Fundamentals of Qualitative Research Methods: Focus Groups (Module 4)
Summary
TLDRThis Yale School of Public Health module, led by Lesli Curry, delves into focus groups as a qualitative research method. It underscores the importance of group dynamics for generating narrative data, revealing social norms, and exploring sensitive topics. The module covers optimal group composition, discussion guide structuring, and moderator techniques. It also stresses analyzing group interactions, not just individual responses, to gain comprehensive insights.
Takeaways
- π A focus group is a qualitative research method where a group of individuals with certain characteristics generate narrative data through a focused discussion.
- π₯ Group dynamics in focus groups are essential as they can widen the range of responses, activate forgotten details, and release inhibitions among participants.
- π£οΈ Focus groups are useful for exploring social and cultural norms, revealing how people talk about an issue, and discussing sensitive topics.
- π₯ The ideal group size for a focus group is 5 to 10 participants to ensure dynamic interaction and equal opportunity for each member to contribute.
- π It's recommended to have three to five focus groups per strata to capture diverse perspectives within a specific demographic or category.
- βοΈ Attention to group composition is critical to avoid power differentials and ensure a balance between homogeneity and heterogeneity.
- π¨ Data collection in focus groups should stimulate conversation, with the goal of generating a ripple effect from a single point of discussion.
- β A well-structured discussion guide with no more than 8 to 12 questions is key to a successful focus group, with a mix of quick and deeper discussion questions.
- π£οΈ Moderators play a crucial role in facilitating focus groups, requiring strong interviewing skills, keen observational skills, and the ability to guide the discussion without bias.
- π Analysis of focus group data should consider the group as the unit of analysis, focusing on group interactions and consensus rather than individual responses.
- π Non-verbal cues are important in focus groups, with a second person often present to observe and note these dynamics.
Q & A
What is the primary goal of the module series on qualitative research methods?
-The primary goal is to enhance the capacity to conceptualize, design, and conduct qualitative research in the Health Sciences.
What is the main focus of this particular module?
-This module focuses on a major qualitative study design known as focus groups.
What is a focus group and why are group dynamics essential?
-A focus group is a group of people with certain characteristics who generate narrative data in a focused discussion. Group dynamics are essential because they can widen the range of responses, activate forgotten details, and release inhibitions, making people feel comfortable in describing their experiences.
How can focus groups be useful in the Health Sciences?
-Focus groups can be useful for characterizing social and cultural norms around health areas, health behaviors, or types of health care delivery. They can also reveal how people talk about an issue and are useful for exploring potentially sensitive topics.
What is the recommended group size for focus groups?
-The recommended group size for focus groups is five to ten participants.
Why is it important to have three to five groups per strata in focus group studies?
-Having three to five groups per strata ensures a sufficient sample size to capture a range of perspectives within each subgroup and helps to avoid bias or skewed results.
What considerations should be taken into account when assembling focus groups?
-When assembling focus groups, considerations include avoiding power differentials, considering homogeneity and heterogeneity, deciding between strangers or acquaintances, and determining the balance between experts and novices.
What is the purpose of a discussion guide in focus group studies?
-A discussion guide in focus group studies is used to structure the conversation, ensuring that key topics are covered while allowing for natural dialogue and group interaction.
Why is it important for questions in a discussion guide to be open-ended?
-Open-ended questions are important because they allow participants to generate and shape the direction of the discussion without leading them in any particular direction.
What are some moderator skills required for conducting effective focus groups?
-Moderator skills required include strong interviewing techniques, keen observational skills, the ability to control and guide the discussion, suppressing personal views, and respecting participants.
How should the analysis of focus group data differ from the analysis of individual interviews?
-The analysis of focus group data should consider the group as the unit of analysis rather than individuals. It should focus on themes and consensus within the group and pay attention to group dynamics.
Outlines
π₯ Introduction to Focus Groups in Qualitative Research
The paragraph introduces the concept of focus groups within the context of qualitative research methods. Lesli Curry from Yale School of Public Health explains that focus groups involve a group of individuals with shared characteristics engaging in a discussion. The interaction within the group is crucial as it can broaden the range of responses, activate forgotten details, and release inhibitions. Focus groups are beneficial for exploring social and cultural norms, health behaviors, and healthcare delivery. They allow researchers to understand how people discuss issues and can be used to delve into sensitive topics. The module discusses the design of focus group studies, including group size and stratification, with recommendations for 5 to 10 participants per group and at least three groups per stratum.
π Designing Focus Group Studies
This section delves into the specifics of designing focus group studies. It emphasizes the importance of group composition, avoiding power differentials, and considering homogeneity and heterogeneity. The composition of groups should allow for a diversity of opinions while maintaining enough common ground for meaningful discussion. The paragraph also touches on the dynamics of having strangers versus acquaintances in a group and the balance between experts and novices. The discussion guide for focus groups is highlighted, suggesting no more than 8 to 12 questions, with a clear sequence from opening to key questions. The guide should use conversational, clear, and open-ended questions, and the 'think-back' technique is recommended to ground participants in their experiences.
π£οΈ Conducting Focus Groups
The paragraph discusses the practical aspects of conducting focus groups, including considerations for participant time limits, language abilities, and cultural sensitivities. It stresses the importance of the researcher's communication skills, especially when dealing with populations unfamiliar with research environments. The moderator's role is explored, highlighting the need for strong interviewing techniques, keen observational skills, and the ability to guide the discussion without dominating it. The moderator must suppress personal views and respect participants, creating a safe space for open dialogue. An excerpt from a focus group is provided to illustrate the moderator's techniques in action.
π Analysis of Focus Group Data
This section addresses the analysis of focus group data, cautioning against treating it as individual interviews. The group, rather than individuals, is the unit of analysis, and the analysis should focus on group interactions and consensus. The paragraph advises on noting whether responses are led by the moderator or emerge spontaneously from group discussions. It also warns against equating the volume of discussion with the importance of an issue. Tips for effective focus groups include establishing rapport among group members, creating a safe space, redirecting the group when necessary, and managing group dynamics to prevent bias and ensure a balanced conversation.
ποΈβπ¨οΈ Managing Group Dynamics and Non-Verbal Cues
The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of managing group dynamics and paying attention to non-verbal cues in focus groups. The moderator's role is to ensure that dominant individuals do not constrain the conversation and that all participants have an opportunity to contribute. The presence of a second person in the room to observe non-verbal cues is noted as valuable for interpreting group findings. The paragraph concludes by thanking the audience for their attention, indicating the end of the discussion on focus groups.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Focus Group
π‘Narrative Data
π‘Group Dynamics
π‘Interaction
π‘Qualitative Research
π‘Health Sciences
π‘Stratification
π‘Discussion Guide
π‘Moderation
π‘Data Analysis
π‘Rapport
Highlights
Focus groups are a qualitative study design where individuals generate narrative data through focused discussions.
Interaction and group dynamics are essential in focus groups as they widen the range of responses and activate forgotten details.
Focus groups can reveal insights that wouldn't be possible in one-on-one exchanges.
They are useful for characterizing social and cultural norms around health areas, behaviors, or care delivery.
Focus groups can help understand how people talk about an issue through natural language use and intonation.
They can explore potentially sensitive topics depending on the topic and respondent group.
Standards for group size in focus groups recommend 5 to 10 participants for optimal dynamics.
It's recommended to have three to five groups per strata to ensure a comprehensive understanding.
Attention to group composition is critical to avoid power differentials and ensure a free exchange of ideas.
Focus groups should aim for diversity while maintaining enough common ground for sharing and comparing.
The discussion guide in focus groups should have no more than 8 to 12 questions, with a clear sequence from introduction to key questions.
Open-ended questions that are conversational and clear are critical for effective focus group discussions.
The 'think back' technique can be useful for grounding respondents in an experience relevant to the discussion.
Avoid asking 'why' questions as they can lead to defensiveness and a search for a 'right' answer.
Giving examples can sometimes lead participants down a particular path, so it's important to be cautious with this technique.
The moderator's role in focus groups requires strong interviewing techniques and keen observational skills.
The moderator must control and guide the discussion without truncating it prematurely.
Respect for participants is crucial, including active listening and concern for their comfort.
Analysis of focus group data should consider the group as the unit of analysis, not individuals.
Creating rapport among group members and establishing a safe space is a primary goal for moderators.
Managing group dynamics is important to prevent any single perspective from dominating the discussion.
Non-verbal information is also important in focus group analysis, with a second person often noting such cues.
Transcripts
hi welcome back to our series on
qualitative research methods I'm lesli
Curry from the Yale School of Public
Health and this module is on a major
qualitative study design focus groups
just a brief overview of the modules the
goal is to enhance our capacity to
conceptualize design and conduct
qualitative research in the Health
Sciences there are a total of six
modules in this series and this module
examines uh the major qualitative study
design focus
groups so what is a focus group in this
picture you see uh a group of
individuals uh sitting in a circle in a
room and some conversation happening a
focus group is a group of people with
certain characteristics who generate
narrative data in a focused discussion
the interaction and the group dynamics
are really essential the interaction
among individuals can do several things
it can widen the range of responses
we're hearing from uh a range of
individuals with a common experience but
of course different individual
perspectives uh and Views the group
dynamics can activate forgotten details
hearing someone recount a story of their
experience might help another remember
you know this happened to me and the
group exchange can also release
inhibitions can make people feel
comfortable uh in describing their
experience with a particular
phenomenon focus groups can be useful
for a number of kinds of uh topics in
the Health Sciences uh the first
characterizing social and cultural norms
around a given uh Health area health
behavior or a type of Health Care
delivery focus groups can be useful for
sharing and comparing really like this
phrase by David Morgan uh who's the
author of the focus group group kit um
and who describes sharing and comparing
as the dynamic in the group where each
member will offer up their perspective
and in that uh context in the discussion
comparing their experience with with
others uh in the room um this can
generate uh insights that wouldn't be
possible uh on in a one-on-one uh
exchange focus groups can reveal how
people talk about an issue because
people are sitting around a table and
exchanging amongst themselves the
researcher moderator can uh listen and
learn the kinds of language people use
uh their uh intonation their views about
a given
issue focus groups can also be useful
for exploring potentially sensitive
topics we mentioned this in the
individual interview module as well and
so it really uh is dependent on the
particular topic and the respondent
group that you'll be working with um to
determine whether or not individual
one-on-one interview format uh would be
most appropriate or whether a group uh
format is most appropriate given your
topic so uh a few a few minutes on
designing focus group studies what do
they look
like well there are some standards for
the group size and number in focus
groups so the principle uh one in terms
of group size is that you want to have
five to 10 participants per group fewer
than five typically uh the Dynamics are
flatter uh there isn't as much moment m
in the group maybe not as much uh speak
and freedom when you have small group
exchange and more than 10 participants
it is very difficult for the moderator
uh to keep the discussion moving uh
flowing well and for each participant to
have enough time uh to express
substantively their view on a given
topic so the range of 5 to 10 uh is a
guide
guideline and the second guideline is
the number of focus groups per strata uh
we typically recommend having three to
five groups per strata so just a minute
on stratification if you determine that
uh given topic uh May um uh generate
some tension or difficulty if it's
addressed say uh with a group of mixed
gender you may decide that it's
important to have focus groups of with
all women and a separate set of focus
groups with all men and if that occurs
you need to be sure that you uh conduct
three groups a minimum of three groups
of women and a minimum of three groups
of
men so group composition attention to
group composition really very critical
um there are a number of ways we can
think about assembling focus groups and
they really depend in great uh to Great
length on the nature of the question
that you're asking so several
considerations we want to avoid power
differentials in the room um among
individuals so uh for instance if you
were conducting a study about um culture
change in nursing homes uh the
pioneering effort to individualize care
and nursing homes by which residents
Express their needs and certified nurse
assistants and nurse AIDS are free to
deviate from schedules in order to
respond to a um resident preference or
need you would want to be mindful of
having a focus group with a certified
nursing assistant or nurse AIDS together
with for instance the charge nurse or
the nursing home administrator um you
could imagine that the dynamic in that
room would really could really inhibit
free exchange so be mindful of power
differentials in the room thinking about
homogeneity and heterogeneity in the
group how alike do you want the group to
be and how different do you want the
group to be uh we're looking for some
diversity so that you have a range of
opinions and yet uh uh you don't have
want to also have homogeneity or
similarity in the group so that there is
enough Common Ground um to share and
compare strangers versus acquaintances
is another consideration in the
composition of grp groups um are you
interested in having people who've never
had an exchange with one another or is
it more appropriate in a given
circumstance to have acquaintances those
who have some familiarity with each
other experts and novices are we looking
to talk to experts in a given area who
have deep knowledge of a phenomenon or
are we looking for more naive uh
View and then stratifying by these
Salient characteristics as I mentioned
it may be gender in a given group uh
where you uh want to pay attention to
those potential Dynamics and create
separate strata for those
groups data collection I like this image
because to me it sort of tells all we
need to know about uh data collection
and focus groups the idea is to just
drop a pebble into the pond and to
stimulate a ripple effect of
conversation the discussion guide there
are some um there's some guidance some
established uh techniques for um
structuring discussion guides in general
uh the number of questions we're looking
for no more than 8 to 12 questions fewer
is better uh it's helpful to kind of
label questions as five or 10- minute
questions one that the researcher comes
in and thinks I don't want them to spend
too much more than five minutes on this
it's a relevant topic that's introducing
them bringing them to the core issue the
10-minute question is where I really
want them to linger and have deeper
discussion the sequence of questions are
also some guide guidelines there the
opening question should be things that
could be answered quickly that are based
on facts you want the individual to use
their voice to not be threatened not
have a tricky question uh to uh
establish them as the expert right so
there's one answer and they know it um
so opening questions are are really very
U useful for setting the stage in the
room an introductory question is to
begin to Foster interaction among the
group and have them begin to focus on
the topic at hand transition questions
link the introduction to the real key
questions and to put the topic in
context so you're moving people some
sort of the broad Comfort uh
establishing questions into the core uh
the core Topic at hand and there should
be no more than two to five key
questions um in the
guide so item writing just some things
to keep in mind conversational clear
simple
language sometimes as researchers we sit
in our teams and we construct these
complex compound sentences that are our
questions for our discussion guide and
when you speak them out loud only then
you can hear maybe how how silly they
sound or potentially off-putting so read
them aloud practice them see whether
they in fact feel conversational and
clear open-ended questions are critical
um again not leading in any way having
very broad uh parameters for the
respondents to begin to generate and
shape the direction of the discussion
the thinkb back technique can be really
very useful asking people to think back
to the last time when you were at the
doctor's office
it brings them out of the room back to a
time and place it grounds them in an
experience where they feel uh then they
can draw upon details that are relevant
to the discussion so that can be
useful avoid if possible asking why this
may seem counterintuitive this is what
we're trying to understand why don't you
do X or Y we don't want to ask this
question uh so boldly and directly it's
very sharp in tone it may cause
defensiveness it may make the respondent
feel like there must be a right answer
and I better give that right answer uh
so in fact we want to avoid the why
question instead uh we we want to invite
people to comment on how something H
happens or to describe their experience
in detail we also want to avoid giving
examples this may lead participants
sometimes this technique can be useful
if you give a very brief example to sort
of get people going but it also uh runs
the risk of leading participants down a
particular path so be cautious on the
examples
be aware of the participants time their
limits of all types the time limits to
attention limits to language various
cultural issues and various
communication skills um we for instance
have done lots of focus groups with
frail older adults in the community and
bringing them to Common spaces libraries
and community centers um to talk about
services that they receiving in their
homes and we need to be very mindful of
their physical Comfort um their ability
to stay engaged in a conversation um the
communication skills from the researcher
um to populations who may not be
familiar necessarily or accustomed to
being um in research environments so
these sensitivities are really very um
very critical in conducting focus focus
groups moderator skills moderating focus
groups um requires a great deal of skill
and really the only way to attain these
skills is to practice moderating uh but
there are some techniques um that are
really very critical to facilitating
constructive and productive discussions
the first is having a strong
interviewing technique this means the
ability to ask an open question and to
receive the information to listen
acutely for opportunities to dig deeper
so having these Keen observational
skills watching what's happening in the
room you can imagine in the moment you
know you have eight people sitting
around a table you're beginning to just
drop that Pebble so there's a ripple
effect and the conversation starts
you're very tuned to the Dynamics in the
group this is one of the unique assets
of a focused group model and so Keen
observational skills watch who's
speaking first who's listening who's
leaning forward who's pulling back it's
really very very um
critical need to have an ability to
control and guide the discussion this
requires in the- moment judgment uh
again we've you think uh back to the
interviewer module where we have the
image of a of a path with a railing kind
of going through a marsh you want to be
able to let the respondent let the group
conversation go and yet you also need to
control it and guide it without
prematurely truncating conversation this
is very tricky and has to be assessed in
the
moment need an ability to suppress our
own personal views uh this um it's
perhaps easier than it sounds we're
often you know researching a topic that
is of great interest to us we probably
have personal views uh but we need to be
really be very neutral um in the role of
moderator and lastly again respect for
the participants so active listening
leaning forward paying attention not
scribbling notes or looking at the tape
recorder or watching the time go by
watching the clock you know active
listening um eye contact with each
individual concern for their comfort in
the space respect for participants is
really also very important to
establishing um a safe space for uh the
data
collection so we're going to listen to
an excerpt from a focus group um and uh
listen carefully really to the moderator
uh some of the audio you'll hear
multiple uh members speaking at once but
listen for the moderator's voice and
then we'll review what you've heard so
let's
listen we're not going to go around the
circle anymore we just need to just join
in whenever you have something to say um
what to you all makes a good d
doctor what what does it take to be a
good doctor would you
say one that listens Mary says okay yeah
is that what you think eile okay yes and
what else about a doctor makes a good
doctor in the office okay interest in
and how would the doctor do
that or how would he show that I talk
you just talking to you and being
concerned about your problem yeah okay
any other thoughts about what makes a
good doctor maybe touching you this is
Jenny you know not not touching you all
over but you know like a nice touch and
that's very good person feels good with
that nice personality yeah okay that's
Dorothy what do you mean by that nice
personality
what kind of things I think they got to
show that they're interested in you you
know okay do you have any ideas of how
they might show how they're
interested okay so what did you hear
there several things happening at once
you hear the moderator interjecting
saying Mary what do you think is that
what you think Emily so identifying
speakers this is important uh for really
the sort of mechanics of uh generating a
data set for focus groups the
transcriptionist has to be able to
identify a given voice uh with a name
some identification so that you're able
to uh understand which person is
speaking at what time and you're able to
look at patterns of speech across
members in the group so being able to
tag a specific name or identification to
a voice is really critical for
transcription and in the moderating we
often we instruct people in the group
before you speak please say your name
this isn't a very natural thing for us
to do and so uh participants often will
just begin talking and so the moderator
can sort of quietly interject you know
Mary said this and did you hear that is
that what you said Emily uh you hear in
this uh in this excerpt an icebreaker
question something very open Easy you
know what does a doctor what does what
does it take to be a good doctor and you
can hear the respondent feeling
confident in describing you know I want
one who you know pays attention to me
one who who uh you know is close in the
interactions who knows your name um do
you hear the moderator asking clarifying
probes what do you mean by that nice
personality uh asking for just a little
more about you you know what uh the
respondent means when she's describing
nice personality uh and then lastly you
can hear the very Dynamic exchanges in
the group um where uh individuals are
starting this is very early in the group
and you can hear them already starting
to reflect back and forth uh across each
other so just to give you a sense of
what the dynamic interplay might sound
like in a focus
group analysis of focus group data this
is an area where I think we often fall
short um there are some assumptions we
may come to the data thinking well it's
just a bunch of individual we'll analyze
it like individual interviews which um
it loses the richness of the group
dynamic and in fact uh doesn't pay
attention to some of the critical
aspects of focus group data which is uh
sort of the group interaction and so
analysis of focus group data requires
careful attention to several
things we have to remember that the
group is the unit of analysis not the
individuals within it and so we're
looking to extract uh the summary of
emerging ideas and themes at the group
level not individual utterances um
within the text so just a mindful as
we're approaching the data we want to be
looking for whether or not uh a theme is
a view of one member or whether it was a
theme for the group was it really only
one participant who felt a given way or
expressed a particular experience or
perspective or was this one where there
be developed some consensus or some
shared view throughout the group
discussion we want to know whether a
question uh whether a response emerged
uh as a result of a question led by the
moderator or whether it was something
that spontaneously came from the group
conversation
we want to note that more text does not
mean the issue is more important
necessarily there may be some very brief
text on something that words great
agreement very quickly and so uh we
don't want to be sort of um uh way
distracted into thinking that if there's
a lot of conversation about something it
means it's really the essence of the
study and so looking at the Dynamics in
the group really very critical
throughout uh throughout the group is
there biasing is there group think is
there a single member who dominates the
discussion so several tips for a good
focus group um creating the Rapport
among the group Members First this is in
contrast to individual interviews where
it's really very much about the
interviewer and the respondent and uh
establishing that uh space for cander
and disclosure right up front in this
instance the moderator wants to be very
very light almost invisible in the room
uh off to the side and really focusing
on the Rel ship among the members uh is
is the primary goal and creating uh a
relationship among them in the first
moments of the group is the um is the
primary primary goal establishing a safe
space um knowing how to make hesitant
people feel comfortable in uh
contributing in that space really also
can be very
useful being prepared to redirect the
group uh so um listening very very
carefully and let letting the group sort
of take itself down a certain path but
not too far and being ready to interject
without squelching the Dynamics this is
tricky uh we we want to bring the group
around gently uh back to the topic at
hand uh and not interject um with too
much control because that can sort of
deflate the momentum in a group so be
careful managing the Dynamics in the
room so there are always Dynamics in
every group that we uh experience
focus groups is no different um and so
there will be uh people who feel more
confident who are more vocal uh who have
stronger opinions there will be others
who uh are more hesitant maybe um uh
feel more uh anxious in the group space
and so managing those Dynamics uh really
is something the moderator is
responsible for from the moment the
group begins through to the end uh
because the domineering uh Dynamics can
constrain uh conversation and the sort
of repeated interjection of a given
perspective or view can also bias the
dialogue so managing those Dynamics is
really very
important and lastly one of the benefits
of focus groups is that we're getting to
watch people as well so being aware of
the non-verbal information in the room
and there's lots of it in our focus
group work we have a primary moderator
who's responsible for sort of dropping
that Pebble and then facilitating the
conversation as it goes and we have a
second person in the room who is doing
uh managing all the logistics so that
they're unobtrusive and um taking
careful note of non-verbal information
in the room who pulls away from the
table who uh seems to be aggressive uh
who is nodding in deference all the time
to another respondent and those kinds of
um uh non-verbal data are really very
useful in interpretation again of the
group
um findings with the group as the unit
of
analysis so thank you for your attention
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