Focus group

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A focus group (from English: " focus group "; sometimes also in-depth group interview ) is a form of group discussion that is used, for example, in qualitative social research and in market research . It is a moderated discussion of several participants, which is mostly based on a guide. Because of the guideline with open questions, one speaks of a partially standardized interview. Therefore, focus group interviews are also used. The method is based on the principles of communication, openness, familiarity and foreignness as well as reflexivity. Their use is particularly useful in the early development stages of studies, in which ideas are to be developed, concepts created and requirements inquired about.

history

The American sociologist Robert K. Merton is considered to be the inventor of the focus groups, who first used this method in the context of investigations into the morale of American military during World War II . As early as 1941, Merton used the method to investigate the reactions of listeners to a radio broadcast. Merton published his ideas (together with Patricia L. Kendall) first in 1946 in the article The focussed interview in the American Journal of Sociology . In 1956, his classic book The Focused Interview was published .

The development of the focus group concept is seen in the context of attempts by some social scientists since the 1930s to find alternative concepts to deal with the weaknesses of common interview methods. Nevertheless, focus groups were initially used primarily in the field of market research , while science initially remained skeptical. Social scientists only started using this method in the 1980s.

Qualitative social research

In qualitative social research, the principle of openness should be adhered to in order not to falsify what comes to light in the course of the research. Assumptions in advance can restrict the researcher's perspective and push them in a certain direction that they are personally familiar with. The openness principle should enable new and possibly even surprising findings. Qualitative research assumes that there is a difference between the meaning that researchers bring in and the meaning that respondents give.

target

The aim of this research method is to find out the relevance system of the participants. The perspective of the participants in a focus group interview is in the foreground. They should set their own values ​​and, within the rough question framework, bring up what is important to them. The more natural atmosphere than would be the case with individual interviews should lead to a relaxed atmosphere and thus to talkativeness and openness of the participants. In order to be able to evaluate the material obtained, the audio recording of the focus group interview is recommended.

Attendees

Focus group interviews collect qualitative data from a focused conversation of a homogeneous group. At the same time, however, a certain variation among the participants is necessary to enable opposing opinions. The group interaction and dynamics can lead to deeper information being evoked when group members hear responses from others. Five to eight participants are recommended for focus group interviews for non-commercial purposes. But there is also the recommendation to invite six to twelve participants.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

Before starting research, it is necessary to carefully consider which method is useful for the research goal and which method should be used.

advantages

  • Inspiration for further, more detailed, in-depth statements
  • Inclusion of quieter participants
  • Transparency of the interview partners' thoughts and experiences
  • "Unfinished" products and templates, for example drawings, can also be tested
  • Obtaining new information
  • Developing hypotheses about the participants' motives

disadvantage

  • possible dominance of individual participants
  • Confusion with too many participants, difficulty in coordinated moderation
  • not representative due to the qualitative method and the small number of cases
  • very complex evaluation of the material

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b David W. Stewart, Prem N. Shamdasani: Focus Groups: Theory and Practice . Sage Publications, Newbury Park, London, New Delhi 1990, ISBN 0-8039-3390-8 , pp. 7 .
  2. ↑ Uwe Flick: Qualitative social research. An introduction. 2010, Rowohlt, ISBN 978-3-499-55694-4 , p. 222 ff.
  3. ^ A b c Jürgen Bortz , Nicola Döring: Research methods and evaluation: for human and social scientists . 4th, revised. Edition Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 2006, ISBN 978-3-540-33305-0 .
  4. ↑ Cornelia Helfferich: The quality of qualitative data. Manual for conducting qualitative interviews. 2011, VS Verl. Für Sozialwissenschaften, ISBN 978-3-531-17382-5 , p. 24 f.
  5. ^ Paul Holleis: Integration usability models into pervasive application development. 2008, University, Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Dissertation http://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/9571/1/Holleis_Paul.pdf , p. 16.
  6. ^ Richard A. Krueger, Mary Anne Casey: Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research . Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, London, New Delhi 2000, ISBN 0-7619-2071-4 , pp. 6 .
  7. ^ Richard A. Krueger, Mary Anne Casey: Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research . Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, London, New Delhi 2000, ISBN 0-7619-2071-4 , pp. 5-7 .
  8. ↑ Uwe Flick: Qualitative social research. An introduction. 2010, Rowohlt, ISBN 978-3-499-55694-4 , p. 133.
  9. ↑ Cornelia Helfferich: The quality of qualitative data. Manual for conducting qualitative interviews. 2011, VS Verl. Für Sozialwissenschaften, ISBN 978-3-531-17382-5 , p. 22.
  10. ↑ Uwe Flick: Qualitative social research. An introduction. 2010, Rowohlt, ISBN 978-3-499-55694-4 , p. 51.
  11. ^ Richard A. Krueger, Mary A. Casey: Focus groups. A Practical Guide for Applied Research. 2009, Sage, ISBN 978-1-4129-6947-5 , p. 15.
  12. ^ Richard A. Krueger, Mary A. Casey: Focus groups. A Practical Guide for Applied Research. 2009, Sage, ISBN 978-1-4129-6947-5 , p. 66.
  13. ↑ Peter Drescher: Moderation of working groups and quality circles. A manual. 2003, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, ISBN 3-525-49070-4 , p. 36.
  14. ^ Donald O. Case: Looking for Information. A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs, and Behavior. 2007, Elsevier, ISBN 978-0-12-369430-0 , p. 332.
  15. ^ Richard A. Krueger, Mary A. Casey: Focus groups. A Practical Guide for Applied Research. 2009, Sage, ISBN 978-1-4129-6947-5 , p. 67.
  16. ^ Donald O. Case: Looking for Information. A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs, and Behavior. 2007, Elsevier, ISBN 978-0-12-369430-0 , p. 332.

literature

  • Jürgen Bortz , Nicola Döring: Research methods and evaluation: for human and social scientists . 4th, revised. Edition Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 2006, ISBN 978-3-540-33305-0 .
  • Uwe Flick: Qualitative social research. An introduction. Rowohlt, Reinbek 2010, ISBN 978-3-499-55694-4
  • Richard A. Krueger, Mary A. Casey: Focus groups. A Practical Guide for Applied Research. Sage, Los Angeles 2009, ISBN 978-1-4129-6947-5
  • Donald O. Case: Looking for Information. A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs, and Behavior. Elsevier, Amsterdam 2007, ISBN 978-0-12-369430-0
  • Peter Drescher: Moderation of working groups and quality circles. A manual. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2003, ISBN 3-525-49070-4
  • Cornelia Helfferich: The quality of qualitative data. Manual for conducting qualitative interviews. VS Verl. Für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2011, ISBN 978-3-531-17382-5
  • Paul Holleis: Integration usability models into pervasive application development. University, Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Dissertation, Munich 2008 ( 6.52 MB ).