How I Learned to Conduct Focus Groups

The Qualitative Report ◽

10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1057 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Maribel Rio-Roberts

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Human Services ◽

Group Interaction ◽

Human Experience ◽

Research Approach ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Group Research ◽

Research Questions

The use of focus groups may provide researchers with important insights into research questions via participant discussion and interaction. As a human services practitioner and researcher, I became interested in learning how to conduct focus groups in order to apply these steps to my research and gain valuable insights about the human experience that the focus group interaction aims to bring to light. In this review, I will highlight the steps that I took to learn to conduct focus group research and through my experience I hope that readers gain familiarity and clarity into this unique qualitative research approach.

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Designing Generative Dialogue Spaces to Enhance Focus Group Research: A Case Study in the Context of COVID-19 Vaccination

International Journal of Qualitative Methods ◽

10.1177/16094069211066704 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

pp. 160940692110667

Author(s):

Dimitra Dimitrakopoulou

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Lived Experiences ◽

Design Thinking ◽

Personal Narratives ◽

Deep Understanding ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Group Research

Focus groups are a core method in qualitative research for bringing people together to discuss an issue of concern; however, it has been criticized for not enabling researchers to gain a deep understanding of the participants’ lived experiences or generating in-depth personal narratives that build on those experiences. In this article, the author builds on the shared epistemologies of qualitative research and journalism to introduce the Generative Dialogue Framework. The Generative Dialogue Framework is grounded in the intersection of inquiry, knowledge, and storytelling to design and facilitate remote and in-person focus groups. Informed by phenomenology, the philosophy of dialogue, and design thinking, along with a strong visual focus, the framework aims to surface participants’ lived experiences as a way of understanding their perceptions, thoughts, and perspectives, especially within the context of controversial or polarizing topics of concern. The Generative Dialogue Framework stimulates constructive dialogue by offering a focused framework and a structured yet flexible question guide. The result is intended to be a reflective learning dialogue in which participants jointly develop shared meanings and insights, rather than simply exchanging rationalized opinions. Drawing on insights from a case study that explores people’s perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccination, the article demonstrates the framework’s application and provides a toolkit to structure the design and implementation process. Finally, reflecting on methodological and epistemological perspectives, the author reviews the advantages and challenges of applying the framework in focus group research for both researchers and participants.

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Doing focus group research: Studying rational ordering in focus group interaction

Discourse Studies ◽

10.1177/1461445614538563 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 629-644 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

L. B. Lindegaard

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Group Interaction ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Group Research

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Accessing Habitus: Relating Structure and Agency through Focus Group Research

Sociological Research Online ◽

10.5153/sro.1129 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 33-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Gill Callaghan

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Empirical Work ◽

Collective Agency ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Structure And Agency ◽

Group Research ◽

The Relationship

The article focuses on the intersection of theory methodology and empirical research to argue that we can learn about habitus through certain types of focus groups. An account of the relationship between structure, individual and collective agency is developed to provide a grounding for the methodological argument. The article suggests, on the basis of this understanding, that focus groups can be constituted to give us access to interactions which draw upon the collective basis of habitus. Some empirical work is drawn upon for illustrative purposes.

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Issues in the Analysis of Focus Groups: Generalisability, Quantifiability, Treatment of Context and Quotations

The Qualitative Report ◽

10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1143 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Lilla Vicsek

Keyword(s):

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Concrete Situation ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Group Research ◽

Group Data ◽

Focus Group Data ◽

Quantifying In

In this paper I discuss some concerns related to the analysis of focus groups: (a) the issue of generalisation; (b) the problems of using numbers and quantifying in the analysis; (c) how the concrete situation of the focus groups could be included in the analysis, and (d) what formats can be used when quoting from focus groups. Problems with respect to generalisation are discussed; types of generalisation are presented which can be used in focus group research. Arguments are made against using a primarily quantitative perspective in the evaluation of focus group data. It is argued that the situation of the particular group discussion should be taken into account in the analysis. A scheme for analysis that has been developed by the author is presented. Suggestions are made for the characteristics of the quotations in the analyses.

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Advantages, Disadvantages, and Lessons Learned in Conducting Telephone Focus Groups to Discuss Biospecimen Research Concerns of Individuals Genetically at Risk for Cancer

The Qualitative Report ◽

10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1224 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Alexis Koskan ◽

Janique Rice ◽

Clement Gwede ◽

Cathy Meade ◽

Ivana Sehovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Health Research ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Perceived Benefits ◽

Face To Face ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Telecommunication Technology ◽

Group Research

Advances in telecommunication technology allow biomedical researchers to explore new, inexpensive opportunities for conducting focus group research. This article reports our experiences using such technology to engage individuals genetically at risk for cancer about biospecimen research. Telephone-based focus groups were conducted with a total of 40 individuals, and participants were asked about their experiences and perceived benefits and limitations of participating in a telephone focus group about biospecimen research. The lessons learned can effectively be applied to other areas of health research. In particular, this method may be most useful to engage individuals who are less apt to speak in public, and/or when there are concerns over privacy if face-to-face discussions methods are used.

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A Scoping Review of Qualitative Research Methods Used With People in Prison

International Journal of Qualitative Methods ◽

10.1177/1609406918803824 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 160940691880382 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Penelope Abbott ◽

Michelle DiGiacomo ◽

Parker Magin ◽

Wendy Hu

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Focus Group ◽

Data Collection ◽

Research Methods ◽

Scoping Review ◽

English Language ◽

Qualitative Interview ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Group Research ◽

Barriers To Access

Researchers undertaking qualitative interview and focus group research with people in prison must consider the research methods they use, given the ethical and practical complexities of prison-based research. In particular, there are explicit and implicit coercion risks and barriers to access, privacy, and confidentiality. To examine how the challenges of conducting rigorous qualitative research with prisoners were handled, we undertook a scoping review of recruitment and data collection processes reported in qualitative research with prisoners. We searched for peer-reviewed articles of qualitative interview and focus group research with adult prisoners, published in the English language from 2005 to 2017, using MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases. There were 142 articles reporting on 126 studies which met the review inclusion criteria. Challenges related to coercion risk, participant recruitment, sampling, confidentiality, privacy, and working with prison-based intermediaries should be explicitly addressed and reported. Our findings highlight key considerations and contextualized strategies for recruitment and data collection for researchers who seek to conduct rigorous and ethical qualitative research with prisoners.

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Focus Groups in a Medicine-Dominated Field: Compromises or Quality Improvements?

International Journal of Qualitative Methods ◽

10.1177/160940690700600305 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 45-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marit Solbjør ◽

Wenche Østerlie ◽

John-Arne Skolbekken ◽

Ann Rudinow Sætnan ◽

Siri Forsmo

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Focus Group ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Mammography Screening ◽

Screening Program ◽

Medical Science ◽

Focus Group Research ◽

Science Discourse ◽

National Breast ◽

Disciplinary Field

Mammography screening has traditionally been viewed as a field for medical research. The medical science discourse, however, is highly quantitative, and its claims for validity somewhat opposed to those of qualitative research. To communicate research in a cross-disciplinary field, it is necessary to adapt one's research to several paradigms. The authors conducted focus group interviews with women due to be screened in a national breast cancer screening program. Their prospective design, both strategic and random sampling, and free discussions during focus groups are all questions of satisfying a medical science discourse in the frames of qualitative research. Focus group research showed itself adaptable through the data collection phase in a cross-disciplinary research project on mammography screening.

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