Focus Group discussions

What does being initiated severely into a group do? The role of rewards

by Caroline Kamau

Kamau, C. (2012)

Um instrumento de diagnóstico das representações sociais : o grupo focal

by Nikos Kalampalikis

Kalampalikis, N. (2011). Um instrumento de diagnóstico das representações sociais : o grupo focal (Un outil de diagnostic des représentations sociales : le focus group). Revista Diálogo Educacional, 11(33), 435-467.

Focus groups are spaces of communication that allow us to observe the interactions, the memories and representations... more Focus groups are spaces of communication that allow us to observe the interactions, the memories and representations in the process. They correspond largely to the methodologi- cal requirements of two research fields that have a strong affiliation epistemological: the memory and social representation. Our article is part of this problem and seeks to highlight the fruitfulness of this joint through a field study focused on the symbolic conflict in the Balkans, between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia, “Macedonian case”, putting the history, memory and requirements of this conventional defense in a process of national imaginary meanings.

Odak Grup Görüşmeleri ve Sosyal Temsiller Kuramı - Focus Group Interview and Social Representations Theory

by Halil Eksi

Tuna Şahsuvaroğlu
Halil Ekşi

The use of focus group technique in management research: the example of renewable technology selection in Africa

by Herman Steyn

Focus groups: From collecting data to critical pedagogical practice

by Jelena Pavlovic

Published in Zbornik Instituta za pedagoska istrazivanja (Journal of the Institute for Educational Research), 2007

This paper presents the positivist and constructivist theory and practice of focus groups. We pointed out to the... more This paper presents the positivist and constructivist theory and practice of focus groups. We pointed out to the paradigmatic differences in notional attributes of focus groups, as well as to the historic circumstances of their appearance. We analysed the
practice of focus groups in positivist and constructivist paradigm, through the combination of two interpretative frameworks. The fist level of analysis is Foucault’s genealogy which enables to observe the research as a social technology of disciplining
and producing the discourse of subjectivity. Goffman’s metaphor of social interaction as a “scene” where the rituals of its maintenance and disturbance constantly take place is the second level of analysis of practice of focus groups. These two levels of analysis are the tool for understanding the complex relation between the way in which social practice of research is constituted and the knowledge it produces.

Key words: focus groups, qualitative methodology, genealogy, constructivist paradigm.

Group Dynamics & Power Structures: Toward a Greater Understanding of the Line-Staff Relationship Within the Austin Fire Department

by Texas State PA Applied Research Projects

Baum, Kevin L., "Group Dynamics & Power Structures: Toward a Greater Understanding of the Line-Staff Relationship Within the Austin Fire Department" (1997). Applied Research Projects, Texas State University-San Marcos. Paper 96.
http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/96


Winner of the Pi Alpha Alpha national award for the best masters student paper among students of public affairs and public administration (1998).

Improving survey questionnaires through focus groups.

by Kerth O'Brien

Using focus groups to develop health surveys: An example from research on social relationships and AIDS-preventive behavior

by Kerth O'Brien

Focus Groups, meaning making and data quality

by Patrizia Bertini

To be published in the Springer book “Information Systems: Crossroads for Organization, Management, Accounting and Engineering”, M. De Marco, D. Te’eni, V. Albano, S. Za (Editors) with ISBN: 978-3-7908-2788-0.

Data quality represents a major strategic asset for organisations and privacy is one of the main influencing factors... more Data quality represents a major strategic asset for organisations and privacy is one of the main influencing factors impacting on organisations' practices related to customers' data collection. Other elements which affects this relationship are individuals handling data within the organisation and their different needs, however there is limited research focussing on these aspects. This work presents early findings of an empirical qualitative research using focus groups within a social constructivist approach to delve into managers' perception of data quality and to understand the impact of privacy on organisational practices. Focus groups have been widely adopted in academic research as an exploratory method to collect people's opinion. This study shows how some features, like involving pre-existing groups, the adoption of  questionnaires and the workshops' setting can positively influence focus groups' outcome, encouraging participants' co-operative interaction, helping them to clarify concepts and raising awareness about privacy and data quality.

“We're the Ones to Blame”: Citizens' Representations of Climate Change and the Role of the Media

by Ulrika Olausson

In the discussion on how to meet the challenges of climate change the important role of news reporting is often... more In the discussion on how to meet the challenges of climate change the important role of news reporting is often emphasized; the media are considered to have significant influence on citizens' understandings of the issue. However, studies that empirically explore the media's role in shaping these understandings are rather scarce compared with analyses of media content alone. While fully acknowledging the fruitfulness of the study of media material, this article argues that there are tendencies in these studies to, in a somewhat “media-centric” fashion, reduce the complexity of the relationship between media content and audience reception. The article, which reports on findings from a focus-group study containing 53 Swedish citizens, starts from the premise that this relationship must be subjected to empirical analysis rather than axiomatically asserted, and aims to contribute empirically based knowledge on the connection between media staging of climate change and citizens' representations of this global risk.

La homosexualidad y las relaciones familiares: las reflexiones de dos hombres con VIH

by José Gerardo Alvarado

Homosexuality and family relationships: The refections of two men with HIV
TESIS QUE POR OPTAR AL TÍTULO DE MAESTRÍA EN PSICOLOGÍA CON ESPECIALIDAD EN TERAPIA FAMILIAR, DIVISIÓN DE CIENCIAS DEL COMPORTAMIENTO Y EL DESARROLLO, UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS AMÉRICAS, A. C.

Las relaciones familiares de dos hombres mexicanos seropositivos que se dieron en torno a su homosexualidad se... more Las relaciones familiares de dos hombres mexicanos seropositivos que se dieron en torno a su homosexualidad se exploraron utilizando una etnografía interpretativa desde una postura de construcciónismo social. Se grabaron: (1) un equipo reflexivoestructurado de acuerdoa Tom Andersen, y (2) unas entrevistas individuales con los co-participantes. Los tres integrantes del equipo reflexivo fueron pasantes de psicología, dos al nivel de posgrado y una al nivel de licenciatura. El análisis de los datos se basó en una codificación temática inicial y una segunda codificación de acuerdo a las relaciones a las que se refirieron los co-participantes. Resultaron cuarto temas generales que merecen más atención en estudios posteriores para una mayor comprensión de cómo se dan las relaciones familiares en torno a la homosexualidad: (a) la construcción de la etiología de la homosexualidad, (b) la carga de responsabilidad por su familia, (c) las maneras de hablar de la homosexualidad, y (d) las extensiones de los familiares a la sociedad. También resultó un tema relacionado a la metodología ya que los co-participantes dijeron que el participar en el estudio les ayudó a sentirse mejor ; el lenguaje que resulta de la motivación para participar en el estudio. Se discute el aspecto benéfico de participar en estudios cualitativos y el papel del equipo reflexivo como herramienta de investigación.

Methods of data collection in qualitative research: interviews and focus groups

by Paul Gill

Gill P, Stewart K, Treasure E, Chadwick B (2008) British Dental Journal, 204; 291-295

Apreciando a literatura: Um estudo sobre a fala de alunos de Letras

by Vander Viana

Full reference:
Viana, V., & Shepherd, T. (2007). Apreciando a literatura: Um estudo sobre a fala de alunos de Letras. Letras & Letras, 23, 167-183. Retrieved from http://www.letraseletras.ileel.ufu.br/include/getdoc.php?id=604&article=198&mode=pdf

According to Rothery and Stenglin (2000), one of the objectives of a literary education is to provide language... more According to Rothery and Stenglin (2000), one of the objectives of a literary education is to provide language students with strategies which enable them to articulate opinions containing emotional, ethic and/or esthetic values. The present article reports an investigation on how first-year undergraduates of a public university in Rio de Janeiro articulate appraisals in their mother tongue in terms of the esthetic quality of poems. To this end, the work describes data collection using focus group discussions (cf. BARBOUR; KITZINGER, 1999) and the analysis of such corpus by means of Martin and Rose’s (2003) system, which focuses on the language of Attitude. With the help of a concordancer, the most frequent lexical items and the clusters they formed are extracted and analyzed. Finally, the article discusses how far the research subjects are capable of articulating the types of esthetic opinions referred to by Rothery and Stenglin (2000).

Review Essay: Claudia Puchta & Jonathan Potter (2004). Focus Group Practice

by Gonzalo Bacigalupe

Forum Qualitative Social Research, 2005

Focus Group Practice aims at analyzing the interactional process that supports the success of focus groups. The book... more Focus Group Practice aims at analyzing the interactional process that supports the success of focus groups. The book makes specific observations of what effective focus group moderation can accom- plish. Informed by theoretical and methodological approaches taken from conversation and discourse analysis, this work aims at an analysis of the micro- practices that characterize the focus group process. The seven chapters of the book include recommen- dations for moderators as well as researchers inter- ested in studying focus group methodology as a subject in itself. The book, an analysis of what goes on in the form of conversational processes, is pur- posely not a "how to" of focus groups, but rather a careful unveiling of the "choreographic" movements that lead to successful group interviews. It includes a series of brief examples of market-research focus groups and pedagogical definitions of conversation analysis and discursive psychology key concepts. A set of principles related to what creates an effective focus group interaction organizes each chapter (interaction, informality, participation, and opinions). Also included are some conversational analysis artifacts like explanations about how transcription is employed in conversational analysis.

Gotta keep 'em separated: the single search box may not be right for libraries

by Dana McKay

published in the proceedings of the 12th Annual Conference of the New Zealand Chapter of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (CHINZ 2011), Hamilton, New Zealand, 04-05 July 2011, author final draft available at http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/195943

As a result of users’ well-documented frustrations with complex library information systems, it has long been assumed... more As a result of users’ well-documented frustrations with complex library information systems, it has long been assumed that they would prefer a Google-like single search box for to library resources. Early studies of such systems, however, have reported user resistance to this approach. This paper presents the results of focus groups investigating the information practices and understandings underpinning users’ perceptions of the library single search box.

Innovation In Practice, Dialogue: Innovation Lab As Case Study

by CarrieLynn Reinhard

A Guide to Running Focus Groups

by Teresa Crew

Compiled by Teresa Crew for North Wales's local Authorities

Introduction

Definition.
A focus group is a planned discussion among a small group (4-12 persons)... more Introduction

Definition.
A focus group is a planned discussion among a small group (4-12 persons) of stakeholders facilitated by a skilled moderator. It is designed to obtain information about (various) people’s preferences and values pertaining to a defined topic and why these are held by observing the structured discussion of an interactive group in a permissive, non-threatening environment. Thus, a focus group can be seen as a combination between a focused interview and a discussion group. Focus groups can also be conducted online.

When to use Focus Groups.
Focus groups are good for evaluating services, concept exploration, generating creative ideas or reviewing a programme. They are most appropriate to get a sense of regional, gender, age and ethnic differences in opinion. They are not effective for providing information to the general public or responding to general questions, nor are they used to build consensus or make decisions.

Focus groups are used for.....

An Evaluation of Two Qualitative Methods (Focus Group Interviews and Cognitive Maps) for Conducting Research Into Entrepreneurial Decision Making

by Tony Hines

Citation: Tony Hines, (2000) "An evaluation of two qualitative methods (focus group interviews and cognitive maps) for conducting research into entrepreneurial decision making", Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, Vol. 3 Iss: 1, pp.7 - 16

Keywords: Decision making, Entrepreneurship, Focus groups

Article type: General review
DOI: 10.1108/13522750010310406 (Permanent URL)
Publisher: MCB UP Ltd

Reports on a qualitative approach to conducting research in small firms. Two cases are reported that fall within the... more Reports on a qualitative approach to conducting research in small firms. Two cases are reported that fall within the EU definition of small firms (with fewer than 99 employees). One case is drawn from the clothing industry and one other from the publishing industry. The clothing company had fewer than 50 employees and the publishing company had fewer than ten employees, the latter being regarded as a micro-firm. The purpose of the research was to investigate decisions taken by owner-managers in relation to their future strategies. Consideration is given to alternative methodological approaches before justifying the selection of a combination of focus group interviews and cognitive mapping in each of the cases. Comparisons are drawn that demonstrate the utility of the research methods chosen. The work then identifies issues and considers implications for the conduct of future research into SMEs using these methods. The purpose of the paper is to explain and to evaluate the usefulness of the methods rather than to explain the particular cases in detail

Wahl-Jorgensen, K., Williams, A. and Wardle, C. (2010). Audience views on user-generated content: Exploring the value of news from the bottom up. Northern Lights, 8, 177-194.

by Karin Wahl-Jorgensen

News organisations increasingly view user-generated content as a vital resource for audience engagement and... more News organisations increasingly view user-generated content as a vital resource for audience engagement and empowerment. Researchers have investigated the production practices and journalistic cultures surrounding user-generated content but have paid less attention to the audiences who produce and consume the content. This paper seeks to fill this gap in knowledge,  drawing on a series of focus groups to understand why audiences value particular forms of user-generated content and renounce others. Further, by comparing focus group findings to data from in-depth interviews with BBC producers and journalists, it explores how audience perceptions differ from those of producers. In particular, the paper focuses on why and how audiences value news-based user-generated content (in the form of images, footages and eyewitness accounts), which is perceived as authentic, immediate and “real.” This is contrasted with a dislike for audience comment, or opinion-based contributions, seen as ill-informed, repetitive and extremist. By contrast, BBC producers and journalists are more concerned with the UGC as a tool to supplement traditional news-gathering practices.

Elragal, A., & Haddara, M. (2010). The Use of Experts Panels in ERP Cost Estimation Research. In J. E. Quintela Varajão, M. M. Cruz-Cunha, G. D. Putnik & A. Trigo (Eds.), ENTERprise Information Systems (Vol. 110, pp. 97-108). Berlin Heidelberg: Springer.

by Moutaz Haddara

This paper is an effort towards illustrating the use of expert panel (EP) as a mean of eliciting knowledge from a... more This paper is an effort towards illustrating the use of expert panel (EP) as a mean of eliciting knowledge from a group of enterprise resource planning (ERP) experts as an exploratory research. The development of a cost estimation model (CEM) for ERP adoptions is very crucial for research and practice, and that was the main reason behind the willingness of experts to participate in this research. The use of EP was very beneficial as it involved various data collection and visualisation techniques, as well as data validation and confirmation. Beside its advantages, one of the main motives for using a group technique is that it is difficult to find a representative sample for a casual survey method, as ERP experts and consultants are rare to find, especially in the scope of SMEs’ ERP implementations. It is worth noting that the panel reached consensus regarding the results of the EP. The experts modified and enhanced the initial cost drivers (CD) list largely, as they added, modified, merged and split different costs drivers. In addition, the experts added CF (sub-factors) that could influence or affect each cost driver. Moreover, they ranked the CD according to their weight on total costs. All of this helped the authors to better understand relationships among various CF.