Focus Groups

A focus group is a particular type of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their opinions and attitudes towards an idea. Questions are asked in an interactive group set up where participants are free to discuss with other group members.

There are several differetn forms of focus group.

• A two way focus group is where one group watches another and discusses what they observe.
• In a dual moderator focus group, two moderators ensure all topics are covered.
• Whereas in dueling moderator focus groups, two moderators take opposite sides on the issue under discussion.
• In a mini focus group, only four or five people take part rather than the usual six to twelve.

Advantages:

• Being in a group setting allows group members to be influenced and prompted by the experiences and ideas of the other participents. This is known as the 'group effect.'
• Group members discover a common language to describe their experiences.
• Focus groups provide a setting where participants feel comfortable discussing issues.

Disadvantages:

• The interviewer does not have as much control over the situation as in a one to one setting. Time may be lost on irrelevant issues.
• Data is difficult to analyse because answers may be in response to the comments of other group members.
• The data obtained is not necessarily representative of the whole population.
• The questions are raised by the researcher which can question the data's validity.