Focus groups Flashcards
Role of the facilitator in the focus group
sets ground rules and expectations
aim to get groups discussing between them
guide discussion
ensure the group stays on topic
listen to groups perspectives
asks questions/prompts/investigate new avenues
aims to get all ppts involved
advantanges of focus group
in depth info about personal/group thoughts/ ops/attitudes
flexibility in the convo
real-life data in a social setting
group dynamic stimulates convo
inexpensive and time-saving
sense of involvement for ppts
cons of a focus group
representativeness/generalization
dominant personalities
subjective data/ lack of in-depth vs interviews
quieter personalities
research topic qs
pressure on the moderator to remain neutral
convos off-topic
diff between FG and OFG (online focus groups)
Williams et al 2012 things to consider in an OFG
- the written nature of communication
- anonymity and lack of physical presence
- asynchronicity of online research; longitudinal
- role of the researcher
- implications for study design and recruitment
- ethical implications; net etiquette guide
examples of ofg
Fox et al 2007 - OFG for young people experiences
- computer literacy matters
- may require multiple researchers to present
woodyatt et al 2016 - PG vs OFG for iPV research
- high overlap of analysis using fg and ofg
- ofg provided an extra data theme
Thrul et al 2017 - ofg to inform health behaviour change interventions
- FB as tool for (a)synchronous OFG
- increased openness discussing behaviours
- ppts recruited through FB with selection criteria
- more detailed answers than in FG (higher average word counts)
pros of virtual methods
- no geographical restrictions
- no need for transcription
- cant look at experiences over time
- can access hard to reach grps
- convenience for ppts and researchers
- less pressure for ppts to answer
- anonymity - the openness of responses
cons of virtual methods
competence and ability to express selves through typing
lack of non-verbal data
potentially more time consuming for ppts
security and privacy
technical difficulties
