Focus Groups Tuesday, November 20, 2018 3:36 PM Final: 9-16 not 12 50 MC 30 T/F 5 definitions (from 10): your answer should be between 2 and 3 sentences. Provide an example when you define concepts 3 short answer: a contingency table, regression analysis, questions from an excerpt Exam 2.5 hours Focus groups: · Not just looking for answers, looking for interactions between group members Can be unguided, just there to moderate Or throw out big topics, get group negotiate their topics, conversation . The process of how they make a decision/ agreement . How they are affected by certain actions, peoples perceptions Most popular method- consumer products/ marketing Before movie is put out- focus group about how people respond to move/ advertisements . In research- to develop themes we will investigate in further depth later on Topic as a whole and then themes to investigate later on . Moderator who is able to promote dialogue, facilitate dialogue where people can contribute Any exploratory research- fg are great · Test questions- does it make sense · Also used at the back end of research- always want to verify our interpretation- usually done by getting group together, look at data, is my interpretation valid. We want to interpret our findings and make sure its valid/reliable . People express shared meanings, shared understanding · What does it mean to be a student at UBC- topic · Synergistic group effect- you're getting more from group interaction than what you'd get from individuals interviewed because you're looking at the way people interpret question, opinions changing evolving, more than what you'd get from 1 on 1 · Great face validity - can't lie, can be called out Moderator key to good focus group Not too large- otherwise some people might not talk, someone might dominate, cant get full input from everyone · Sufficiently diverse group Moderation to draw information, identify when someone isn't contributing, guide convo with open ended question Focus Group Sampling . Make sure the participants don't know each other- friends might be pressured to answer in the same way, might not be comfortable being forthright · but make sure homogeneous- SIMILAR characteristics- conversation flows easier, less conflict, productive session, we tend to segment, never do one focus group, do several, want to be able to compare segments. Divide potential samples into different strata, compare how males feel, how females under 21 feel, etc.
. Select people we know fit the criteria- not random sample- will not give homogeneous group Randomness not a criteria Be very purposive As many focus groups as possible until reach the point of saturation, cant explore the topic anymore- no new info is being generated · Difficult to transcribe- so many voices, have to identify the person- so taping is important. The person who transcribes needs to be the moderator, will know the voices better Problem- polarization effect- some people will be argumentative just for the sake of- moderator needs to contain that effect · Problem- confidentiality- topic