Oct 8 Focus Groups

Question 1

Define focus group

Answer 1

a method of research to gather a range of perspectives about specific topics. They offer the opportunity to express views, exchange ideas, assert differences, and similarities. You can also obtain info on a topic area in the words of t he people (their views should not be forced into predetermined answer categories)

Question 2

What is a focus group? (4)

Answer 2

1. There are 6-8, 8-10 participants who have something in common related to the questions that are being asked. 2.Focus groups have a moderator 3. usually there is another member of the research team taking notes and watching group dynamics 4. should be held in a private room where there will be no interruption

Question 3

Participant selection criteria

Answer 3

criteria should reflect goals or target population, criteria can be more complex depending on questions being asked, often men and women are separated, also children are separated from others, criteria can be specific to the age group

Question 4

What is the purpose of focus groups? (2)

Answer 4

1. Explanatory - used to identify a social context (why and how do people think and behave?, What are the assets and barriers?) emphasis on WHY and HOW instead of “yes or no”
2. Pretest - used to pilot or pretest questionnaires to see if it is understandable, if the questions are asking what you think they are asking, and to look at variation in people’s answers

Question 5

Focus Group guide (4)

Answer 5

1. helps structure focus group 2. providers moderator help guiding questions 3. probably no more than 8 questions with probles. (if using probes, keep to 4-6 questions). 4. Probes - help get into more depth or clarify question in a different way (explores advantages/disadvantages)

Question 6

What does the moderator do? (8)

Answer 6

1. guides the group through the questions 2. probes for deeper answers 3. rephrases questions if people do not understand them 4. controls people who overpower the discussion 5. draws out people who participate less 6. encourages respectful conversation 7. keeps conversation on track in terms of subject and time 8. moderator and note takers need to have same understanding of purpose of groups

Question 7

Important things moderators need to do

Answer 7

Have a “keen” memory to be able to go back to a particular person’s comment at a pause in the discussion to have the person elaborate if: their answer did not really answer the question, there is a need to clarify what the person meant because it is not clear to the moderator, and if their answer is relevant to the research questions but the person was not able to finish her thought or did not elaborate enough

Question 8

Do’s of focus group moderation (5)

Answer 8

1. show respect for everyone’s viewpoint 2. give everyone a chance to speak 3. give an example if people do not immediately respond to the question 4. show empathy and encourage discussion using body language and words such as uh huh, okay, thank you 5. maintain control of the group by shifting the conversation away from active talkers to those who are quiet. “now let’s hear what Nandee has to say”

Question 9

Don’ts of focus group moderation (5)

Answer 9

1. don’t take an authoritarian position 2. don’t allow others to be disrespectful (respectfully ask to let speak their opinion) 3. don’t answer for the group 4. do not use words/body language that imply approval or disaproval (do not nod or lean back) 5. do not assume the quiet people agree with the majority or the active speaker

Question 10

Quality control - Appropriate environment (2)

Answer 10

1. physical location of group should be neutral and relaxed as well as supportive and respectful 2. there should be no visitors entering the private room

Question 11

Quality control - Moderator (4)

Answer 11

1. moderator must be sensitive to the culture (prefer if they are apart of the culture) 2. should be comfortable 3. speak the preferred language 4. should know how to keep certain individuals from intimidating or biasing the other participants

Question 12

Quality control - Sample (2)

Answer 12

1. participants should be carefully selected to gather a range of views so avoid recruiting friends 2. homogeneity is key to a successful session because people will reveal their innermost thoughts only to those they believe share a common bond

Question 13

Limits of Focus Groups (3)

Answer 13

1. participants are chosen scientifically as a small group of people 2. findings cannot be projected to the entire population 3. results are dependent upon the interaction between respondents and the moderator (unprofessional moderating can lead to inaccurate conclusions)

Question 14

Analysis and Presentation of Focus Group results (5)

Answer 14

1. helps to have community members participate (first meet to discuss overall impressions and key themes) 2. record and transcribe best way to analyze 3. IF not, note taker is key and should try to use exact words of participants 4. read through first then code based on themes identified 5. when presenting try to use exact words but do not identify the participant