Focus group research for
Extension Agents
How this easily adaptable tool can be
used for needs analysis, pre-testing
and evaluation
Paul Monaghan
FFL In-Service Training
May 21, 2014
What is a focus group?
Group interview guided by a moderator. Usually
6-8 people who may be randomly chosen to
participate or selectively chosen because they
all share some experience or opinion of interest
to the researcher.
Why Conduct a Focus Group?
• A valuable information collection tool for initial
understanding of a topic or program
• A very useful tool for collecting information on the
human dimensions of natural resource issues
• Allows you to gather information on diverse
stakeholder perspectives
• Commonly used in the business/marketing world to
understand audiences
• Used to pre-test messages, materials and products
• Often used in survey design
I have used focus groups to…
 Uncover social marketing concepts (audience
analysis, barriers to change, hidden benefits of
behavior change)
 Assess community or organizational needs
 Foster participation in a future program
 Test survey questions
 Pre-testing educational and marketing
materials, messages, graphics, etc.
Important Distinctions of Focus Groups
 Many other activities often confused with focus
groups:
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Discussion groups
Delphi groups
Community forums
Town meetings
Brainstorming groups
 Focus Groups collect and analyze qualitative data on
opinions, attitudes and perceptions
 They use group interaction to stimulate discussion
 They have structured discussion guides but can and
should be open to wider discussion of topics
Focus Group Basics
1.
2.
3.
4.
Minimum number to conduct
Min and max number of participants
Who participates?
Not trying to generalize to a larger
population
5. Attempt to dig deeper into why people have
different attitudes, knowledge and
behaviors, how they will react to something,
what their interests are
6. Ethics and privacy
Components of Focus Groups
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Questionnaire design
Planning and Recruiting
Moderating
Analysis of data
Getting feedback on results; reporting
Designing good open ended questions
Exercise 1
1. Begin by thinking of an audience or group of
stakeholders- HOA members, landscape
contractors, workshop participants.
2. What are 3 things you would like to learn
from them to understand their interests,
their beliefs, why they do something you
don’t understand.
Write those 3 learning objectives on a
piece of paper
1. Now begin with an icebreaker question.
Something like, “what’s the best thing about…”
2. Here are some examples from my work:
a) What makes this a strong community?
b) What is the one thing we can do to preserve
large bass in the state?
c) What does an “environmentally friendly yard”
look like to you?
d) Do you ever worry we won’t have enough
water? What makes you say that?
Now come up with 5
conversational questions
• Start out with broad or general topics
• Narrow it down to a more specific topic
• Decide on probing questions and follow-up
questions
• Make sure they are “conversational” questions
• Tell me about the time when…
• If you were the boss…
• In five years, what would this look like?
• What haven’t we discussed here that you think is
important?
Practice your questions with someone
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Explain your 3 research objectives
Practice your questions out loud
Modify if they are awkward or complicated
Ask your partner to suggest probing questions
or follow ups
• Write down all suggestions
• Finalize your icebreaker and 3-5 questions
• We will debrief together and ask “Will they
start a conversation?”
Can we conduct a focus group with FFL
Educators about the new water
savings survey?
2. Planning and Recruiting
 Conceptualize, define key questions and goals
 Identify target groups, number of groups
 Outline costs and budget
– Travel for coordinators, food/beverages, room costs,
equipment and materials, staff, etc.
 Arrange logistics
– Venue, food, voice recording, human subjects approval,
note taker(s), etc.
 Develop focus group script
2. Planning and Recruiting
• Identify target stakeholder/demographic group(s)
(e.g. urban residents, environmental NGOs, local
government, etc.)
• Develop recruitment strategy and timeline:
– Who will be recruited and how? e.g. random phone calls,
local expert contacts, e-mail, hand-written letters, etc.
– How many will be recruited? (Ideal number for a focus
group is 6 to 8 people)
• Rule of thumb: Recruit 12 to 15 in order to have 6 to 8 show up.
3. Moderating
 Prepare and practice detailed focus group script that
moderator uses as guide
 A focus group moderator will:
– Establish clear ground rules, expectations
– Create a safe environment for sharing opinions
– Encourage different points of view-- do not force voting or
reaching consensus
– Encourage group interaction, idea sharing, conversation
– Use “subtle group control”, e.g. encourage quieter
members to speak, politely control dominant participants
Challenges of Moderating
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Managing group dynamics and personalities
Creating a safe, neutral environment
Building trust
Gathering opinions and perspectives from everyone
present
Not leading or persuading, remaining neutral
Stimulating discussion
Maintaining focus on topics in script
Being respectful of everyone while moving through
discussion script efficiently
4. Analysis and reporting
1. Archive your notes, observations, debrief with
others
2. If you have recorded it, transcribe it
3. Add demographic or descriptive features to the
speakers
4. Read and reread
5. Make notes in the margins
6. Use different colored highlighters
7. Cut and paste
Projects using focus groups to
understand homeowners and
conservation behavior in the landscape
Manatee County: Stormwater Ponds, nutrient
control and landscaping issues.
Alachua County: Water conservation in the
landscape to protect springsheds; GRU evaluation
of soil moisture sensor pilot project.
Hillsborough County: Tampa Community Tree
Program.
Projects using focus groups to build
community capacity to address other
Extension issues
1. Escambia County, Florida Sea Grant, developing new
programming to address coastal resilience and sea
level rise.
2. Levy County (Cedar Key), learning from the response
to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, how can Gulf
communities increase resiliency for future disasters?
3. Lee County (Pine Island Sound), Florida Sea Grant,
how can commercial and recreational fishermen work
together to protect natural resources such as
seagrass?
How can a state conservation organization
use focus groups to understand its
target audience?
• Black Bass Management Program
is a long-term, science based and
citizen guided plan to establish
Florida as the undisputed Bass
Fishing Capital of the World
• Developed collaboratively by the
Florida Fish and Wildlife
Commission and a Technical
Assistance Group of anglers,
guides, business owners, tourism
industry and university
researchers.
Why are Black Bass Important?
• 3 million acres of lakes
• 12,000 miles of rivers,
streams and canals
• Bass anglers spend 14
million days fishing a year
• 1.25 billion to state’s
economy
• Florida’s bass has been
used to stock fisheries
around the world
Key component is TrophyCatch
The TrophyCatch program will:
1. Create a statewide record keeping system to document
catches of trophy bass.
2. Instill a stronger catch and release conservation ethic
among anglers.
3. Educate anglers about the importance of trophy fish to
our fish populations.
4. Allow the public to participate in the management of
Florida’s unique aquatic resources.
5. Provide an understanding of the necessary components
of a trophy fishery.
(Do focus group participants share these goals?)
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Lunker Club (8-9.99 pounds) - $65 plus in value
TrophyCatch Lunker bass
Requirements: Photo documentation of ENTIRE bass (head to tail) on scale with weight clearly legible + TrophyCatch
application + Bass must be released.
Competition: Year-round. Begins October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Reward: $50 Bass Pro Shops gift card + Customized Bass King T-shirt + Discounts for Sportsman on Canvas and other prizes +
Entered into drawings for gift cards from Bass Pro Shops and Dick's Sporting Goods + TrophyCatch certificate + Exclusive
TrophyCatch Lunker Club window decal.
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Trophy Club (10-12.99 pounds) - $150 plus in value
TrophyCatch Trophy bass
Requirements: Same as Lunker Club requirements (above).
Competition: Year-round. Begins October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Reward: $150 worth of gift cards (Bass Pro Shops, Dick's Sporting Goods, and/or Rapala) + Long-sleeved Bass King shirt +
Discounts for Sportsman on Canvas and other prizes + Entered into a drawing for fishing trips + TrophyCatch certificate +
Exclusive TrophyCatch Trophy Club window decal.
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Hall of Fame Club (13 pounds or greater) - $1,000 plus in value
TrophyCatch Hall Of Fame bass
Requirements: Same as Lunker Club requirements (above).
Competition: Year-round. Begins October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Reward: Free fiberglass replica mount ($500 value) + Gift cards worth $200 (Bass Pro Shops, Dick's Sporting Goods and
Rapala) + Bass King duffle bag with customized hoody, shirt, hat + A Glen Lau DVD + Honored at annual rewards event +
Name entered into Florida Bass Hall of Fame at Florida Bass Conservation Center + Entered into drawing for fishing trip with
Peter Miller (Bass2Billfish) + TrophyCatch certificate + Exclusive TrophyCatch Hall of Fame Club window decal + Additional
prizing to be determined.
Focus Group Guide
1. What one thing should be done to increase the population
of trophy bass in Florida?
2. What actions do you take to preserve these bass?
3. Are there management practices that could be more
effective at preserving trophy bass?
4. How did you become familiar with TC?
5. Are you familiar with the prizes offered?
6. What do you think the goals of the program are?
7. Have you reported a fish to TC?
8. What was that process like for you?
9. Do you think anglers would participate without the prizes?
10. What would motivate you to participate and motivate
others?
First round of coding
1. What is one thing that should be done to improve the
number of trophy bass in the state?
2. Why is it important to you to support TrophyCatch?
3. How did you become aware of TrophyCatch?
4. What do you know about the rewards offered by
TrophyCatch?
5. What are the barriers to participating in TrophyCatch?
6. What was it like to register a fish? (website problems)
Second round of coding
(splitting and lumping)
1. What is one thing that should be done to improve the number of
trophy bass in the state?
– Catch and release (more trophy lakes and better enforcement).
– Environmental concerns (development, pollution runoff, weed
control)
– Slot limits (taking smaller bass or limiting large bass)
– Tournament limits (including a focus on improving survival
(reducing mortality)
2. Why is it important to you to support TrophyCatch?
– Fish genetics (mentions of breeding programs, comparison with
other states)
– Promoting Florida fishing
– Miscellaneous responses (Provide Data; Marketing-Economic
Development)
Second round of coding
(using Max QDA)
What do you know about the rewards offered by
TrophyCatch?
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Lack knowledge
Importance of prizes
Guide rewards
Suggestions
What are the barriers to participating in TrophyCatch?
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Fish health
Items needed for reporting
Reaching audiences
Attitudes
Conclusions
1. Are you doing them yourself, hiring a
contractor or working on a team?
2. Minimum numbers
3. Practice the questions, modify them, get
feedback
4. If the first one goes badly or takes you in new
directions, regroup and modify
5. Ethics and privacy
6. Recruiting
Sources
1. NOAA Social Science Tools for Coastal Programs:
Introduction to Conducting Focus Groups
(http://csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/sites/default/fi
les/files/1366308805/focus_groups.pdf)
2. Morgan and Krueger The Focus Group Kit. Sage
Press.
3. Richard Krueger, Designing and Conducting
Focus Group Interviews
(http://www.eiu.edu/~ihec/KruegerFocusGroupInterviews.pdf)