The group of participants is guided by a moderator or group facilitator who introduces topics for discussion and helps the group to. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. It can negatively impact the discussion if the facilitator is stopping to write things down. It is important to have a note taker to record the focus group feedback. Important skills that a group moderator should possess 3. Focus group discussion is frequently used as a qualitative approach to gain an.
The analysis sequence continues after the focus group with an immediate debriefing with the moderator and assistant moderator. Invitations to participate in the focus groups were sent to 70 neighborhood, community and business stakeholders who are actively engaged in their neighborhoods in a leadership capacity. Focus group discussions helped identify the broad thematic areas and the issues which should be researched. A focus group discussion is a qualitative data collection method that engages 6 to 12 peoplewith shared characteristics pertinent to the specific discussion topicand is led by a trained facilitator. A focus group is an interview, conducted by a trained moderator among a small group of respondents. How to conduct a focus group the grantsmanship center. Filipino psychology focus group discussion group interview. The unit or department at the university of arizona is conducting a program assessment under the supervision of insert responsible party, director, etc. Dos and donts of a positive focus group experience 5.
Steps for conducting focus groups or individual indepth. Focus group interviewing richard krueger 4 beginning the focus group discussion the first few moments in focus group discussion are critical. Because focus groups are a variety of qualitative research, the following discussion examines qualitative analytic. The opening is the time for the facilitator to welcome the group, introduce the purpose and context of the focus group, explain what a focus group is and how it will flow, and make the introductions. The participants are given 45 minutes to read the article and are then asked to hold a regular group discussion of around 1015 minutes on the article. Focus group discussions generally last from an hour and a half to. A great deal of the skepticism about the value of focus groups probably arises from the. The goal of todays meeting is to understand if the internal communications and news you currently receive is effective, relevant and valuable to you. Focus group data can be used to collect information for many purposes, such as conducting a needs assessment or evaluating a program.
Conducting focus group discussions the purpose of focus group discussions is to gain knowledge about a particular topic or need by interviewing a group of people directly affected by the issue. How to conduct a successful focus group discussion atlan. Focus group discussion is suitable for indepth study of the particular opinions and reactions in targetaudience as well as research of new creative solutions. The discussion provided a framework for preparation of a detailed questionnaire to be used for ascertaining stakeholders perceptions about the industry and. However, i would appreciate it if only one person did talk at a time. In a brief time the moderator must create a thoughtful, permissive atmosphere, provide ground rules, and set the tone of the discussion. A focus group interview is an inexpensive, rapid appraisal technique that can provide managers with a wealth of qualitative information on performance of development activities, services, and products, or other issues. Depending on the research objective, the focus group can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods. One person is the facilitator and the other is the note taker. Chapter 6 analyzing focus group results 141 participants, and that a short verbal summary at the conclusion of the discussion allows for verification. The moderator uses a discussion guide that has been. Focus groups rely on interaction within the group based on topics that are supplied by the researcher.
There are only a few basic rules to keep in mind while participating today. Depending on the research objective, the focus group can. Focus groups are an exploratory research tool a structured group process to explore. During an fgd, a researcher and assistant facilitates a discussion with a small group of people using predetermined questions. Focus group discussion in qualitative research new delhi. Heong the focus group discussion fgd is a rapid assessment, semi. Faculty sample focus group discussion guide page 1 of 6. Definition of a focus group focus group discussions fgds are defined as semi structured group discussions, which yield qualitative data on the community level by facilitating interaction between participants. May 14, 20 04 tips to handle group discussions effectively free english lessons duration. Sample focus group discussion guide what follows is a sample focus group discussion guide that can be used to collect information from faculty about their interactions with entering students. Focus group discussion ppt focus group qualitative. Icebreak after having greeted the participants, the facilitator asks them to.
The main characteristic of a focus group is the interaction between the moderator and the group, as well as the interaction between group members. A focus group discussion fgd is a qualitative research method and data collection technique in which a selected group of people discusses a given topic or issue indepth, facilitated by a professional, external moderator. It is called a discussion guide, rather than a questionnaire, because it is only meant to be a guide. Consent forms for focus group participants are completed in advance by all those seeking to participate. The advantages of focus group discussion are as follows. Focus groups can easily turn into patontheback sessions if you. Identify sample characteristics a critical element in the success of focus groups is in the recruitment of participants. This paper uses the definition of focus group as a controlled group discussion, on the basis that the group interaction generated through discussion is of prior importance to this methodology. It is focused on a specific area of interest that allows participants to discuss the. Below is a summary of the information in the consent form that focus group organizers and facilitators should use to make sure participants understand the information in the consent form.
Abstract focus group discussion is frequently used as a qualitative approach. Focus group discussion ppt free download as powerpoint presentation. Invitations to participate in the focus groups were sent to 70 neighborhood, community and business stakeholders who are actively engaged in their neighborhoods in a. The groups composition and the group discussion are carefully planned to create a nonthreatening environment in. Outlined here are the details for conducting a high quality focus group. The second stage involves focused coding where the researcher. The method allows you to see the respondents behaviour, attitudes and emotions. The aim is to gain insight into a groups attitudes, enablers and barriers to behaviour. Evaluation briefs no centers for disease control and. Sometimes the group repeatedly moves away from the intended discussion even though a skilled facilitator is present.
The questions and the manner in which the focus group is facilitated will vary based on the type of participants. Because the focus group is intended to collect specific information about topics of interest from identified sets of individuals, focus groups must be well established with welldefined objectives. The main difference is the group has a specific, focused discussion topic. Focus groups are similar to, but should not be confused with indepth interviews. We created the focus group report template to help you communicate the findings of a focus group quickly and efficiently. How to write a focus group discussion guide mrqual.
Focus group discussion guidelines focus group discussions, or fgds are a qualitative research method. The facilitator could aim to keep the discussion focused on this question. A tool for health and medical research article pdf available in singapore medical journal 493. Example focus group discussion fgd session plan focus group discussion with lead firms to assess marketbased solutions time. This method serves to solicit participants attitudes and perceptions, knowledge and experiences, and.
At this time, the moderator makes a quick check to ensure. Learn english with lets talk free english lessons recommended for you. Focus group discussion a focus group discussion fgd is a good way to gather together people from similar backgrounds or experiences to discuss a specific topic of interest. The recommended pattern for introducing the group discussion includes. One aim of a focus group discussion would be to identify perceptions and the range of. Evaluating the efficacy of focus group discussion fgd in. Analyzing focus group data the analysis and interpretation of focus group data require a great deal of judgment and care, just as any other scientific approach, and regardless of whether the analysis relies on quantitative or qualitative procedures. A successful focus group discussion relies heavily on the development of a per missive, nonthreatening environment within the group where the participants can feel comfortable to discuss their opinions and experiences without fear that they. Thus, little is gained by excluding these categories of data collection because they already fall. Everyone should participate and have a voice in the discussion. Focus group discussion guide gender and cocoa livelihoods. Focus group discussion overseas development institute. In virtually every focus group discussion fgd, participants.
Characteristics of focus group discussions your business. Usually, your research expert or vendor will draft the guide for you. Oct 01, 2012 a focus group is a form of qualitative research. Identify sample characteristics a critical element in the success of focus groups is. The shared characteristics may relate to a particular problem, livelihoods occupation, age, social group, place of residence, experience of. Free and open discussion among the respondents results in generation of new ideas that can be very useful for decisionmaking. A facilitator guides 7 to 11 people in a discussion of their experiences, feelings, and preferences about a topic. For supporting focus group materials such as recruitment tips, invitation email templates, consent. Serves as a comprehensive guide to focus group discussions, a qualitative research methodology that involves a focus on specific issues, with a predetermined group of people, participating in an interactive discussion. The interview is conducted informally and naturally where respondents are free to give views from any aspect. As part of a dissertation research project, an online focus group was created in order to help determine questions and issues to be asked in depth interviews of distance learning students about their motives, barriers and enablers in their decision to enroll in.
The focus group needs to be appropriate for the type of participants in the group. I want this to be a group discussion, so feel free to respond to me and to other members in the group without waiting to be called on. Focus groups are guided conversations among a number of customers or potential customers to help you learn about various aspects of your business, such as your marketing efforts, quality or customer service. Focus groups explicitly use group interaction as part of the method kitzinger 1995.
Group discussion, conducted several times until similar trends and patterns in perception, attitudes, ideas are shown. Today researchers have a variety of choices in analyzing focus group data, and these generally fall into two basic categories. Evaluating the efficacy of focus group discussion fgd in qualitative social research william boateng, phd department of sociology university of saskatchewan 1019 9 campus drive, saskatoon sk. Focus group discussion guide university of washington. A focus group lasting more than 90 minutes probably includes too many questions or topics for discussion. Focus group discussion relies on facilitators or moderators to guide the groups discussion berg, 1989. Abstract the efficacy of focus group discussion as a qualitative data collection methodology is put on the line by. On the other hand, there is the observation of naturally occurring groups, which typically do not involve the researcher in determining the topic of discussion. Focus group discussion at chucchepati site, kathmandu facilitated by iom 29th july to 31st july, 2015 introduction six focus group discussions were held at chucchepati site over the course of three days with the objective of finding out the return intention of the site residents. The discussion provided a framework for preparation of a detailed questionnaire to be used for ascertaining stakeholders perceptions about the industry and to solicit their comments and suggestions. The moderator can bring any changes in order to better facilitate the discussion during the group discussion. Insights from two decades of application in conservation article pdf available in methods in ecology and evolution 99. In this type of topics, you should be very strong in content.
A focus group discussion or fgd is a qualitative research method in the social sciences, with a particular emphasis and application in the. The group s composition and the group discussion are carefully planned to create a nonthreatening environment in which people are free to talk openly. This microsoft word document includes the following sections to complete with your market research team. Focus group discussion conclusions blora district, central java november 2009 laura paler columbia university 1 main points there is a high demand for better government in blora, but ordinary citizens do not feel empowered to bring about change. Focus group discussion aslam aman master of public health mphaslam. Wherever possible, there should be a focus group team. Focus group discussion is a research methodology in which a small group of participants gather to discuss a specified topic or an issue to generate data. Download limit exceeded you have exceeded your daily download allowance. Focus group discussion summary sfmta held two focus group meetings on october 4th and 5th, 2016. What you want to learn from the focus group or interview how youll apply what you learn what tools e. The question section is where you ask the questions that you designed and tested in step 4 3. The purpose of the study is to examine insert topic of study.
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