Conducting a Focus Group
Objective/Activity Description: Students will become comfortable preparing for and conducting a focus group as part
of social science research.
Time: 60 min
Materials:
• Notepads & pens
• Whiteboard & markers
Skills:
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Listening & observation
Note taking
Confidence
Critical thinking
Teamwork
Background:
Conducting focus groups enables researchers to gather information from multiple perspectives and voices at once. This workshop
trains participants in the use of the focus group as an anthropological research method. Preparing for a focus group also
forces students to clarify the goal of their project, what they want to learn, and the roles of team members. It entails identifying
experts and potential allies related to chosen research topics. Practicing focus groups builds teamwork, listening skills, and helps
participants understand the importance of capturing different positions on an issue when conducting community-based research.
Resources:
• This Duke University resource supports those teaching focus groups as a technique:
https://assessment.trinity.duke.edu/documents/How_to_Conduct_a_Focus_Group.pdf
Procedures:
1. Ask if anyone can explain what a focus group is. Work with the students to arrive at a definition such as: a focus group is a roundtable discussion with 6-8 people that is moderated by a researcher with the goal of gathering information
and perspectives on a chosen topic. 2. Ask why a researcher would choose to conduct a focus group rather than a survey or interview. Briefly discuss the distinct applications and utility of each method, highlighting that surveys and interviews are best for gaining information from an individual while focus groups enable the researcher to learn how questions prompt an exchange of different ideas
and positions.
Green Ambassadors lead a focus group in Bronzeville with Centers for New Horizons (staff and youth leaders).
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3. Now lead a discussion with the whole group, capturing notes on a board, about preparing, conducting, and following up a focus group.
a. Preparing for a focus group
i. Define a research problem or question(s).
ii. Identify and schedule appointments with the “right” people. Consider gender, age, and ethnicity of participants. inviting people that will feel comfortable together discussing the research topic.
iii. Draft focus group questions (8-10). Highlight the value of questions that generate conversation flow and diverse responses.
iv. Identify team roles – scheduler, moderator, note takers, etc.
v.Create informed consent document or statement. Discuss with students the importance of informing focus group participants what their information will be used for, and the ethical responsibility to gain consent.
b. Conducting a focus group
i. Begin with a welcome, introduction of the project, and gain informed consent.
ii. Moderator asks questions – being ready and responsive with follow ups; listening carefully; encouraging everyone to speak.
iii. One or more team members, other than the moderator, take notes.
iv. Ask participants if they would recommend other people to be contacted for the research study.
v. Provide contact information to enable further communication.
vi.Thank participants and close.
c. Follow up from a focus group
i. Immediately type up notes and add reflections (memory fades fast).
ii. Discuss findings as a team.
iii. Highlight key themes or unanswered questions from the focus group.
iv. Reach out to suggested contacts.
4. Formulate questions and practice conducting a focus group.
a. Have students form teams of three people. Instruct each team to take 5 minutes to write down in one sentence what they want to learn from their focus group, and a list of questions to help them accomplish this.
b. Instruct teams to pair with another team and conduct their focus groups for 5 minutes, then switch roles for another 5 minutes.
c. Have each team report back, stating their research goal and sharing one thing they learned during the session and one reflection on the focus group process. Capture key insights on the board.
Reflection:
• End the workshop by reviewing the utility of the focus group as a method, and having students recall the key steps involved. Highlight the value of preparation, selecting the right participants, and drafting good questions. Major Sponsor
Find this and other climate action tools at
climatechicago.fieldmuseum.org
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