Focus Group Sessions

Detailed, Results-Oriented Discussions

Focus group research involves organized discussion with a selected group of individuals to gain information about their views and experiences of a topic. Focus group interviewing is particularly suited for obtaining several perspectives about the same topic.

The benefits of focus group research include gaining insights into people’s shared understandings of everyday life and the ways in which individuals are influenced by others in a group situation. The role of the moderator is very significant. Good levels of group leadership and interpersonal skill are required to moderate a group successfully.

Why use focus groups and not other methods:
The main purpose of focus group research is to draw upon respondents’ attitudes, feelings, beliefs, experiences and reactions in a way in which would not be feasible using other methods (e.g., observation, one-to-one interviewing, or questionnaire surveys).

These attitudes, feelings and beliefs may be partially independent of a group or its social setting, but are more likely to be revealed via the social gathering and the interaction which being in a focus group entails.

Focus groups are particularly useful when there are power differences between the participants and decision-makers or professionals, when the everyday use of language and culture of particular groups is of interest, and when one wants to explore the degree of consensus on a given topic.

The role of focus groups:
Focus groups can be used at the preliminary or exploratory stages of a project, or after a project has been completed to assess its impact.

Examples of research in which focus groups have been employed include developing educational campaigns, understanding how media messages are processed, exploring people’s attitudes about an organization or issue, and test marketing a new product or service.