QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS: FOCUS GROUPS

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QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODSFOCUS GROUPS

• Lecture, Week 3
• 24th October 2003, 2pm
• Alexandra Lobb

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Introduction

• What are FGs?
• Why use FGs?
• FG Guidelines
• How to analyse FGs
• Case study
• Results
• Conclusion
• References

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Classification
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What are focus groups (FGs)?

• FGs are group interviews or discussions, guided
  by a moderator or a facilitator.
• Groups are organised to explore a specific set
  of issues relating to peoples views and
  experiences (Kitzinger, 1994).
• Focus comes from collective activity on a theme.

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Why use FGs?

• Gather information from people in an informal,
  non-confrontational setting.
• The group allows for interaction amongst people.
• They allow researchers to determine if their
  questions illicit the desired response.

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When should you use FGs?

• To collect qualitative data.
• Examine a persons views, beliefs and
• Also to interpret the groups dynamics
• Interaction
• Way of understanding
• Language.

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Summary of FG Uses

• Learning how respondents talk about the topic of
  interest
• Generating research hypotheses for further
  testing
• Stimulating new ideas
• Diagnosing potential problems for a new policy
  programme
• Obtaining general background information
• Interpreting previously obtained qualitative
  results.
• (Stewart Shamdasani, 1990).

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Characteristics

• 6-12 people from similar backgrounds.
• Discussing a topic in an informal but moderated
  environment for 1-3 hours.
• Facilitator or moderator.
• Public and private sector research.
• Often multi-disciplinary.

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FGs in practice

• Guidelines
• Recruitment
• Logistics
• Analysis
• Report writing

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1. Guidelines

• What are the aims of your research?
• What does your budget allow?
• A pilot study?
• A guideline may include
• recruitment criteria
• questions or topic areas for moderator
• prompts/examples/diagrams/flip charts for the
  moderator to use
• outline for the moderator on the degree of
  control or flexibility to be exercised.

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2. Recruitment

• What is my target population?
• Are there any ethical considerations?
• How many groups do I need?
• How many people in each group?
• Does the composition of the groups matter?
• How should you recruit?
• screening questionnaire

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3. Logistics

• Should an incentive be provided?
• What location should you use?
• Traditional
• Virtual
• How should you record the discussion?
• Note taking
• Audio
• Video

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4. Analysis

• Qualitative data requires
• qualitative analysis
• Examples
• Framework analysis (discussed later)
• Conversation analysis
• Computer programmes
• i.e. Code based qualitative analysis software
• NUDIST
• NVivo
• There are many types of different analysis
  techniques
• find the one which suits your means, ends
• capabilities.

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5. Report writing

• Dependent on your research aims guidelines
• What did you ask?
• What did you find?
• What exactly do you conclude?
• To whom do your conclusions apply?
• Plan any follow up research or action.

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CASE STUDY EU Food safety project

• European wide investigation of issues surrounding
  the communication of food risks and assessment of
  consumers attitudes to trust in the food supply
  chain.
• 4 sets of 4 focus groups were conducted across
  the EU (Italy, the Netherlands, Germany the UK).

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Guidelines

• 4 groups, each for 2 hours
• Recruitment criteria were specified
• Protocol for moderators was provided with
  questions and prompt suggestions
• 3 main topic sections
• Food choice
• Trust safety
• Communication agency.
• Guidelines on analysis and report writing were
  provided.

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Recruitment criteria

• Each group 6-8 people
• 5050 male and female
• Non-homogenous with respect to age education
• 4 groups
• pleasure
• indifference
• care
• concern.

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Recruitment procedure

• Advert placed in local supermarkets.
• Investigated advert in local newspaper.
• Used recruitment agency.
• Costs
• Recruitment agency fee
• incentive for each participant
• Moderator fee

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Pre-group planning

• Room, setting, time.
• Recording equipment
• 2 audio tape recorders
• 1 computer recording programme.
• Ethical considerations.

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The protocol

• Each of the three main sections were outlined and
  questions that the researchers want answered were
  detailed with prompts provided.
• Different types of questions prompts.
• E.g. finding out about food production processes
  how would you ask about this and elicit a
  response, and how do you adequately record
  responses?

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Group demographics

• 29 participants, (7 per group).
• 2/3 women 1/3 men.
• Age range from 21-60 years.
• Mean age for women 42.6 years men 32 years.
• Education levels.
• Composition of household.

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Food Choice

• What are the most important factors that affect
  your food choice?
• How much choice do you feel you have in terms of
  buying food?
• How influential are different kinds of
  information in your food choices?

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Trust and Safety

• Does knowing where food comes from affect your
  choice?
• Do you consider safety issues when purchasing
  food? Who do you trust to provide you with this
  info?
• Who should be in charge of FS issues?
• Who should be responsible if food was unsafe?

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Trust safety continued

• Who would actually be responsible if a food scare
  occurred?
• Have there been improvements in FS over the last
  10 years? Examples?
• Which are the food scare/s that worry you most?
• What are the causes contributions to these food
  scares?

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Trust safety continued

• As a consequence of food scares did you change
  your behaviour as a consumer?
• Have you changed your opinions of the different
  actors involved?
• Do you have any specific concerns, opinions or
  considerations towards GM food?

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Communication

• How satisfied are you with the way in which you
  are presently informed about FS issues?
• What makes information trustworthy?
• What role as a consumer/citizen (if any) do you
  feel you have to influence the decisions
  affecting FS issues?

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Framework analysis

• Involves making a grid of groups and questions
  and filling in the relevant information
• Used to highlight similarities and difficulties
• Allows for easy comparison across groups

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Results

• UK consumers relate to food scares with a degree
  of scepticism
• Food risk communication is neither widely
  accessed nor accessed or understood by UK
  consumers
• UK consumer is resistant to trust the government
  to provide FS information
• UK consumer feels that no institution has the
  public agenda at heart
• UK consumers feel they are to blame for the
  existence of food scares and the lack of control
  over food choice.

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Limitations

• Groups lacked cohesion as a result of certain
  recruitment criteria e.g. gender balance
  non-homogeneity in age and education.
• Hence dominant participants in each group may
  have biased the discussions results.

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Next step?

• The conclusions from this FG and the ones held
  across Europe will be compared and contrasted.
• The information revealed is expected to provide
  major input for the next step in the project
  the questionnaire.
• Qualitative research used as input into more
  quantitative work.

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ConclusionAdvantages Disadvantages

• Interaction
• Rich qualitative data
• Flexible
• Suitable for use with children
• Results are accessible and understandable

• Small number of respondents
• Non representative sample
• Open ended responses mean for interpretational
  problems
• Single participant may dominate and bias results
• Guidelines may influence responses

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More info?

• Malhotra, N.K. (1999), Marketing Research,
  Prentice Hall
• Silverman, D. (2000), Doing Qualitative Research,
  Sage
• Morgan, D.L. (1998), The Focus Group Guidebook,
  Sage
• Greenbaum, T.L. (1998), The Handbook for Focus
  Group Research, Sage