Conducting
focus groups is a qualitative research method that allows researchers to
collect a large amount of data from a substantial group of people in a
relatively short amount of time. Focus groups explore how people perceive, feel
about, or view a certain service, product, topic, etc. This method gained
popularity in marketing and market research in the last several decades. There
is an unverified anecdote that tells of the Ford Focus vehicle being named by
an extremely bored focus group! However, focus groups need not be boring, and
the use of these groups for research has become more popular in the social
sciences and the health sciences (Bell, 2010, p. 165). The data produced is
unique as well. Given the “synergistic potentials” of focus groups, they “often
produce data that are seldom produced through individual interviewing and
observation and that result in especially powerful interpretive insights”
(Kamberelis & Dimitriadas, 2005, p. 903). In other words, get people
talking and the insights will often go further because of the group dynamic.
Focus
groups are more commonly conducted face to face, with participants,
researchers, and focus group facilitator all together in one place. However, it
is becoming more common for focus groups to be conducted virtually, via real
time chat or video conferencing. Although Beck and Manuel (2008) assert that
“library and information science practitioner-researchers have not yet used
electronic interviews or virtual focus groups to any significant degree,” these
methods are less costly in terms of administration and data transcription (p.
94-95). It is conceivable that the
benefits will outweigh the challenges of conducting virtual research into the
future.
Now,
what are the basics of conducting focus groups? The basic structure consists of
a group of six to ten participants taking part in an organized but flexible
conversation that will last one to two hours. A moderator facilitates the
discussion, notes are taken, and the entire conversation is usually recorded
for later transcription. The role of the moderator is an important one, and if
an expert moderator is not available, training should be explored. The
“moderator sets the tone of the session . . . [and] needs to strike a balance
between ease and formality that encourages the free flow of information but
that also requests that participants take the session seriously” (Beck &
Manuel, 2008, p.96).
Of
course there are issues that can arise when a group meets for a discussion.
Some people tend to dominate group discussion while others rarely speak. It is
the moderator’s job to make sure that all viewpoints are heard. Beck and Manuel
(2008) outline some types of focus group participants that can be challenging
in a group discussion: dominant talkers, long-winded participants, the expert,
the argumentative type, the shy person. It is important to think ahead of ways
to deal with the various personalities one may encounter in a focus group.
Careful
consideration should go into populating a focus group. Once the topic is
decided, you need to think of who would be the best people to inquire about it.
Other things to think about are how many participants in total will the study include?
How many groups will be conducted? Should each group contain a varied mix of
people or be more homogeneous? Beck and Manuel (2008) point out that “the
research problem itself primarily drives the answers to these questions through
its purposes and goals” (p. 87).
If
you are considering conducting focus group research, there are many resources
out there to get you started, including the following books:
Glitz, B.
(1998). Focus groups for libraries and librarians. New York, NY: Forbes.
Greenbaum, T. L.
(2000). Moderating focus groups: A practical guide for group facilitation.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Liamputtong, P.
(2011). Focus group methodology: Principles and practices. Los Angeles:
Sage.
Walden, G. R.
(2008). Focus groups: A selective annotated bibliography. Lanham, MD:
Scarecrow Press.
Additionally,
it’s a good idea to review research articles that have used focus groups as a
research method:
Carlock, D. M.,
& Perry, A. M. (2008). Exploring faculty experiences with e-books: A focus
group. Library Hi Tech, 26(2), 244-254.
doi:10.1108/07378830810880342
Courtois, M. P.,
& Turtle, E. C. (2008). Using faculty focus groups to launch a scholarly
communication program. OCLC Systems & Services: International Digital
Library Perspectives, 24(3), 160-166. doi:10.1108/10650750810898192
Fagerheim, B.
A., & Weingart, S. J. (2005). Using focus groups to assess student needs. Library
Review, 54(9), 524-530. doi:10.1108/00242530510629542
MacMillan, D.,
McKee, S., & Sadler, S. (2007). Getting everyone on the same page: A staff
focus group study for library web site redesign. Reference Services Review,
35(3), 425-433. doi:10.1108/00907320710774292
Waters, M.
(1996). A children's focus group discussion in a public library: part one. Public
Library Quarterly, 15(2), 5-6.
Focus
groups can generate quick and plentiful data for a research project. Their
benefits include a relatively low cost, highly detailed data, synergistic
results from group participation, and flexibility. Some drawbacks of focus
groups include problems with dominant personalities, potential scheduling
hassles, the possibility of group think (comes from the desire for harmony
within a group which is trying to minimize potential conflict), and outcomes
that are highly dependent on the moderator (adapted from Beck & Manuel,
2008, p. 79). However, when you want to discover how a group of people
perceives a particular service or topic, a focus group can be the way to go.
Next time, we will take a look at a method that is related to focus groups –
the interview.
References
Beck, S. E.,
& Manuel, K. (2008). Practical research methods for librarians and
information professionals. New York, NY: Neal-Schuman.
Bell, J. (2010).
Doing your research project: A guide for first-time researchers in
education, health and social sciences. New York, NY: Open University.
Kamberelis, G.,
& Dimitriadas, G. (2005). Focus groups: Strategic articulations of
pedagogy, politics, and inquiry. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The
Sage handbook of qualitative research, (3rd ed.) (pp. 887-907).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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