Focus Groups

by Nancy Pindus

What are they used to measure?

The purpose of focus groups is to gain insight into the experiences and perspectives of various stakeholders, such as program participants, customers, or employees. Focus groups are not merely question-and-answer sessions, but involve discussion within structured agendas, based on topics supplied by the researcher. Focus groups are useful either as a self-contained means of collecting data or as a supplement to both quantitative and other qualitative methods, such as interviews and observation.

How do they work?

Focus groups offer an opportunity to observe a large amount of interaction on a topic in a limited time. The key is the facilitator's control over assembling and running the sessions. Researchers need to consider group size, selection of participants, instructions, and questions, as well as data analysis. Focus groups usually consist of five to ten participants and are generally planned to last two hours.

Focus group participants are selected based on predetermined characteristics. Typically, participants are somewhat homogeneous but unfamiliar with each other. The nature of the homogeneity is determined by the purpose of the study. Focus groups with neighborhood residents may use as selection factors characteristics such as proximity to program, use or disuse of center, or neighborhood characteristics. Other characteristics such as gender, age, race, occupation, or education history may play a role in keeping the groups well represented. Different groups may also possibly be held for persons of particular demographic characteristics.

Sessions begin with a thorough explanation of the group's purpose, establishing the context of the questions. Focus group instruments can look deceptively simple, usually including fewer than ten questions, and often limited to five or six. The questions are open-ended and designed to elicit detailed responses, including anecdotal material. If such questions were asked in an individual interview, the respondent could probably answer all in a matter of minutes. When the questions are posed in a group, the discussion can last for more than an hour.

Focus group data consist of the observations of facilitators and observers, brief summary notes, and tape recordings. Researchers review data for all sessions, looking for opinions, trends, patterns and specific information. Although focus group data are qualitative and not statistically representative, focus group analysis is systematic and verifiable.

Research examples

"Industry and Cross-Industry Worker Mobility: Experiences, Trends, and Opportunities for Low-Wage Workers in Health Care, Hospitality, and Child Care"

"The Application Process For TANF, Food Stamps, Medicaid and SCHIP: Issues For Agencies and Applicants, Including Immigrants and Limited English Speakers"

Kinship Care: Making the Most of a Valuable Resource