The focus group, or group
interviewing, is a research strategy for understanding people’s attitudes and
behaviour. From 6 to 12 people are interviewed simultaneously, with a moderator
leading the respondents in a relatively unstructured discussion about the topic
under investigation.
The focus group technique has four defining
characteristics (based on Krueger and Casey, 2000):
- Focus group involves people (participants)
- The people possess certain characteristics and are recruited to share a quality or characteristic of interest to the researcher. For example, all may be beer drinkers, or Lexus owners, or females 18–34 who listen to certain types of music on the radio.
- Focus groups usually provide qualitative data. Data from focus groups are used to enhance understanding and to reveal a wide range of opinions, some of which the researcher might not expect. In most cases, they are not used to test hypotheses or to generalize to a population. This is accomplished only when several focus groups are conducted to achieve a satisfactory sample size.
- As the name implies, focus groups have a focused discussion. Most of the questions to be asked are predetermined, the sequence of questions is established, and the questions are structured to further the goal of the research. However, the moderator is free to depart from the structure if the participants present relevant information.
Methodology of Focus Groups
1Define
the problem.
A well-defined problem is established on the
basis of previous investigation or out of curiosity. Some problems that would
be appropriate for the focus group method include pilot testing ideas, plans,
or products; discovering factors that influence opinions, attitudes, and
behaviours; and generating new thoughts or ideas about a situation, concept, or
product. For example, television production companies that produce pilot
programs for potential series often conduct 10 to 50 focus groups with target
viewers to determine the groups’ reactions to each concept.
2.
Select a sample.
Because focus groups are small, researchers
must define a narrow audience for the study. The type of sample depends on the
purpose of the focus group; the sample might consist of consumers who watch a
particular type of television program, men 18-34 who listen to a certain type
of music, or teenagers who download more than 20 songs a month.
3.
Determine the number of groups necessary.
To help eliminate part of the problem of
selecting a representative group, most researchers conduct three or more focus
groups on the same topic. They can then compare results to determine whether any
similarities or differences exist, or one group may be used as a basis for
comparison with the other group. A focus group study using only one group is
rare because there is no way to know whether the results are group-specific or
characteristic of a wider audience.
Focus group
researchers should conduct as many groups as they need to achieve saturation.
Saturation occurs when the focus groups no longer provide any fresh
information.
4.
Prepare
the study mechanics. This step includes arranging for the recruitment of
respondents (by telephone or possibly by shopping center intercept), reserving
the facilities at which the groups will be conducted, and deciding what type of
recording (audio and/or video) will be used. The moderator must be selected and
briefed about the purpose of the group. In addition, the researcher needs to
determine the amount of co-op money each respondent will receive for
participating.
5.
Prepare
the focus group materials. Each aspect of a focus group must be planned in detail;
nothing should be left to chance— in particular, the moderator must not be allowed
to “wing it.”
The screener
questionnaire is developed to recruit the desired respondents; recordings and
other materials the subjects will hear or see are prepared; any questionnaires
the subjects will complete are produced (including the pre-session
questionnaire); and a list of questions is developed for the pre-session
questionnaire and the moderator’s guide.
Generally, a focus
group session begins with some type of shared experience so that the
individuals have a common base from which to start the discussion. The members may
listen to or view a video, examine a new product, or they may simply be asked
how they answered the first question on the pre-session questionnaire.
One general method
that is sometimes followed in sequencing focus group questions
is called the funnel
technique. The moderator starts off with a general question or two then
moves to more specific topics. For example, the first couple of questions might
be about the participants’ travel experiences, the next set might be about what
they prefer in a hotel, and the final group of questions asks them about their
feelings toward a particular hotel chain.
6.
Conduct
the session. Focus groups may be conducted in a variety of settings, Conference room
to natural settings.
7.
Analyse the data and prepare a summary report:
The written
summary of focus group interviews depends on the needs of the study and the
amount of time and money available. At one extreme, the moderator/researcher may
simply write a brief synopsis of what was said and offer an interpretation of
the subjects’ responses. For a more elaborate content analysis or a more
complete description of what happened, the sessions can be transcribed so that
the moderator or researcher can scan the comments and develop a category
system, coding each comment into the appropriate category.
