The focus group component of the community health needs assessment moved through five phases. More detailed information can be found in the reference section below. Participants in a focus group sage publications inc. Twogigabyte focus database support enabling twogigabyte support nf777. How focus group analysis is different there is not one way to do qualitative analysis. About focus groups a word about using focus groups for data collection 3 agenda for a practitioner focus group sample agenda and list of required materials for a practitioner focus group 4 part ii. The focus group needs to be appropriate for the type of participants in the group.
A focus group lasting more than 90 minutes probably includes too many questions or topics for discussion. Depending on the research objective, the focus group can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods. For example, if you are conducting a focus group and looking for people who recently started using your site, ask the question in a way that includes multiple elimination answers. 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. Providing examples through qualitative analysis is a process of. Using focus group methodology to understand international. Here is a sample set of questions that could be used for many consumer products.
Partitioned focus data sources partitioning intelligent partitioning specifying an access file in a focus master file the focus access file focus access file attributes describing joined files nf778. The format is designed to evoke rich information and insights that would be difficult to get through other data collection methodsfor example, through a survey or. Depending on district context, leadership teams may decide to use focus groups or surveys to illuminate student perspectives, experiences and expertise. The following steps are suggested for developing the focus group discussion guide.
Using focus groups in schools sage publications inc. This makes it harder for a participant to deduct the right answer. If you wait until all the focus groups are completed before you transcribe or begin to analyze, youve missed a huge opportunity to learn and improve. The guide is designed to help ndi program staff in the field and in d. And remember, ifyou are using a computer, make backup files. Focus group facilitation guide and questions focus group facilitation thank you for facilitating our focus group. Focus groups generally utilize convenience sampling. The flexible format allows the facilitator to explore unanticipated issues that may.
Recording focus groups roles and responsibilities of note takers focus group note taking form. For example, focus groups may be used to better understand the participants. Steps in conducting focus group interviews follow this stepbystep advice to help ensure highquality results. Some good examples of probes used to help clarify what an interview. Analyzing along the way provides opportunities to collect better data. Introduce yourself and the notetaker if applicable and carry on the focus group according to the script. Selecting participants members of a focus group should have some characteristic that they share in. The first round included two student focus groups, one undergraduate and one graduate, and one faculty focus group. Focus group interviews are also recommended as a pre or poststudy to prepare or interpret data from surveys or trial studies. This protocol was developed to provide consistent guidelines for departments within the division of student affairs who plan to conduct focus groups. Important skills that a group moderator should possess 3. Once the focus group discussions have been transcribed, analysis can begin. Topics covered in this publication include focus group basics, preparing for the focus group, developing effective questions, planning the focus group session and analyzing the data.
It can negatively impact the discussion if the facilitator is stopping to write things down. Conduct the session, being mindful of the following. Providing examples, 2 identification of themes, and 3 sharing of insights. The first few moments in focus group discussion are critical. Example to understand how extension and plant protection officials make decisions in response of pest outbreaks. Semistructured interviews and focus groups margaret c.
Literatureguidedboththe contentandformatofthe ques. Firearms and violence topical working group meeting summary 2011 november 30 and december 1, 2011 on this page find. Arrive before the participants to set up room, refreshments, etc. This section also provides some useful tips on recruitment. Focus group is defined as a small group of carefully selected participants who contribute in open discussions for research about a new product or a feature update or any other topic to generalize the results from this concentrated discussion to the entire population. The question section is where you ask the questions that you designed and tested in step 4 3. The focus group discussion fgd report is based on findings from 17 fgds and one international 25 expert conference, held in 16 countries with over 200 participants.
The clients and moderator develop this guide together. Focus group interviewing richard krueger 4 beginning the focus group discussion the first few moments in focus group discussion are critical. Focus groups procedural guide this overview of procedures used in developing and implementing a focus group are just that an overview. Using focus groups in program development and evaluation. Ingredients for successful reintegration acknowledgements the focus group was funded by the neighborhood reinvestment corporation nrc through a task order to the urban institute. 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. This will include the adopted and proposed district plans, vision 2020, current academic plans, current strategic plans, and other planning. Much of the work presented here is taken from two sources. Focus groups are a inexpensive way to identify peoples preferences, motivations, thoughts, feelings and attitude towards a product or service.
Pdf the purpose of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of focus group discussions. The purpose of this focus group is to obtain information about a groups belief and attitudes on female cosmetic products. Focus group tools focus group tools five focus group tools, with notes to guide their use and adaptation 5. Each of the focus groups were approximately two hours in duration and were recruited to ensure that at.
Three examples from family and consumer science research. Sample focus group and survey materials student assessment inventory for school districts help build a case for action. Eleven international students participated in the student focus groups. Focus for mainframe nshe system computing services. College student focus group discussion guide prepared by peter d. The facilitator should be a native speaker who can put people at ease. Today researchers have a variety of choices in analyzing focus group data, and these generally fall into two basic categories. How to conduct a focus group the grantsmanship center. The authors are grateful to nrc for their investment in this focus group and other. Qualities of an effective focus group facilitator 11. Focus group participants we used two rounds of focus group discussions in the study. Homogeneity is most often sought in terms of occupation, social class, educational level, age, education, or family characteristics, and gender unless interaction across these groups is what is driving the study.
Pdf the focus group research method has been used in a variety of settings over the years. Focus groups do not use probability or random samples. We present examples of focus groups from education and healthcare evaluations to illustrate the relationship between focus group evidence, design, and how focus groups are conducted. How was it that you first learned about the program. It is important to have a note taker to record the focus group feedback. The purpose of the study is to examine insert topic of study. Prepare report of the individual focus group in a questionbyquestion format. The method of using group interviews was described as long. Despite this apparent sharp increase in focus group studies in health sciences journals since the 1980 s, there is surprisingly little knowledge about how this method is used and why 1,9,10. In it we describe the different stakeholder groups that we want to include in the research and define the criteria by which participants in each focus group can be selected. The unit or department at the university of arizona is conducting a program assessment under the supervision of insert responsible party, director, etc. Focus group guide handouts2 association of american. We conclude that focus groupsare not a quick and easy methodof collecting. Specify the objectives and information needs of the focus group discussion.
Focus group research focus group in qualitative research. I example, focus groups relating to malaria in the philippines indicated that. 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. Focus groups can help guide marketers in providing better goods and services. Firearms and violence topical working group meeting. Generate and pretest an interview guide the interview guide sets the agenda for the focus group discussion by establishing the research questions to be addressed in the focus group. One person is the facilitator and the other is the note taker. General information washroom locations, refreshments, schedule for the focus group. Select the team conducting a focus group interview requires a small team, with at least a facilitator to guide the discussion and a rapporteur to record it.
Guidelines for conducting a focus group surveys assume that people know how they feel. Th ese techniques are commonly used in policy research and are applicable to many research questions. The goal of todays meeting is to understand if the internal communications and news you currently receive is effective, relevant and valuable to you. Wherever possible, there should be a focus group team. Purpose of the focus group share the reason for gathering people together, what the goal of the.
Dos and donts of a positive focus group experience 5. The information from this discussion would be used for analysis as a whole. Bradley th is course provides an overview of two types of qualitative data collection methodologies. Summary of focus group with ex prisoners in the district. An example of an intermediate is an advisory group member. The shared characteristics may relate to a particular problem, livelihoods occupation, age, social group, place of residence, experience of. Summary of focus group with exprisoners in the district. Sometimes it takes listening to the opinions of others in a small and safe group setting before they form thoughts and opinions. While this publication provides basic information about putting together a focus group project, the researcher or facilitator will play a. This table shows the version history of the conducting focus groups document. In a brief time the moderator must create a thoughtful, permissive atmosphere, provide ground rules, and set the tone of the discussion. There are only a few basic rules to keep in mind while participating today. Toolkit for conducting focus groups, provided by omni, is a great resource intended to assist in conducting focus groups and enhance ones facilitation skills. Set chairs up in a u or o shape around a table if available.
The focus group fg has been actually employed by marketing, and is becoming importanct also in other areas. Advance basic knowledge on acquisition of firearms used in crimes and defensive gun use c. Focus group protocol focus groups are an excellent way to gather qualitative data on the issue or problem you are exploring. We then make a case for using focus groups in schools and also explain when they should not be used. Focus group discussion report for the civil society. Focus group participants should be characterized by homogeneity, but with sufficient variation to allow for contrasting opinions.
The questions and the manner in which the focus group is facilitated will vary based on the type of participants. These focus group discussions lasted from 60 to 90 minutes. It is conducted in the presence of a moderator who will ensure the results are. However, i would appreciate it if only one person did talk at a time. It is for this reason that the political party development team produced from proposal to presentation. Facilitator introduction name and role of facilitators. Family characteristics you want to talk to women who have had babies in the past year to get help in designing a program for new moms. Hart research for the association of american colleges and universities this guide was originally prepared for a set of focus groups commissioned by the association of american colleges and universities and conducted by peter d. The purpose determines how many focus groups are needed and who should be invited to each one.
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