A focus group is a small group discussion with a facilitator. Focus groups are used to explore attitudes and opinions in depth, such as what issues are of most concern for a community or group. Discovering these issues can help determine preferred options for addressing the issues or what concerns would prevent a proposal from going ahead. Focus groups should deliver detailed knowledge of the issues that concern a specific demographic or community.
Advantages
- Assists in developing a preliminary concept of the issues of concern, from which a wider community survey may be undertaken.
- Helps to make limited generalizations based on the information generated by the focus group.
- Identifies the reasons behind people’s likes/dislikes.
- Produces ideas that would not emerge from surveys/questionnaires, because the focus group provides opportunities for a wider range of comments.
- Allows for more open discussion and transparency.
Challenges to Consider
- Small groups may not be representative of the community response to an issue; they require careful selection to be a representative sample (similar age range, status, etc).
- People must be able to operate within their comfort zones--some people may not want to be open with their opinions in an unfamiliar group setting.
- Requires skilled facilitation.
Principles for Successful Planning
- Carefully select 8-15 individuals to discuss and give opinions on a single topic.
- Develop agenda with five or six major questions at most.
- Provide background material as appropriate, or develop minimal presentation of material to set context and introduce the subject.
- Book a venue that is comfortable and accessible for different groups.
- Hire a facilitator.
- Brief participants and the facilitator on the aims and objectives of the session.
- Establish ground rules: keep focused, maintain momentum, and get closure on each question before moving on to the next.
- Record data gathered from focus group discussion.
- De-brief the session with the participants and the facilitator.
Staffing
- Staff are needed to recruit participants, record and analyze the sessions, and develop a report
- Experienced focus group facilitator is essential
- Interpreter, if necessary
Materials
- Neutral, comfortable space for the sessions
- Means to record the information (audio recorder, flipcharts, etc.)
Planning Time
- Sufficient time is needed to select the participants, reserve space for the focus group sessions, and develop thoughtful and well-phrased questions.
- Ideally, time should be set aside to pilot test the questions.
Implementation Time
- A single focus group session typically last 2-4 hours.