Focus Groups in Social and Behavioral Science Research

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Sagoe
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Behavioral Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Behavioural Science ◽  
Behavioral Science Research ◽  
Social And Behavioral Science ◽  
Focus Group Method ◽  
Practical Recommendations

Over the past few years, the focus group method has assumed a very important role as a method for collecting qualitative data in social and behavioural science research. This article elucidates theoretical and practical problems and prospects associated with the use of focus groups as a qualitative research method in social and behavioural science research. The core uses of focus groups in social and behavioural science research are discussed. In addition, the strengths and limitations of employing focus groups in social and behavioural science research are elucidated. Furthermore, the article discusses practical recommendations for strengthening the focus group method in social and behavioural science research.

scholarly journals Using Focus Group Research in Exploring the Relationships between Youth, Risk and Social Position

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave Merryweather
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Social Position ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Conversational Interaction ◽  
Focus Group Research ◽  
Group Research ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Focus Group Method

This paper draws upon current research to consider the value of the focus group method for exploring the relationships between youth, risk and social position. Groups comprising young people occupying similar social positions were used to generate talk about aspects of everyday life regarded as risk. Through the processes of conversational interaction facilitated by the focus group method, participants co-produced detailed risk narratives, understood here in Bourdieu's terms as product and producer of the habitus related to social position. Using data from several of the focus groups I illustrate how the method was especially useful in generating narratives indicative of how risks were experienced and understood in different ways according to social positions of class, gender and ethnicity. Such risk narratives also reproduced distinctions between and within different social positions. Consideration is given to certain limitations of the focus group method in respect of this research. Ultimately, however, the ability of the method to generate collaborative narratives reflective of shared social position is viewed as an invaluable means for developing a rich and nuanced account of the relations between youth and risk.

scholarly journals Analysing the ways of participating in interview settings: young people’s identity performances and social class in focus groups

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 649-666
Author(s):  
Anu Katainen ◽  
Riie Heikkilä
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Deprived Neighbourhoods ◽  
Situated Identity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Study Setting ◽  
Focus Group Method

Critical discussions on the focus group method have highlighted the importance of considering the forms of interaction generated in groups. In this empirical paper we argue that these forms of interaction are intimately linked to the ways participants interpret the study setting, and these interpretations are likely to differ significantly depending on participants’ social backgrounds. In the light of our data consisting of 18 focus groups with 15-year-old school pupils from both affluent and deprived neighbourhoods of Helsinki discussing film clips about young people drinking alcohol, we ask what kinds of modes of participation are mobilised in focus group discussions in order to mark the social position of participants. We further analyse these modes in relation to situated identity performances, arguing that contextual factors of the study setting become especially important to consider when researching vulnerable groups and heterogeneous populations. The analysis yields three modes of participation: these are active/engaged, resistant/passive and dominant/transformative. We argue that these modes can be viewed as actively taken positions that reveal what kinds of identities and competences participants are able and willing to mobilise in the study setting, and that recognising these modes is important in all interview settings.

scholarly journals Quality Is in the Eye of the Beholder—A Focus Group Study from the Perspective of Ambulance Clinicians, Physicians, and Managers

Healthcare ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Rantala ◽  
Lina Behm ◽  
Helena Rosén
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Response Time ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Patient Involvement ◽  
Ambulance Service ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Patients Experience ◽  
Focus Group Method

Quality within all areas of healthcare should be systemically monitored and ensured. However, the definition of quality is complex and diverse. In the ambulance service (AS), quality has traditionally been defined as response time, but this measurement eliminates the possibility of addressing other characteristics of quality, such as the care provided. This study aimed to explore what constitutes quality in the context of the ambulance service as experienced by ambulance clinicians, physicians, and managers. A focus group study was conducted with 18 participants. The three focus groups were analyzed with the focus group method developed by Kreuger and Casey. The participants highlighted patient involvement, information and care, as well as adherence to policies, regulations, and their own standards as representing quality in the AS. This study demonstrates that quality is in the eye of the beholder. As quality seems to be viewed similarly by patients and ambulance clinicians, physicians, and managers, stakeholders should aim for a paradigm shift where patients’ experience of the care is just as important as various time measures.

scholarly journals The focus group method: Insights from focus group interviews on sexual health with adolescents

2005 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 2588-2599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbey Hyde ◽  
Etaoine Howlett ◽  
Dympna Brady ◽  
Jonathan Drennan
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Focus Group Method

The Focus Group Method in Practical Ecclesiology: Performative Effects and Ecclesiological Rationale

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk de Roest
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Focus Group Method

The author gives an analysis of the methodological advantages and disadvantages of using focus groups in practical ecclesiology. He makes a plea for including focus groups in a mixed method strategy in practical ecclesiological research, being attentive to their performative effects. He asks, if ecclesiology governs the methodological design of a practical-ecclesiological research project, should not methods that focus on conversational practices and how people build up a view out of the interaction that takes place within a group, be pulled into the heart of the research? In his reply to this question, the article gives a relational-constructionist, an ecclesiological and a theological rationale for using focus groups.

scholarly journals Validation of e-Government Information Delivery Attributes: The Adoption of the Focus Group Method

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 1069-1095
Author(s):  
José Monteiro ◽  
Maria Bernando ◽  
Mafalda Ferreira ◽  
Tânia Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Information Delivery ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Large Set ◽  
Government Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
Government Websites ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Focus Group Method

In democratic countries, government websites became an important channel for interaction with the public administration in the last few years. Nevertheless, several issues have an impact on the way users access to content and information. Lack of accessibility and usability or, in the broad sense, lack of concern with user needs, can still be found in many government websites. To address the problem, a previous literature review on e-government information delivery attributes was performed. Based on this review, a large set of attributes related to quality was obtained to evaluate these dimensions in the context of e-government. The purpose of this study is to better understand which of these attributes are the most valued, in the users’ perspective, for evaluating content delivered by government websites. A qualitative approach was adopted, using Focus Group interviews as a strategy to obtain data and Thematic Analysis to analyze such data. The main results highlighted the attributes related to content delivery, interaction, and emotional aspects. User Experience, accessibility, and usability were prioritized by Focus Group participants.

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