Difference between revisions of "Focus Groups"

Difference between revisions of "Focus Groups"

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#to be effective, they need a '''skilled moderator''' to conduct them, who has to balance the freedom and spontaneity of the conversation against the focus on the topic;
 
#to be effective, they need a '''skilled moderator''' to conduct them, who has to balance the freedom and spontaneity of the conversation against the focus on the topic;
−
#participants' answers are '''influenced by the social environment''': in order to avoid conflict, their attitude is usually more polite and moderate compared to what they would show in one-to-one interviews;
+
#participants' answers are influenced by the '''social environment''': in order to avoid conflict, their attitude is usually more polite and moderate compared to what they would show in one-to-one interviews;
 
#it is difficult to generalize their output, since the number of participants is not large enough to be representative of the whole population;
 
#it is difficult to generalize their output, since the number of participants is not large enough to be representative of the whole population;
 
#to limit the self-censorship, the group should be composed by '''people''' who are '''similar'''. Hence, to collect data on persons with different characteristics, it is necessary to run multiple focus group sessions;
 
#to limit the self-censorship, the group should be composed by '''people''' who are '''similar'''. Hence, to collect data on persons with different characteristics, it is necessary to run multiple focus group sessions;

Revision as of 13:59, 7 July 2009

Term2.png FOCUS GROUPS
A qualitative research tool in which a group of participants is invited to share their feelings and thoughts on a specific topic (such as a product, a service, a concept, an advertisement, an idea...). Participants, who are usually alike persons, can spontaneously talk with each other, since the focus group session runs in an interactive setting.


Benefits of focus groups

  1. they are a quick method;
  2. they are helpful for collecting information on the group's attitude on a given subject, that would be difficult to obtain without interaction;
  3. thay are useful for eliciting information on the characteristics of conversation.

Limits of focus groups

  1. to be effective, they need a skilled moderator to conduct them, who has to balance the freedom and spontaneity of the conversation against the focus on the topic;
  2. participants' answers are influenced by the social environment: in order to avoid conflict, their attitude is usually more polite and moderate compared to what they would show in one-to-one interviews;
  3. it is difficult to generalize their output, since the number of participants is not large enough to be representative of the whole population;
  4. to limit the self-censorship, the group should be composed by people who are similar. Hence, to collect data on persons with different characteristics, it is necessary to run multiple focus group sessions;
  5. results are difficult to analyse both because sessions must be audio taped and trascribed and because the issue is influenced by the moderator, who participates in the session too. [1]


Link icon.png Web Resources
Below you have a list of selected websites where you can find further information on Focus Groups:
Link Content
managementhelp.org Guideline to conduct focus groups.
www.webcredible.co.uk Advice about how to plan and run focus groups.



References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia (3 June 2009), managementhelp.org (3 June 2009), www.webcredible.co.uk (3 June 2009), www.extension.iastate.edu (3 June 2009)
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