![]() ![]() Some authors favour smaller groups (n=3-5) because they have greater potential to explore complex topics in depth. At design stages, it is useful to present focus group sizes in ranges because there are many contingencies that can impact the number of participants attending groups. Similar to other qualitative data, there is no agreement in the research methods literature on the optimum number of participants for a focus group or the suitable number of groups. Focus groups can be conducted in a variety of formats (digital, analogue, virtual) and with participants of similar characteristics of interest (referred to as “homogeneous focus groups”, such as a focus group comprising of teachers) or diverse characteristics (referred to as “heterogeneous focus groups”, such as a focus group comprising of teachers, students and parents).įocus groups are a primary qualitative research method, belonging to the family of group-based discussion methods. These conversations can be stimulated by prompts such as photos, videos, vignettes, games, etc and by decision-making techniques such as informal voting methods. Trained researchers facilitate discussions with a set of unstructured and/or structured questions for the group to comment on. Focus groups are led by a researcher (and often include an observer), aiming to gain knowledge of different possible outcomes in areas such as selling (marketing), influencing decisions (politics, health behaviour), or assessing the worth of public interventions and policies (monitoring and evaluation). What does this method consist of?įocus groups consist of one or more conversations with a group of people assembled for discussion. Keywords: Qualitative methods, focus groups, group interviews, participatory evaluation I. They are suitable at different stages of the policy process and for different evaluation approaches, often in combination with other qualitative and/ or quantitative methods. Focus groups can be a way of involving users and diverse stakeholders’ viewpoints and experiences in the evaluation of a given intervention. Focus groups are a qualitative method which consists of a researcher leading a collective conversation with a group of (commonly 4 to 8) people, guided by questions for them to comment on.
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