Focus
Groups
“ A carefully planned discussion designed to
obtain perceptions on a defined area of interest
in a permissive, nonthreatening environment .”
Krueger, 1988. Focus groups: A Practical Guide for
Applied Research, Sage Publications. pg 18.
© 2009 University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
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Check your focus group IQ!
Answer the following questions. Then check your
responses with answers on the following slides.
1. What makes a focus group
a focus group?
2. Why would I want to use a focus group?
3. Who participates in a focus group?
4. How is a focus group conducted?
5. How many groups are needed?
6. What do you do with all the information that
you get?
Answers and more follow
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1. What makes a focus group
a focus group?
A focus group is actually an interview –
a structured small group interview
It is focused in two ways:
– Select individuals participate who are similar to each
other as determined by the purpose of the study
– The information that is collected is focused on a
particular topic, guided by a set of focused questions.
• Questions are predetermined and sequenced,
often moving from general to more specific
questions
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What a focus group is not…
• A nominal group or
Delphi process that seeks
to build consensus
• A community forum
• A legal hearing or public testimony
• A panel discussion about a topic or issue
• A study group
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2. Why would I want to use a focus
group?
• To understand what youth think, their needs,
motivations, attitudes, values
• To understand the logic and rational
surrounding their decisions
• To better understand what youth or
volunteers experience during a program
• To capture the synergy of ‘group talk’
• To collect more in-depth information and
understanding
More
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• To collect better information from young
children or when a written survey is not
appropriate
– Example: As part of an after-school program
evaluation, we conducted focus groups with children in
grades 2 and 3. They are not shy at this age and with a
friendly opener (like sharing popcorn or a snack), they
were very conversant and open.
• To obtain information or gain understanding
in order to write better questions for
standardized data collection
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When not to use focus groups
• When you want to generalize
to a larger group or population
• When statistical answers are needed
• When the topic is so controversial that
people don’t listen to each other
• When the topic is sensitive and more
appropriate for an individual interview
• When you cannot control who participates
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Cautions and limitations
• They look easy to do but they require skill to be
successful
• Some topics aren’t appropriate for group
discussion
• Confidentiality can be a concern
• Group dynamics and group pressure can interfere
• People may say what they think is socially or
politically right ; particularly with youth who may be
accustomed to giving adults the “right” answers
• Data cannot/should not be generalized
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3. Who participates in a focus group?
• 5-8 people per
group
• Individuals with
common
characteristics that
relate to the topic
being discussed
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Selecting Participants
• Be thoughtful and deliberate about who you
invite
• Use a recruiting strategy: take nominations,
use a list (membership, affiliation,
participation list); piggyback onto another
event
– As appropriate, develop a pool of eligible
participants and then randomly select from
that pool
• Personalize the invitation
• Consider incentives
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Incentives for participants
• Food
• Positive, personal invitation that communicates the
importance of the focus group and their
participation
“Your ideas will help…”
“We want to hear from you.”
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Convenient location
Money
Gifts; gift certificates
Provide child care
Think about the cultural appropriateness of
incentives.
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4. How is a focus group conducted?
Steps in a successful focus group
• Planning the study
• Selecting participants carefully
• Moderating the group skillfully
• Capturing the data
• Asking quality questions
• Using appropriate analysis
- Richard A. Krueger, March 2009 workshop
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Planning the focus group study
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Be clear about your purpose
Identify “information rich” participants
Plan enough focus groups
Identify convenient locations and times
Seek insight from others about improving the
plan
• Think about how you will create a nonthreatening environment
- Richard A. Krueger, March 2009 workshop
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Moderating the Focus Group: Moderator skills
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Be mentally prepared
Establish rapport – welcome people
Maintain an open and non-threatening environment
Use the standard introduction
Facilitate the group – ensure all participate without
domination by some
Use pauses and probes to obtain information
Hold opinions; avoids answering questions
Control any type of reactions to participants or what
is being said
Stay on time and on topic
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An assistant moderator can help
• Takes responsibility for equipment,
refreshments, room arrangement
• Welcomes participants
• Takes notes and operates equipment
• Does not participate in the discussion
• May ask for clarification of discussion
• May present a summary of key points at the
end for group feedback
• Debriefs with moderator
• Assists with analysis
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Beginning the Focus Group
• The first few moments are critical
– Create a thoughtful, permissive atmosphere
– Build rapport
– Set the tone
• Standard introduction:
– Welcome
– Overview and purpose
– Procedures
– Ground rules
For script of an introduction, see other materials on
the web site.
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Asking good questions
• Carefully develop and test the questions in
advance
• Use open-ended questions
• Limited the number of questions (10 or less)
• Avoid asking ‘why’ questions
• Use probes and dig deeper
• Use “think back” questions
• Have concluding questions
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Concluding questions
• Summary question
"Is this an adequate summary?"
• All things considered question
Ask participants to reflect on the entire
discussion and then offer their positions
or opinions
• Final question
"Have we missed anything?”
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Capturing the data
Recommendation: use more than one of the
following. An assistant moderator can help.
• Take notes during the conversation
• Use a tape recorder or a video recorder
• Use a flip chart to capture notes
• Record discussion on a laptop computer
• Use your memory
• Immediately, at the end of the focus group
meeting, write down key notes and observations
• Debrief with assistant moderator
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5. How many groups are needed for a
study?
• More than one
• Repeated groups (multiple sessions)
The number “depends”…
Recommendation: Include groups until
no new insights and information are
revealed.
Actuality: Time and resources often
determine how many focus group sessions
you will hold. Consider 2-3 at a minimum.
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6. What do you do with all the
information that you get?
• Have a plan for what you will do with the data
before you start the focus groups
• Be systematic
• Apply appropriate qualitative data analysis
procedures (see: Qualitative data analysis
http://learningstore.uwex.edu/pdf/G3658-12.PDF
• Identify recurring themes and patterns
– Highlight commonalities and differences
• Summarize and report across all the sessions
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Summary
• A focus group is a special type of group
discussion
• It requires skill to conduct them well
• Careful planning will yield better results.
Give special attention to:
– Participant selection; recruiting the
participants
– Developing meaningful questions
© 2009 University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
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Re-check your focus group IQ!
What did you learn
or have reinforced?
1. What makes a focus group a focus group?
2. Why would I want to use a focus group?
3. How is a focus group conducted?
4. Who participates in a focus group?
5. How many groups are needed?
6. What do you do with all the information that
you get?
© 2009 University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
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May we suggest you
read a Journal of
Extension article to
see how a group at
Oregon Extension
used focus groups to
evaluate their youth
development program
Link on the 4-H evaluation
web page or go to
http://www.joe.org/joe/2008december/rb3.php
© 2009 University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
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A Focus Group web module with
additional resources will be available
in late 2009 at
www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande
© 2009 University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension, Program Development and Evaluation
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