Improving Data Quality and Avoiding Pitfalls of Online Text-Based Focus Groups: A Practical Guide (original) (raw)
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Advantages of and Considerations for Conducting Online Focus Groups
SAGE Research Methods Cases, 2022
This case study explores the advantages and limitations of conducting focus groups online. Though virtual focus groups have long been positioned as supplemental or inferior alternatives to in-person focus groups, this case study emphasizes the flexibility, accessibility, and possibility of conducting focus groups virtually. Providing examples from virtual focus groups conducted during a qualitative research course, this case study first discusses positive aspects of online focus groups, such as easy incorporation of complementary technology and participation access for a diversity of participants. The case study then explores the challenges and limitations of virtual focus groups, including the facilitators’ technological knowledge and participants’ internet reliability. This case study ends by acknowledging that there are a range of logistical concerns that will inevitably shape online focus groups, including facilitators’ and participants’ familiarity with online platforms and dependability of technology and internet access. However, despite these challenges, there are a range of advantages, such as accommodating participants’ unique needs, offering multiple modes of participation, and providing reasonably equitable access to any media used in the interactions. Ultimately, the authors argue that like any research method, moving focus groups online does not make them inherently better or worse; it does, however, require some new considerations and strategies for implementation, which offer substantial opportunities for focus group research.
Nursing Practice Today
Data collection is a centerpiece in qualitative research. The use of multiple sources in data collection can improve conceptual interest of a qualitative inquiry and make it interesting. Online focus groups (OFGs) as a complementary choice to make the research project easier and engaging. Selection of the most appropriate method of data collection is essential for ensuring the trustworthiness. This commentary is noted to important issues involved in using OFG discussions for data collection in qualitative health research. In order to determine the suitability of data collection techniques, qualitative researchers are recommended for analysis the question, the research context, the preference of participants, technical issues, the advantages and disadvantages of each method, and provide authentic data to enrich their project by applying innovative approaches.
The Pitfalls and Promise of Focus Groups as a Data Collection Method
Despite their long trajectory in the social sciences, few systematic works analyze how often and for what purposes focus groups appear in published works. This study fills this gap by undertaking a meta-analysis of focus group use over the last ten years. It makes several contributions to our understanding of when and why focus groups are used in the social sciences. First, the study explains that focus groups generate data at three units of analysis: the individual, the group, and the interaction. While most researchers rely upon the individual unit of analysis, the method's comparative advantage lies in the group and interactive units. Second, it reveals strong affinities between each unit of analysis and the primary motivation for using focus groups as a data collection method. The individual unit of analysis is appropriate for triangulation; the group unit is appropriate as a pretest; and the interactive unit is appropriate for exploration. Finally, it offers a set of guidelines that researchers should adopt when presenting focus groups as part of their research design. Researchers should, first, state the main purpose of the focus group in a research design; second, identify the primary unit of analysis exploited; and finally, list the questions used to collect data in the focus group.
Using and Analysing Focus Groups: limitations and possibilities
The paper examines some methodological issues associated with the use and analysis of focus groups in social science research. It is argued that what distinguishes this methodology from other methods is the interactions which take place within focus groups, and that this should be reflected in analysis of the data. Interactive features considered here include individuals dominating within the groups, constructing the Other, tendencies towards normative discourses, and conflicts and arguments within focus groups. These are considered in relation to examples from a study of young adults' expectations of the future, and their orientations towards work and family. Possible moderator strategies and analysis approaches which take account of the interactions are discussed.
The Qualitative Report, 2010
In this paper I discuss some concerns related to the analysis of focus groups: (a) the issue of generalisation; (b) the problems of using numbers and quantifying in the analysis; (c) how the concrete situation of the focus groups could be included in the analysis, and (d) what formats can be used when quoting from focus groups. Problems with respect to generalisation are discussed; types of generalisation are presented which can be used in focus group research. Arguments are made against using a primarily quantitative perspective in the evaluation of focus group data. It is argued that the situation of the particular group discussion should be taken into account in the analysis. A scheme for analysis that has been developed by the author is presented. Suggestions are made for the characteristics of the quotations in the analyses.
The increasing prominence of the Internet in everyday life has prompted methodological innovations in qualitative research, particularly the adaptation of established methods of data collection for use online. The alternative online context brings with it both opportunities and challenges. To date the literature on online focus groups has focused mainly on the suitability of the method for qualitative data collection, and the development of approaches to facilitation that maximise interaction. By reflecting on our experiences of designing and attempting to recruit participants to online focus groups for two exploratory research projects, we aim to contribute some novel reflections around the less articulated issues of sampling and recruitment for online focus groups. In particular, we highlight potentially problematic issues around offline recruitment for an online method of data collection; the potential of using social media for recruitment; and the uncertainties around offering
International …, 2009
Despite the abundance of published material on conducting focus groups, scant specific information exists on how to analyze focus group data in social science research. Thus, the authors provide a new qualitative framework for collecting and analyzing focus group data. First, they identify types of data that can be collected during focus groups. Second, they identify the qualitative data analysis techniques best suited for analyzing these data. Third, they introduce what they term as a micro-interlocutor analysis, wherein meticulous information about which participant responds to each question, the order in which each participant responds, response characteristics, the nonverbal communication used, and the like is collected, analyzed, and interpreted. They conceptualize how conversation analysis offers great potential for analyzing focus group data. They believe that their framework goes far beyond analyzing only the verbal communication of focus group participants, thereby increasing the rigor of focus group analyses in social science research.
ONLINE FOCUS GROUPS AND IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS: WHAT CAN OUR EXPERIENCES ARTICULATE?
Pamukkale University Journal of Social Sciences Institute , 2022
Online interviewing has increasingly begun to be preferred in qualitative research in recent years. Here, we aim to discuss our methodological experiences based on e-field of the PhD thesis designed with a qualitative approach on poverty measurement. For this, we narrate our strategies improved for in-depth interviews and synchronous focus group discussions conducted in a 5-month-process through Zoom, categorizing them as before, during and after interviews. Scrutinizing our strategies, we discuss situationally prominent key characteristics of the e-field. Within this scope, we find out that the quality of infrastructure, keeping the duration of the interview short and the number of the questions and participants less than the traditional interviewing are significant factors. Last, we find it crucial to indicate that some outcomes of the e-field can have ambivalent characteristics and obligate the researchers to make selections.
Methodological Reflections on the Use of Asynchronous Online Focus Groups in Health Research
International Journal of Qualitative Methods
The Internet is increasingly used as a tool in qualitative research. In particular, asynchronous online focus groups are used when factors such as cost, time, or access to participants can make conducting face-to-face research difficult. In this article we consider key methodological issues involved in using asynchronous online focus groups to explore experiences of health and illness. The written nature of Internet communication, the lack of physical presence, and the asynchronous, longitudinal aspects enable participants who might not normally contribute to research studies to reflect on their personal stories before disclosing them to the researcher. Implications for study design, recruitment strategies, and ethics should be considered when deciding whether to use this method.