Research stories presents information on using stories for research and evaluation and in this section we offer suggestions on obtaining and telling stories. Krueger and casey give insufficient attention to the focus group purposes of uncovering feelings and unique linguistic constructions. Krueger too often, decision making about focus groups is governed by myths. This new edition retains the emphasis on applied research, the practical advice on setting up and running focus groups, and the coverage of the entire process from designing a project to reporting the results. Focus groups are social experiences, and the discussions resemble conversations rather than interviews krueger and casey 2015. A practical guide to focusgroup research rosanna l. Developing questions for focus groups ebook written by richard a. Focus group interviewing richard krueger 3 first steps with focus group studies 1. Moderating focus groups require special skills, including. When to use focus groups and why sage research methods. Developing questions for focus groups by krueger, richard. The central topics are the appropriate reasons for using focus groups and what you can expect to accomplish with them.
This is the most recent edition of our popular book on focus group interviewing. The focus group fg has been actually employed by marketing, and is becoming importanct also in other areas. Developing questions for focus groups by krueger, richard a. The process depicted is unbiased, nonjudgmental and is respectful of all views. Krueger, richard a autor krueger, mary anne casey sage, apr 26, 2000 social science 215 pages. Apr 26, 2000 for it offers commonsense advice about planning and running focus groups which i will want to revisit. This book describes a practical process for identifying powerful themes and then offers an easytounderstand strategy for translating those themes into questions. Smithson, 2008, who share some common characteristics franz, 2011 and have a direct experience of the topic acocella. An empathetic study on young people and museums in luxembourg. Krueger and caseys book does a magnificent job of incorporating both theoretical and practical approaches to the study of focus groups. In focus group interviewing you will find a collection of practical tips, instructional guides, examples, and reflections. The focus on language earns focus group methodology the label, qualitative creswell, 1998. Using an engaging, straightforward writing style, authors richard a. Krueger cites the case of a movie studio that has received numerous awards and quintupled profits in five years by using focus groups to test audience reactions to possible endings for.
Focus groups are a powerful qualitative research method which, especially when designed to be culturally responsive, facilitate collection of rich and authentic data. Using an engaging, straightforward writing style, the authors draw on their many years of handson experience in the field to cut. Typically, these seemingly informal discussions occur in a group of no more than 12 individuals asbury, 1995. The fourth edition of the bestselling focus groups.
The focus group is a special type of group the story behind focus group interviews why do focus groups work. Breen faculty of education, university of technology, sydney, australia abstract this article guides readers through the decisions and considerations involved in conducting focusgroup research investigations into students learning experiences. We propose that focus groups should be designed with a focus on the type of evidence to be generated e. It is the solely palmson book which explores the tactic of focus group evaluation. Focus groups as an interview strategy krueger and casey 2009 define a focus group as a carefully planned series of discussions designed to obtain perceptions on a defined area of interest in a permissive, nonthreatening environment p. As a qualitative research method, focus groups have gained significant. In this case, the idea is to use a small number of exploratory groups, in an initial stage of the research, to guide the construction of the topics of the interview.
Social science researchers can derive multiple benefits from using focus groups. Focus groups can excel at revealing emotional orientations as well as cognitive viewpoints. Richard krueger suggests ways of categorizing, phrasing and sequencing focus group questions. Imagine for a moment that focus group method was the only. A practical guide for applied research offers an easytoready overview of sound focus group practices authors richard a. Abstract focus group discussion is frequently used as a qualitative approach. Focus group resources websites american college health association health promotion section research committee. Focus group fundamentals isu extension store iowa state. In this section we would like to tell you a bit about our past work with focus groups, the factors that led to the creation of this series, and an overview of how the book is organized.
The focus group technique is a type of qualitative research methodology, generally. Put your thoughts in writing bulleted outline welcome introduce moderator and assistant our topic is. This book is intended to help those who are new to focus groups. Pdf on jan 1, 2007, asa gerger swartling and others published focus groups find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. In this postmodern age, selfhelp books purport to create instant expertise in many fields. An effective tool for involving people in measuring quality and impact judith a. In a brief time the moderator must create a thoughtful, permissive atmosphere, provide ground rules, and set the tone of the discussion. This updated edition of krueger and caseys bestselling, practical book walks readers step by step through the howtos of conducting focus group research. International journal of qualitative methods volume 17. Precincts and prospects in the use of focus groups in social. Extension richland county, the ohio state university 1495 w. The first edition of richard krueger s focus groups has become the standard introduction to a technique that is used across the social sciences and professions. It is the only handson book which explores the process of focus group research.
Going beyond material presented in his earlier books, krueger. Planning focus groups this volume covers the wide range of practical tasks that need to get done in the course of a research project using focus groups. Depending on the research objective, the focus group can be used alone or in conjunction with other methods. Focus groups are defined as group discussions exploring a set of specific issues. With so much variety from which to choose, focus group design decisions may be more complex and nuanced than meets the eye. Overview of focus groups planning the focus group study developing a questioning route participants in a focus group moderating skills analyzing focus group results reporting styles of focus group research adapting focus groups to audiences and environments modifications of focus groups answering questions about the quality. Focus groups overview the focus group is an exploratory research method used to help researchers gather indepth, qualitative information of their participants attitudes and perceptions relating to. A practical guide for applied research walks readers step by step through the howtos of conducting focus group research. Krueger and mary anne casey draw on their many years of handson experience in the field to cut through theory and. Developing questions for focus groups focus group kit series by richard a. Krueger and caseys book does a strong job of incorporating every theoretical and smart approaches to the analysis of focus groups. Focus groups enable us to see not only what people think, but how they think. How to conduct focus groups to enhance college health practice.
Focus groups can help guide marketers in providing better goods and services. A qualitative framework for collecting and analyzing data. This publication, introduction to conducting focus groups, is the fifth in a series of guides developed to bring information to this audience about the use of social science tools in their field of work. Articulate the skills needed to moderate and record a focus group. Developing questions for focus groups by richard a. Pdf on jan 1, 2007, asa gerger swartling and others published focus groups. A practical guide for applied research 3rd edition.
The focus groups are the groups of intellectuals, professionals who come together to form an opinion for the new product in the company. Kitzinger, 1995 interchange between the participants that is the valuable data barbour, 2007 learning from the discussions about aspects of the phenomenon that were not previously known. Focus group international journal of applied science and. Focus groups are most productive when used to determine information on new proposals or programs, determine the strengths and weaknesses of a program, assessing whether a. A qualitative framework for collecting and analyzing data in.
Conducting focus groups is an ideal opportunity for sociologists to practice their profession and to make datadriven recommendations for political, social, economic, and consumer change. Krueger and mary anne caseys book focus groups aims to educate. A report based on focus groups will feature patterns formed by words, called themes or perspectives. As richard krueger points out in focus groups, they are appropriate for gathering indepth information from past, current, or potential consumers, pro. A major topic is making the basic decisions about the groups format, such as the size of the groups, their composition, the total number of groups. Consequently, krueger 1994 suggests that participants should share. Other chapters in this volume address the myths that surround the technical issues of how to do focus groups see also morgan, 1992. A growing literature on the setting up and running of focus groups for social. Pdf designing and conducting focus group interviews semantic. Focus groups procedural guide this overview of procedures used in developing and implementing a focus group are just that an overview. He is an internationally recognized authority on the use of focus group interviewing within the public environment. They are too caught up with reaching saturation of opinions. While it is not as spontaneous as a typical focus group session, this technique still allows participants to react to and be influenced by comments made by others. The focus group is the collaboration of people who come together to make an opinion, put forth their belief and perspective for the product or service initiate, in the company.
In this chapter, i will focus on the importance of the focus group method, its history, and its benefits and pitfalls. Focus group discussion is perceived to be a costeffective and promising. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read developing questions for focus groups. Sage publications, 206 pages, isbn 0761920706 cloth. A practical guide for applied research offers an easytoready overview of sound focus group practices. The association of ideas from various participants often resulted in the discussion taking an unexpected turn or revealing new topic. Analyzing and reporting focus group results by richard a. Villard extension agent, 4h youth development, chair and associate professor ohio state univ.
This book offers countless tips, advice, and exercises for preparing people to conduct focus groups, whether you are preparing a team to conduct a community study or teaching one person to help in a study. We welcome you to this series of books on focus group interviewing. Focus groups conducted by trained, independent facilitators ensure open, honest communication with conclusions that are unbiased. It was refreshing to find more than i anticipated in its pages. Depending on the research objective, the focus group can.
Vignettes drawn from small and large focus groups that illustrate problems that come up and effective ways to resolve the issues. Focus groups focus groups are essentially a series of discussions to obtain perceptions on a defined area of interest krueger and casey, 2009. Characteristics of focus groups the uses of focus groups how focus groups can be used with other research methods criticisms of focus groups. This book describes a practical process for identifying powerful themes and then offers an easytounderstand strategy.
Ideally, each focus group would be guided by a moderator who asks questions and a scribe responsible for taking notes andor recording the session. Focus group interviewing richard krueger 4 beginning the focus group discussion the first few moments in focus group discussion are critical. More detailed information can be found in the reference section below. Krueger 2000 provides a useful guide on different categories of questions, and on. An excellent focused book on focus groups anyone who reads this book. Definition focus group interviews typically have five characteristics or features. Krueger 1994 describes other techniques such as nominations, snowball samples, and. Focus groups are about interaction that is a part of the method. The use of focus groups in social science research focus groups originated in sociology merton and kendall 1946 were primarily used by market researchers in recent years templeton 1987 and are increasingly being used as a research tool in the social sciences.
Focus groups a practical guide for applied research 2nd ed. Much of the work presented here is taken from two sources. Focus groups are defined as group discussions exploring a. The use of focus groups in social science research focus groups originated in sociology merton and kendall 1946 were primarily used by market researchers in recent years templeton 1987 and. Its straightforward, commonsense approach is represented with such eloquent language. Krueger and mary anne casey draw on their many years of handson experience in the field to cut through theory and offer practical guidance on every facet of the. For 25 years he served as evaluation leader for the university of minnesota extension service followed by 10 years teaching graduate courses in program evaluation and research methodology. Breen faculty of education, university of technology, sydney, australia abstract this article guides readers through the decisions and considerations involved in conducting focus group research. Precincts and prospects in the use of focus groups in. A practical guide for applied research walks readers step.
The principle of theoretical saturation, where focus group discussion sessions are run until a clear pattern emerges and subsequent groups produce no new information krueger, 1994 has been applied for studies covering larger study areas, wider interest groups and complex topics. Planning, implementing, and interpreting focus group research. A practical guide for applied research was the standard for learning how to conduct a focus group. Richard krueger is professor emeritus at the university of minnesota.
Sage books planning focus groups sage publications. This highly acclaimed book in its third edition includes numerous updates and improvements. Precincts and prospects in the use of focus groups in social and behavioral science research dominic sagoe norwegian university of science and technology, trondheim, norway over the past few years, the focus group method has assumed a very important role as a method for collecting qualitative data in social and behavioural science research. An empathetic study on young people and museums in. Asking the right questions is critical in focus group interviewing.