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Section 4 Techniques and Tools

4.12 Group interviews and focus groups

In-depth qualitative interviews can be conducted with groups as well as individuals. Some groups may already be in existence. These can be used for qualitative research and consultation purposes and social housing organisations could make better use of existing groups for deliberate research and consultation purposes. Other groups may be specially convened for the purposes of the research.

Depending on the purpose of the research and consultation, the research topic and related themes may be quite specifically defined by the researcher. At other times, the topic and themes will be more open and flexible to enable the researcher to freely adapt questions in response to the issues brought up by the service users themselves.

What type of interview should be used?

The type of group interview conducted will depend on the combination of circumstances:

• the extent to which the topics and themes are focused and specific or open and flexible; and

• the availability of suitable pre-existing groups or the need to convene a group specifically for the purpose of research.

A focus group is an in-depth interview with a small group of people (perhaps 6-10) specially convened for the purpose of discussing a particular topic. Group members are specially selected and invited by the researcher on the basis that they have specific experience or knowledge about the topic. In a focus group, the emphasis is on ensuring that all parties have the opportunity to contribute to the discussion.

A group interview is more likely to be conducted with pre-existing groups and arranged to fit in with the normal meeting circumstances of the group. It is likely to be conducted in a more open and flexible way than a focus group and this has the advantage that the topic is likely to be more engaging because it can be shaped more readily by the concerns of the group members.

In a group interview, although the researcher is also concerned to ensure that all members of the group have the opportunity to speak, the researcher has more freedom to pursue a relevant or interesting theme with one or two group members.

The uses of group interviews and focus groups

Group interviews and focus groups are particularly useful for researching the views of numerically small groups whose views may be under-represented in general surveys, such as minority ethnic communities or young people.

These approaches can be used to enhance the quality of other research approaches, for example by assisting in the development of survey questionnaires, or they can be used to gather more detailed information about particular aspects that emerged as important during a survey.

However, in-depth group interviews may not be the most appropriate method if the research issues are sensitive and inappropriate for group discussions, if convening a focus group presents practical difficulties or if there are no suitable existing groups. In these circumstances individual in-depth interviews are likely to be more useful.

Practice point

• Group interviews and focus groups are valuable qualitative research approaches that can be used as a standalone method or to complement the use of other methods, such as surveys, by improving their design or deepening understanding of the issues identified.

How to design and conduct group interviews and focus groups

Designing and conducting group interviews and focus groups is similar to designing and conducting in-depth interviews. Detailed advice on design and conduct is available in the section on in-depth interviews and elsewhere(1)(2).

Sampling for group interviews and focus groups

Existing groups should be selected for use in research and consultation on the basis that they are likely to be able to provide useful and relevant perspectives and to be able to open up the topic in some way.

Focus group members should be identified and invited to participate on the basis that they have some knowledge and experience of the topic. The composition of focus groups should be considered so that full discussion and disclosure are not compromised. For example, it may be necessary to run separate groups for men and women, for different age groups or for people who already know each other, although a mix of people may open up an issue in a new way.

Focus group participants can be recruited from other research and consultation exercises, such as panels or surveys, as long as they have given permission to be re-contacted. Participants from ‘hard-to-reach’ groups can be identified through contact with community and voluntary groups or through snowball sampling techniques. However, care must be taken to avoid repeatedly using the same people who may put themselves forward and be more willing to participate in such exercises. It is usual to over-recruit members for focus groups because a major problem is ‘no-shows’ on the day.

How many group interviews or focus groups should be run?

Time and resources play a major part in how many group interviews and focus groups will be conducted, but sufficient groups should be run to allow a broad range of views to emerge and the views of important sub-groups of the population to be captured.

The importance of the issue can influence the number of groups that need to be run. For example major policy reviews would warrant a more extensive programme of in-depth group interviews than would, say, an assessment of the design of a newsletter. One way to assess whether a sufficient number of groups have been run is when the researcher can fairly confidently predict what the next group is likely to say about the topic. This is an indication that the topic has been ‘saturated’ and it is unlikely that new information will be gathered by running further groups.

Analysing and reporting in-depth group data appropriately

The purpose of in-depth group interviews is to provide insights and a greater understanding of issues of importance to the particular group. In-depth group interviews are not intended to generate consensus or to provide statistical data from which generalisations can be made.

Data analysis can be conducted following the same principles as analysis of in-depth interview data. A range of perspectives should be included and information and conclusions should be reported in a clear and appropriate way without compromising the anonymity of participants. It is important to identify how the research will be used to make changes to service delivery and to report clearly on any further research and consultation needs.

Group interviews and focus groups: checklist

√ Ensure that in-depth group interviews are appropriate for the research topic and the type of service users.

√ Consider whether there are pre-existing groups that could usefully contribute to the research and consultation or whether it is necessary to convene new groups.

√ Consider the appropriate composition and number of focus groups that should be run to capture the likely diversity of perspectives across different groups of service users.

√ Use an experienced and independent facilitator.

√ Ensure that the analysis of the data identifies the full range of themes of the discussion, areas of agreement and difference and does not seek to quantify responses.

√ Report the conclusions to all key audiences in a clear and appropriate way without compromising the anonymity of participants.

√ Identify the implications of the research for service delivery and any further research needs.

Alternatives and related approaches

• In-depth individual interviews

• Participatory methods

• Storydialogue

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(1) Bryman, A (2001) , Social Research Methods, Oxford University Press

(2) Ritchie, J and Lewis, J (2003) (eds) Qualitative Research Practice, Sage

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