FOCUS GROUP PRESENTATION IN PSYCHOLOGY..

A focus group is a group interview of approximately six to twelve people who share similar characteristics or common interests. A facilitator guides the group based on a predetermined set of topics. The facilitator creates an environment that encourages participants to share their perceptions and points of view.

1. FOCUS GROUPS

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This Method dates back some 95 years, it was relatively uncommon until a major
resurgence of interest in the late 1970’s.
It has become popular in Psychology only within the last decade.
The early use of Focus Groups can be tracked back to the 1920’s, when the
psychologists Emory Bogardusand Walter Thustoneused them to develop survey
instruments, although their “invention” is more often credited to sociologist
Robert Merton’s research team developed “ Focus Group Interview” to elicit
information from audiences about their responses to radio programs.

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Prior to the late 1970’s the main use of focus groups was as a market research tool,
and most published studies were in the field of business and marketing, this is still
an active area of focus group research , particularly in the field of family planning
and preventive health education.
In 1990’s the growing popularity of focus group research created a substantial
literature on the method across a much wider range of discipline, including
education, community, communication and media studies, feminist research,
sociology and psychology.

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A focus group could be defined as 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.
A focus group is typically 7-10 people. These participants are selected because
they have certain characteristics in common that relate to the topic of the focus
group. The moderator or interviewer creates a permissive and nurturing
environment that encourages different perceptions and points of view.

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And it goes, without pressuring participants to vote, plan or reach consensus.

6. WHAT FOCUS GROUPS TELL YOU
Give information on how groups of people think or feelabout a particular topic
Give greater insight into why certain opinions are held
Help improve the planning and design of new programs
Provide a means of evaluating existing programs
Produce insights for developing strategies for outreach

7. WHAT FOCUS GROUPS CANNOTTELL YOU
Valid information about individuals
Valid "before-and-after" information (how things have changed over time)
Information that you can apply generallyto other groups of people

8. ADVANTAGES OF USING FOCUS GROUPS
Takes advantage of the fact that people naturally interact and are influenced by others
(high face validity).
May be one of the few research tools available for obtaining data from children or from
individuals who are not particularly literate
Provide data more quickly and at lower cost than if individuals interviewed separately;
groups can be assembled on shorter notice than for a more systematic survey.
Generally requires less preparation and is comparatively easy to conduct.
Researcher can interact directly with respondents (allows clarification, follow-up
questions, probing).
Can gain information from non-verbal responses to supplement (or even contradict)
verbal responses.

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Data uses respondents' own words; can obtain deeper levels of meaning, make
important connections.
Very flexible; can be used with wide range of topics, individuals, and settings

10. DISADVANTAGES OF USING FOCUS
GROUPS
Have less control over group; less able to control what information will be
produced.
Produces relatively confused data making data analysis more difficult.
Small numbers and convenience sampling severely limit ability to generalize to
larger populations
Requires carefully trained interviewer who is knowledgeable about group
dynamics. Moderator may knowingly or unknowingly bias results by providing
cues about what types of responses are desirable
Uncertainty about accuracy of what participants say. Results may be biased by
presence of a very dominant or opinionated member; more reserved members
may be hesitant to talk.

11. HOW TO CONDUCT A FOCUS GROUP
Conducting a focus group occurs in three phases
Conceptualization
Interview
Analysis and reporting

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Conceptualization Phase
Determining the purpose
Consider why focus groups should be conducted. What types of information are
of particular importance? Who wants the information? Consider information
needs: who will use it? What information is needed? Why is it needed?
Determining whom to study
Who can provide the needed information? Consider special groups
Demographic characteristics such as age, gender, occupation, education, ses, etc.
become key in determining who should be invited.

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Developing a plan and estimating needed resources
Specify procedure, time line, and proposed budget. Allow others (e.g.,
colleagues, focus group experts, etc.) to review the plan.

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Interview PhaseDeveloping the questions
Questions should be carefully planned but appear spontaneous during the
interview. For best results, a focus group session should include aroundfive or six
questions. It should always include less than ten questions. Other suggestions in
developing questions for focus group sessions include:
Use open-ended questions and avoid "yes" or "no" questions.
Appropriate question: What did you think of the program?
Inappropriate question: Did you like the program?

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"Why" questions are rarely asked in a focus group. Why questions tend to imply a
rational answer.
Questions should be systematically prepared but has a natural flow to them. You
should get feedback on the set of questions from others.
Arrange questions in logical sequence.
Allow for surprising questions.
Pilot test focus group interview.

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Moderating skills
Moderators (interviewers) play a key role in the success of focus groups.
Moderators should have characteristics that are similar to participants and be
skilled in group processes.
Their role is to keep discussions flowing and on track, guide discussions back from
irrelevant topics, make transitions into another question, and be sensitive to
mood of the group.
Know when to move onto another question. Moderators should also have some
background knowledge about the topic being discussed. Other suggestions for
the moderator role include:

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Use of a moderator team:
One should consider using a moderator teamwith divided tasks. The main
moderator should direct the discussion and take minimal notes. The assistant can
take comprehensive notes, operate tape the recorder, handle environmental
conditions, and respond to unexpected interruptions
Be mentally prepared. Moderators should be mentally alert, listen well, and
think quickly on their feet. Questions should be memorized.

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Have a Presessionstrategy. Small talk is essential just prior to group discussion.
The moderator should greet the participants and begin small talk while avoiding
issues to be discussed during the focus group session. This time will allow a
moderator to observe the interaction. Name tents can be strategically placed
around the table after observing participants. For example, you may want to
strategically place those who are extremely shy or those who may dominate the
discussion.

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Record the discussion. Discussions should be recorded via tape recording and
note taking. Notes are essential. Notes should be so complete that it can be used
even if the tape recorder did not work. One should never rely completely on a tape
recorder. Someone, other than the moderator should take detailed notes.

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Begin the discussion. The recommended pattern of discussion is welcome,
overview and topic, ground rules, first question.
The overview should provide an honest discussion about the purpose of the study
and the importance of the topic of group discussion. Ground rules are suggestions
that will help guide the discussion and include rules such as: minimize or eliminate
side conversations, one person will speak at a time, don't criticize what others
have to say, and treat everyone's ideas with respect.
The first question should be one that "breaks the ice" and encourages everyone
to talk

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Pause and Probe. As a general rule, a moderator should pause for five seconds
after a participant talks before beginning to talk. This five second pause gives
other participants a chance to jump in. Probes, such as "would you explain that
further?" or "Would you give me an example?" should be used to request
additional information
Responding to participant comments. Moderators should avoid head nodding,
and short verbal responses such as "ok", "yes", "uh huh", "correct", "that's good"
etc.

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Be aware of group dynamics. Moderators should watch for the expert, the
dominant talker, the shy participant, the rambler, etc.
Selecting the focus group location. Locations should be easy to get to.
Participants should sit facing each other. A table should be available for
participants to sit around. The room should also be accessible for setting up tape
recorders.

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Being prepared for the unexpected. Moderators should be prepared for
unexpected evens such as no one showing up (make sure you bring list and phone
numbers), only a few showing up (hold group anyway), meeting place inadequate,
group does not want to talk (ask individuals questions, go around the room and
everyone answers specific question, the group gets involved and don't want to
leave (have formal ending), hazardous weather (call everyone and cancel), early
questions take up too much time (make sure important questions at the end of
question rout get answered).
Concluding the focus group. Thank the group for participating. The moderator
may choose to summarize what was said and ask if anything was missed.

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Participants
Focus group participants should be systematically and purposefully selected. The
following provides some guidelines in selecting potential participants:
Purpose of study should guide who to invite.
Focus group participants should be characterized by sameness, but with
sufficient variation to allow for contrasting opinions. Homogeneity is most often
sought in terms of occupation, social class, educational level, age, education, or
family characteristics, and gender.

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Size of the group is typically around 7-10. Groups of over twelve have often
proven to be too big while under four have shown that not enough total
experiences exist.
Focus groups require a flexible research design.
In selecting participants, it is critical to remember that intent of focus groups is
not to conclude but to understand, not to generalize but to determine the range,
not to make statements about population but to provide insights about how
people perceive a situation.

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A helpful rule of thumb in determining the number of groups needed is to
continue conducting interviews until little new information is provided. Typically,
the first two groups provide a considerable amount of new information but by the
third or fourth session, a fair amount may have already been covered. If this
occurs stop.
To get people to attend, one should personalize invitations, establish meeting
times that don't conflict with existing community activities or functions, contact
potential participants via phone 10-14 days prior to, send personalized invitations
one week before session, phone each person the day before to remind them. If
feasible, incentives are also helpful in getting people to attend

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Ethical Issues
Necessary permissions and ethical clearances from the institution
Permission for data collection
Informed consent
Confidentiality
Surety of NO Psychological Consequences