focus groups and interviews

1. FocusGroup
Discussions (FDGs) and
Individual Interviews
Ms. Ntokozo Mntambo

2. Data
Collection in
Qualitative
Research
 The methodology of data collection is a very important and crucial
part of any research and many different forms of data collection
exist in qualitative research.
 Qualitative research methods do not only collect the data but also
help researchers to understand the processes behind observed
results by considering the thoughts, feelings and expressions of
the participants.
 Document reviews, observations, interviews, open-ended surveys,
focus groups are some of the qualitative data collection methods

3. FocusGroup
Scenario
 Topic:
 Young Men’s Conceptions of Manhood: Perspectives from Izinsizwa
groups
 Topic revealed contentious issues around the constructions and
performances of manhood/masculinity
 Participants:
 12Young black men
 In their early 20s
 Grew up in the rural areas of Pietermaritzburg
 Part of a traditional group of young men lead by an older man to guide
them on issues related to manhood and masculinity
 Some participants had not been to university
 Focus Group Facilitator:
 Black female
 22 years old
 University Student
 Female siblings only
 Grew up in an urban area
 Research supervisor: Black male Professor

4. What is a focus
group
Discussion?

5. What is a focus
group
discussion?
 A Focus group discussion is frequently used as a qualitative
approach to gain an in-depth understanding of social issues. The
method aims to obtain data from a purposely selected group of
individuals rather than from a statistically representative sample
of a broader population.
 A researcher assembles a group of individuals to discuss a specific
topic, aiming to draw from the complex personal experiences,
beliefs, perceptions and attitudes of the participants through a
moderated interaction

6. Focus Group Participants &
Focus Group
Characteristics
 No less than 4 participants
and no more than 12
participants
 Homogenous
 60 to 90 minutes ideal
Role of a facilitator
 Building rapport;
 Being direct;
 Using reflection;
 Probing with questions;
 Being comfortable with
silence (or conversational
lulls);
 Checking in with participants;
and
 Remaining neutral.

7. Building
Rapport
 Participants are most likely to contribute when there is a safe and
open environment and building rapport
 Rapport does not happen instantly
 First, whenever possible address participants by name.
 Facilitators can also build rapport by demonstrating ‘active
listening.
 Maintaining eye contact with participants as they are sharing their
experience is important; doing so is an active listening technique
and helps build rapport.

8. Being Direct
 It is the facilitator’s responsibility to ensure that all participants’ responses
are acknowledged and balanced encouraging those who are quiet or
inactive without discouraging those who are talkative or active.
 If a small number of participants are dominating the conversation, the
facilitator can use very respectful language to transition from those
participants who are dominating the conversation to other participants
who may not have shared.
 Either of the statements below, or a variation thereof, can smooth the
transition between participants who are dominating the conversation and
transition to one or more participants who may have contributed
sparingly or not at all.
 “Thank you, Aaron, for sharing that. We’ve heard a lot from you today (or: on
this item) and I’d really like to hear from others as well.”
 “Thank you, Beth, for sharing; that’s really helpful. I’d really like to get input
from other folks; Carlos, what were your experiences with …?”
 “Thank you, Destiny, for sharing that. Elijah, did you have a similar
experience?”

9. Using
Reflection
 Reflection is a technique in which participants’ comments are
repeated-or ‘reflected’- back to them. When facilitators can
accurately reflect comments back to participants it demonstrates
that the facilitator was listening to the participant.
 But the reflection process also encourages expansion of ideas that
have just been shared. As a result, reflection not only
demonstrates the facilitator’s active listening, but also acts as a
probe and encourages participants to expand on their earlier
thoughts.

10. Probing with
Questions
 The facilitator’s role is to keep the conversation going and
interrupt participants as infrequently as possible. However,
probing questions can be useful because they can help clarify a
participant’s response, encourage participants to share additional
details, or encourage alternative viewpoints from other
participants.
ProbeType Example Questions
Clarify a response Can you say more about that?
Can you share an example?
Elicit additional details What experiences have made you feel that way?
Is there more you’d like to share?
Encourage alternative view points Has anyone had the difference experience?
Does anyone see it differently?
How about other points of view?

11. Being
Comfortable
withSilence
 Experienced focus group facilitators have learned to be
comfortable with silence or a pause in the conversation.
 They understand that they have a script.
 Silence can be a good thing; it can indicate that participants are
gathering their thoughts or politely waiting for the conversation to
begin.
 So silence and pauses do not necessarily mean that something is
wrong with the script item or the participants.

12. Checking in
 When facilitators “check in,” they summarize the main discussion
points that they have heard to the entire group.
 Checking-in demonstrates to the participants that the facilitator
has been actively listening to participant’s comments.
 Checking in also gives participants an opportunity to offer
clarifying comments; if the facilitator or the note taker has
misunderstood or mis-stated a discussion point, participants can
clarify the point.
 Checking in also provides the facilitator and the note-taker to
verify that their understanding of the discussion is in alignment.
 Checking in is often a useful transition point. Facilitators can
summarize the main discussion points, ask for any additional
comments, and then transition to the next item in the script

13. Remaining
Neutral
 Effective facilitators will encourage all types of responses without
endorsing or reinforcing one perspective or point of view.
Non-Neutral Neutral
Correct
Excellent
Good
Right
I can’t believe it
Thank you/Thank you for sharing
Okay
Go ahead
Would anyone else like to share their experience?
That’s very helpful thank you

14. Conducting
the FGD
 Welcome
 Introduce yourself and the assistant if you have one assisting you.
 Introduce the topic that will be discussed
 Explain briefly why the participants were selected
 Guidelines
 No right or wrong answers, only differing points of view
 We're tape recording, one person speaking at a time
 We're on a first-name basis
 You don't need to agree with others, but you must listen respectfully
as others share their views
 Rules for phones. For example: “We ask that your turn off your
phones. If you cannot and if you must respond to a call, please do so
as quietly as possible and re-join us as quickly as you can”.
 My role as the facilitator will be to guide the discussion

15. FGD
Advantages
 Uncover ideas and issues that initially may not have been considered
 Have the flexibility to dive deeper into issues that come up during the
discussion
 Cost-effective
 Quality of data enhanced by group participants
 Can quickly assess the extent to which there is agreement or diversity
on an issue
 Enjoyable for participants
 Provide safe environment so participants can freely talk
 Helpful in identifying group norms/social norms
 Group dynamic stimulates conversation, reactions, memories, ideas
and experiences
 Encourage contributions from people who feel they have nothing to
say

16. FGD
Limitations
 Restricts the number of questions that can be asked
 Responses by each participant may be constrained
 Requires group process skills, i.e. facilitator must have an art of
managing an open and free discussion
 Silences the minority view
 Confidentiality (and sometimes anonymity) not assured
 Participants get to hear each others' responses
 Focus groups may not be useful for sensitive topics
 Can raise ethical issues around disclosure
 Explores major themes, not subtle differences
 Outside of natural setting
 The discussion can be dominated or side-tracked by a few individuals
 Data analysis can be time-consuming and needs to be well-planned in
advance.
 Does not provide information at the individual level.

17. What Is an
Individual
Interview?
 Involve an interviewer talking with a respondent for 30 minutes to
an hour.
 Allow a deeper understanding of people’s;
 knowledge,
 practices,
 experiences,
 emotions,
 beliefs,
 opinions
 ideas.

18. Types of
Individual
Interviews
Advantages Disadvantages
Structured
Interview
• Reduced bias
• Increased credibility,
reliability and validity
• Simple, cost-effective and
efficient
• Formal in nature
• Limited flexibility
• Limited scope
Semi-Structured
Interview
• Best of both worlds
• Limited distractions
• Detail and richness of data
• Low validity
• High risk of bias
• Difficult to develop good
questions
Unstructured
Interview
• Very flexible
• Participants at ease
• Reduced risk of bias
• More detail and nuance
• Low generalizability and
reliability
• Risk of leading questions
• Very time-consuming
• Risk of low internal validity

19. Example of
interview
questions
InterviewType Interview Question
Structured Do you like dogs?Yes/No
Do you associate dogs with feeling: happy; somewhat happy;
neutral; somewhat unhappy; unhappy
Semi-Structured Do you like dogs?Yes/No
If yes, name one attribute of dogs that you like.
If no, name one attribute of dogs that you don’t like.
Unstructured What feelings do dogs bring out in you?
When you think more deeply about this, what experiences would
you say your feelings are rooted in?
Focus Group Think back to your childhood, and tell me about a dog that is very
vivid in your memories, positive or negative. It doesn’t have to be
your dog, but the first one that comes to mind.