Running Head: FOCUS GROUPS

Focus Groups: A Data Gathering Method

Aaron Gillatly

EDLM 510

Royal Roads University

Brian Bose

8/01/2018
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Focus Groups: A Data Gathering Method

The following report will be looking at focus groups. It will provide readers with an

understanding of what a focus group consists of, its methods and purposes, and its strengths and

limitations. Additionally, it will inform the reader of possible application to the field of school

leadership and development, and provide tips on how to effectively practice this method.

Method

A focus group consists of a small group of participants taking part in an interview guided

by a researcher. As its names suggests, this group interview is given a very specific focus, and is

guided heavily by the researcher. Coleman (2012) states that this focus can come in two forms:

“a tightly defined topic for discussion and in terms of the individuals who make up the group” (p.

255).

The purpose of a focus group is to gain the opinion of multiple individuals on a given set

of subject matter. In focus groups, unlike in other group interview forms, interaction between

participants is not only encouraged, but is essential to the form; it is often the interactions

between participants that the researcher is most interested in. Kitzinger (1996, p. 299) defines

this difference as “instead of the researcher asking each person to respond to a question in turn,

[focus group participants] are encouraged to talk to one another: asking questions, exchanging

anecdotes, and commenting on each other’ experiences and points of view”.

Preparing the environment is an important aspect. Kitzinger (1995, p. 301) recommends

that meetings should have a casual and comfortable feel, and that the researcher should clearly

state his/her goals at the onset. Focus groups consist of a relatively small number of individuals.
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Sim (2001) states that the ideal size of a group is between four and eight participants. Many

researchers have commented on the danger of larger groups, in which multiple conversations

between participants may create a situation in which the researcher is unable to manage the

group or accurately record research.

Focus groups have a large history in the marketing and television industries, but have

also increased in usage in the field of medical research. A single study will often have several

different sets of focus group, depending on numerous factors such as funding and subject

availability. Kitzinger (1995, p.300) notes that although the number of focus groups in a study is

highly variable, “most studies involve just a few groups and combine this method with other data

collection techniques”. By mixing the qualitative approach of the focus group with a more

quantitative measure such as surveys, researches can apply a mixed methodology approach to

their studies.

Studies are often homogenous in composition, which reflects the value researchers put on

shared experiences. Homogenous groups will often build on each others conversations, and add

significant depth. However, researchers “now recognize class or ethnicity as important variables,

and it is also worth considering other variables” (Kitzinger, 1995, p. 300), such as age, sexual

orientation, or religion. Depending on the study, this diversity could add an important depth to

the research.

Focus groups could be either action-based or traditional research, depending on the

context of the study. A focus group could be utilized to promote change in an organization

(action) or to gather information on how participants interact under set conditions (traditional).
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Strengths

Focus groups have many inherent strengths. By allowing participants to interact with

each other, researchers are often able to gain different insights than provided by other methods.

Group members may form bonds, express dissent, and even prompt humour in what they see as

their shared experience. This provides researchers a chance to see the common bonds and shared

knowledge within groups, or the lack of. It also provides insight into “not only what people think

but how they think and why they think that way.” (Kitzinger, 1994a, p.105). These conversations

may also lead to deeper expressions than participants would share on their own. Both Kitzinger

(1995) and Coleman (2012) noted how more outgoing participants may lead shyer participants to

talk more, and may even lead to the discussion of more risqué and taboo subjects.

Discussions between participants can also reveal misunderstandings unobserved by other

research methods. In a focus group composed of HIV patients being questioned on their view of

medical staff, Kitzinger (1994b) noted that one woman filled out a survey indicating her belief

that medical staff were at “no to little risk” in their treatment of HIV patients. However, through

group discussion in a focus group, the participant revealed that this was because she thought that

medical staff was immunized against it.

Limitations

Although useful, focus groups do have limitations. In small groups, outgoing participants

can dominate conversations, discouraging quieter members to speak up. Additionally, group

environments may discourage dissension from popular opinion. Researchers need to foster an
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environment where all participants take part, and may have to exert certain controls to ensure this

happens, such as ignoring louder participants and actively involving those reluctant to speak.

Researcher interaction must also be considered. Freeman (2006) noted that researchers

with different epistemological views may have different standards of good practice in conducting

focus groups, valuing concepts such as the nature of group composition differently. As noted

earlier, the qualitative methodology of focus groups may be thus best paired with other forms of

data collection.

Applications to School Leadership

Focus groups are a regular practice in the educational environment. Informally, they exist

in parent associations, student groups, school led teams, and many more. By providing

opportunities for these groups to be heard, school leaders will gain insight to the thoughts and

feelings of the community around them. A school leader may also wish to form different formal

“focus groups” of both homogenous (i.e. faculty) and heterogeneous (i.e. parents, staff, and

students) populations to discuss matters such as policy, curriculum, and school culture.

To effectively facilitate such groups, it is important that the school leader reflect on some

of the standards of case studies reflected in this report. Researchers should ensure studies have

small group sizes, ensure that everyone feels safe to speak, safeguard that no one dominates

conversation, support and encourage appropriate interactions between participants, and seek

other research to supplement findings. By doing so, a school leader may very well gain insights

that he or she had never considered before.

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Resources

Coleman, M.(2012). Interviews. In A.R.J. Briggs, M. Coleman, & M. Morrison, M.

(Eds.). Research methods in educational leadership and management (3rd ed.) (p 250-264).

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Freeman, T. (2006), ‘Best practice’ in focus group research: making sense of different views.

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 56: 491-497. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.04043.x

Kitzinger, J. (1994a), The methodology of Focus Groups: the importance of interaction between

research participants. Sociology of Health & Illness, 16: 103-121. doi:10.1111/1467-

9566.ep11347023

Kitzinger, J (1994b). Focus Groups: method or madness?. In M. Boultoun (Eds.), Challenge and

innovation: methodological advances in social research in HIV/AIDS (p 159-175). London:

Taylor and Francis.

Kitzinger, J. (1995). Introducing Focus Groups. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 311(7000), 299-

302. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/stable/29728251

Sim, J. (1998), Collecting and analysing qualitative data: issues raised by the focus group.

Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28: 345-352. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.1998.00692.x