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Focus groups, traditionally used in market research, have become increasingly popular across the social sciences in the last two decades. Today, they are widely used for qualitative data collection both in academic and applied research (such as evaluation research). With the Covid pandemic, they have been adapted (with some success) for online use.
Focus groups are a notoriously demanding method: logistically complex; raising a number of practical, ethical and epistemological challenges (power dynamics, confidentiality, etc.); and requiring solid moderation skills to be kept on track, including on difficult topics or with difficult respondents.
This course will take you through all steps of a focus group research in theory as well as in practice. Key topics covered in the lectures include:
- The uses (and limitations) of focus groups
- Focus group logistics
- Various constellations of focus groups (strangers vs familiar faces; homogeneity vs heterogeneity of experiences)
- Respondent selection and group composition
- Moderation skills
- The ethics of focus group research
- Analysing and reporting focus group data
- Theoretical models underlying focus group research
- In-person vs online focus groups.
A series of exercises will gradually acquaint you with the practicalities of setting up and running focus groups. You will cover topics such as: recruitment strategies and materials; topic guide construction; consent procedures; practical moderation skills. These exercises will culminate in the running of a full-scale focus group at the end of the week.
