  What is not a focus group?
Because of the popularity of focus groups, many things are called focus groups when, in
fact, they are not. A group is not a focus group when:
• It is not convened for the purposes of research.
• It is not focused on a particular topic of inquiry.
• It does not include a discussion but a series of questions asked
sequentially to each participant.
Recruiting
To have a good focus group you need to get the right people to participate. Careful
thought should be given to how certain subgroups of the population would help inform a
specific question. Does age matter, is gender important, is ethnicity important? Do you
want a group of strangers or a group of acquaintances? Even within subgroups, distinctions
can be made. For example, if you want to pursue the question of how African American young
adults perceive condoms, you might consider what factors are related to different
attitudes, such as education, socio-economic class, or experience with condoms.
Once you have decided upon a specific group of people, you need to think about how to
recruit them. If you want to get a broad cross-section of participants, it may be best to
recruit by phone within specific zip codes. That type of recruitment may require that you
hire an outside service to help recruit, and may be costly. Alternatives include
recruiting via outreach on the street, putting posters in neighborhood settings where the
population congregates, or putting ads in specialized local newspapers.
Try to recruit new individuals for focus groups instead of simply “rounding up the
usual suspects.” Focus groups using participants that have been in groups before can
become predictable and often don’t help answer the questions that your agency has.
Getting new recruits can be especially difficult in rural areas or areas with very closed
populations. In these cases, you might need to hire professional recruiters or consider
alternate research tools, such as in-depth interviews.
Screening
You will need a brief questionnaire to screen potential participants so that you are sure
of getting the people you want into your groups. For example, you’ve decided you want
to know what African American males and females between the ages of 16 and 22 think about
condoms. You also think you will do separate groups of men and women and, for each sex,
you will speak with those who have and those who do not have experience using condoms.
Your screening questionnaire will then assess age and experience with condom use. If
you’re recruiting over the phone or by mail, you will need to add ethnicity and
gender to the questionnaire. Ideally, the screening questions should be short and should
cover the topics without offending potential participants.
Scheduling
Always invite more people than you need. It is highly likely that someone will not show
up. If you have too many no-shows it will effect the quality of the group. If everyone
shows up and you have promised payment, you will have to pay everyone, but release the
extra people. Groups of more than 10 people can get unwieldy. Your own familiarity with
the population is your best guide for estimating how many extra people to invite. But
remember, you are shooting for a group of 8-10 people.One focus group alone is generally
not enough to provide adequate information. Try to conduct two or three focus groups with
each population. It is also a good idea to have focus groups in different geographic
locations in your community so you don’t end up with results that reflect local
idiosyncracies.
Discussion guide
Zero in on something and explore it in-depth. By its very nature, a focus group has a
limited scope, so you need to decide beforehand what information is most important to get
from the group. Start with a written set of questions, then limit the discussion to those
topics.
Develop a sequence for questions. Generally you move from ice-breaking exercises and
rules to general information on to more specific information. If there is one set of
questions that might color future responses, leave those questions until the end. For
example, when moderating a group on condom perception, you might want to start with
general relationship and interpersonal questions and then proceed to specifics about
condom use.
Build in a break. A break part way through a two-hour group may give the moderator time
to regroup and make sure nothing was skipped, or it could give observers a chance to cue
the moderator to follow up on something that was said. It may also give respondents a
needed rest if the topic is particularly taxing. You can always check in with participants
and observers along the way and choose to skip the break, but at least plan for one.
Consent and confidentiality
As with any other form of research, you should consider the risks that focus groups pose
to participants and inform them of these risks as well as of any anticipated benefits
before they participate. You can provide participants a written statement of the purposes
of the research of which the focus group is part; the risks and potential benefits; the
fact that participation is entirely voluntary; that the session is being taped (or
otherwise documented); and that responses will be held in confidence or anonymity, if
appropriate. This form can be read to participants or they may read it themselves and then
they must sign it. You can also read a consent form and take a voice vote on participation
in some cases.
Moderating
Being a moderator is in some ways like being a great dinner party host. The
moderator’s role is to ask conversation-starting questions throughout the focus
group, to clarify and verify responses, and move to the group along to make sure all
issues are explored. The moderator must also have the skill and knowledge to follow
relevant but unexpected turns in the conversation.
Although many agencies assume that the moderator should be from the same demographic as
the group participants, this doesn’t always need to be the case. Generally, the skill
of the moderator is more important than personal characteristics.
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