Focus Groups
A focus group usually consists of 6 -10 people, who participate in an organised, guided discussion, led by a facilitator, with the purpose of gaining their views and experiences of a particular topic or activity.
Focus groups are a good way of collecting the views and opinions of several people at the same time. However, open and honest discussion is only achievable if the participant’s feel safe within the environment to express their views, without fear of judgment.
It is important to be well prepared for your focus group in order to get the most from it. Defining the purpose of the group and devising a list of questions and prompts beforehand will help you to guide the discussion.
The session is usually recorded and transcribed. Qualitative data is produced by drawing on the participant’s attitudes, feelings, beliefs, experiences and reactions demonstrated through the group interaction. Essentially, the aim is to understand people’s perceptions of a particular topic.