Focus Group Research Paper

A focus group can be defined as a group interview- centered on a specific topic and facilitated and co-ordinated by a moderator or facilitator- which seeks to generate primarily qualitative data, by capitalizing on the interaction that occurs within the group setting. The idea behind the focus group method is that group processes can help people to explore and clarify their views in ways that be less easily accessible in a one to one interview. While the focus group opens up exciting analytical possibilities, it also gives rise to a number of potentially problematic issues in this respect.

Ground Rules: Participation in the focus group is voluntary, that it is all right to abstain from discussing specific topics if you are not comfortable, that all responses are valid-there are no right or wrong answers, to please respect the opinions of others even if you do not agree, to speak as openly as you feel comfortable, and avoid revealing very detailed information about your personal health. (University of Massachuetts, nd)

The order of these question differed slightly depending on how the interview went. Because of the semi-structured nature of the interviews the informants had the opportunity to express their views in their own terms. In addition to one-to-one interviews, two focus group interviews were conducted. According to Frey and Fontana (1991) focus group interviews include multiple people who have gathered at a centralised location to respond to questions posed by the moderator. In addition, Frey and Fontana (1991) argue that it is a qualitative research technique that is particularly useful when trying to obtain phenomenological data and should be utilised along with other techniques of interviewing and observation. The two focus group interviews conducted

The researcher felt that was the nature of focus group but to a larger degree a behavior of human nature, especially in groups where the participants know each other and work together. Therefore to head off a loss of control of the groups the participants were asked to rate topics that were popular in similar focus groups (Levy, Mandell and Schultz 2009; Pellicano et al. 2014). The strategy was used to integrate the topics into the focus groups that participants

Links among social, psychological, as well as physiological problems and childhood sexual trauma has been reported (D’Andrea, Sharma, Zelechoski, & Spinazzola, 2011; Firestone, Firestone, & Catlett, 2006; Herman, 1992; Streeck-Fisher & van der Kolk, 2000). Traumatic events overwhelm the survivors with mortality threat, a sense of helplessness, powerlessness, and terror, which alter their psychological and physiological responses to stimuli. Three characteristic responses to trauma are hyperarousal, intrusion, and constriction (Herman, 1997). According to Herman (1997), “[h]yperarousal reflects the persistent expectation of danger; intrusion reflects the indelible imprint of a traumatic moment; constriction reflects the numbing response of surrender”

Four main aspects Focus groups will be discussed. First, a personal experienced researched focus group conducted in a lecture. Following that, the

At the simplest level, a focus group is an informal discussion among a group of selected individuals about a particular topic (Wilkinson 2004). A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members. One of the key defining features of focus groups is that it is a group of interacting individuals having some common interest or characteristics, brought together by a moderator, who uses the group and its interaction as a way to gain information about a specific or focused issue.

The semi-structured focus group interview is a qualitative study, which goes for discovering what other individuals feel and think about the marvel which is explored (Rubin and Babbie, 1993:12). It speaks to a purposive open discussion where the researcher makes inquiries on a particular point where every member makes remarks. The researcher presents the subject and afterwards manages the discourse by the method for addressing. The researcher records both verbal and non-verbal correspondence from the participants. The semi-structured focus group interviews help the researcher to identify that communication improves information quality, governing rules on each other and a straightforward appraisal of cooperative energy and/or contrasts between participants (McMillan and Schumacher, 1993:157).

The survey was administered in written and oral forms. The guide was written in English, translated into Spanish, and back translated into English to verify content, and a pilot test was performed with members of the target population. Participants received a $15 gift card for their participation. The sections were audiotaped and transcribed, and a debriefing followed each focus group session to review and compare notes, and discuss

You can now start developing the focus group script once you have identified your research questions or objectives and target population. The script have the following components: introduction, group agreements, a neutral ice-breaker, warm-up questions,2-3 main questions sets, transition question and one to two wrap-up questions.

Also, the data collection instruments used in this research project was focus group format because it create a means for the researcher to observe the participant closely and it was less fearful for research participant because of the group settings, which created a collaborative understanding between members.

Focus groups are not helpful if the right questions aren’t asked. This article discusses asking effective focus group questions, including the key elements of good focus group research, the role and purpose of effective questions, question types, general questions to establish a base and the classic 10 questions for opening up areas for discussion.

Before the session kicks off officially, it would be better if the participants got to know each other. This would provide that group cohesion required for harmony in the course of the interview. Members of the research panel have a tea break in mind to bring together the participants. Before seating down to have a tell-all session, they must be well acquainted with each other. As is the norm, focus groups do not aim at arriving at consensus. The motive is to draw varying opinions and views from participating members. Therefore, the bonding session will enable the members to feel at ease airing opinions that are contrary to other participating members.

Focus groups are a form of group interview that make use of the communication between research participants in order to produce data. Group interviews are mostly used as a quick and easy way to collect data from several people at the same time and focus groups explicitly use group interaction as part of the method. This means that the researcher doesn’t just ask each person to respond to a question in turn, but people are encouraged to talk to one another: asking questions, exchanging stories and commenting on each other's experiences and points of view. The method is mainly useful for exploring people's knowledge and experiences and can be used to study not only what people think but how they think and why they think that way.

The three focus groups will allow people to feel empowered and express their opinions freely, and participants will be able to query one another and explain their answers amongst the group. (Neuman et al, 2012) They will be held in three different locations throughout the city and three different research team members will facilitate based on their personality traits, and a pretest will be employed prior to the sessions. (Masadeh, 2012) The focus groups will host a diverse group of individual volunteers and will be advertised throughout Toronto and in varying institutions, workplaces, and hubs to ensure this. This group will comprise six to twelve people, depending on the response rate. Focus groups can have limitations such as: the possibility if groupthink, existing polarization effects, the effects of the moderator, time consuming and few topics can be