Voevodins' Library _ "Focus Groups" 3rd edition / Richard A. Krueger & Mary Anne Casey ... Interview, People, Discussion, Decision Making, Development, Single-Category Design, Multiple-Category Design, Double-Layer Design, Broad-Involvement Design, Audience, Written Plan, Questioning Route, Categories of Questions, Opening Questions, Introductory Questions, Transition Questions, Key Questions, Ending Questions, Campaign, Strategies for Selecting Participants, Sampling Procedures for Focus Groups, Moderating Skills, Moderator, Discussion, Head Nodding, Question, Analysis Strategies, Long-Table Approach, Using the Computer to Help Manage the Data, Rapid Approach, Sound Approach, Principles of Reporting, Written Reports, Narrative Report, Top-Line Report, Bulleted Report, Report Letter to Participants, Oral Reports, Styles of Focus Group Research, Telephone Focus Groups, Internet Focus Groups, Media Focus Groups

Voevodins' Library _ "Focus Groups" 3rd edition / Richard A. Krueger & Mary Anne Casey ... Interview, People, Discussion, Decision Making, Development, Single-Category Design, Multiple-Category Design, Double-Layer Design, Broad-Involvement Design, Audience, Written Plan, Questioning Route, Categories of Questions, Opening Questions, Introductory Questions, Transition Questions, Key Questions, Ending Questions, Campaign, Strategies for Selecting Participants, Sampling Procedures for Focus Groups, Moderating Skills, Moderator, Discussion, Head Nodding, Question, Analysis Strategies, Long-Table Approach, Using the Computer to Help Manage the Data, Rapid Approach, Sound Approach, Principles of Reporting, Written Reports, Narrative Report, Top-Line Report, Bulleted Report, Report Letter to Participants, Oral Reports, Styles of Focus Group Research, Telephone Focus Groups, Internet Focus Groups, Media Focus Groups Voevodin's Library: Interview, People, Discussion, Decision Making, Development, Single-Category Design, Multiple-Category Design, Double-Layer Design, Broad-Involvement Design, Audience, Written Plan, Questioning Route, Categories of Questions, Opening Questions, Introductory Questions, Transition Questions, Key Questions, Ending Questions, Campaign, Strategies for Selecting Participants, Sampling Procedures for Focus Groups, Moderating Skills, Moderator, Discussion, Head Nodding, Question, Analysis Strategies, Long-Table Approach, Using the Computer to Help Manage the Data, Rapid Approach, Sound Approach, Principles of Reporting, Written Reports, Narrative Report, Top-Line Report, Bulleted Report, Report Letter to Participants, Oral Reports, Styles of Focus Group Research, Telephone Focus Groups, Internet Focus Groups, Media Focus Groups

Voyevodins' Library ... Main page "Focus Groups" 3rd edition / Richard A. Krueger & Mary Anne Casey

Texts belong to their owners and are placed on a site for acquaintance

Participatory Approach
By the early 1990s, another approach to focus group research was emerging-that of getting nonresearchers involved in the process. Up to this point, the prevailing wisdom was that only researchers could do research. Research had to be done in a particular way, and it required training and experience to do it well.
The evolution is a bit fuzzy, but many of the early participatory approaches were driven by lack of resources, particularly when monies were tight. Information was needed, budgets were restricted, and some creative researchers began to enlist the help of volunteers. These volunteers offered their time and talent and thereby saved precious resources. They obtained useful data, and the process offered some unexpected benefits. The volunteers were changed! The process often influenced the volunteers in ways that were not anticipated. The volunteers now had greater insight into the program or topic. They became committed to the study and were tenacious in seeing that recommendations were followed. To many researchers, this was a surprising discovery. For years, evaluators and other researchers were concerned about how to get people to use research and evaluation results, and now one answer seemed to emerge. If you want them to use it, then involve them in the process. The involvement couldn't be just tokenism but had to be a real, sincere sharing of power in the research study. The volunteers were not just workers but were partners and co-researchers. Often this meant training, considerable coaching, lots of coordination, and learning to give up some control.
The participatory approach does have limitations. Consistency and coordination are major issues. The team members sometimes change a few questions or leave out some questions. Questions are sometimes asked differently from one group to another. Keeping the team working together is a major challenge. Training is critically important, especially hands-on experiences in which volunteers get to practice their skills. Decision making sometimes becomes an issue. How does the researcher work within a community that wants and demands a shared role in decision making-including decisions about the research design and protocol? For some researchers, it is frustrating and stressful. Others relish the opportunity.
BACKGROUND
If you would like to read more about focus groups using a participatory approach, you might consider the following:
Krueger, R, A., & King, J. A. (1998). Involving community members in focus groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Table 8.1 offers some highlights of the distinctions between these four focus group approaches.

TABLE 8.1 Characteristics of Focus Groups
Characteristic	Market Research	Academic	Nonprofit and Public	Participatory
Where popular?	Commercial businesses	Universities, government agencies, foundations	Governments, community groups, foundations	Community groups, schools, foundations, local government
Group size?	Ten to twelve people	Six to eight people	Six to eight people	Six to eight people
Should participants know each other?	No. Strangers preferred	Not an issue. People may know each other but are not in positions of control over each other.	Not an issue. Sometimes it is an advantage, provided they are not in positions of control over each other.	Sometimes an advantage. People regularly know each other.
Who moderates?	Professionals	Faculty, graduate students, or qualified staff	Qualified staff and occasional volunteers with special skills	Volunteers from the community
Where are focus groups held?	Special rooms with one-way mirrors and quality acoustics	Public locations, classrooms, sometimes homes, or special rooms with one-way mirrors	Locations in the community, such as schools, libraries, and so on	Community locations and homes
How are data captured?	Observers behind mirrors, audio and often video recording	Field notes and audio recording. Sometimes video.	Field notes and audio recording
How are results analyzed?	Variable but often rapid first impressions given by moderator or analyst. Sometimes transcripts.	Usually transcripts followed by rigorous procedures	Usually abridged transcripts and field notes	Oral summaries at conclusion, flip charts, field notes, listening to audiotapes
Who gets copies of reports?	Only the sponsor. Reports are proprietary.	Academics or public officials. Results appear in academic journals.	Reports used within the organization and sent back to the community. Shared with participants.	Considerable effort made to share results with the community.
Time needed to complete study?	Short time period. Usually completed in a few weeks.	Long time period. Often six months or more.	Time needed will vary. Usually takes several months.	Long time period. Often six months or more.

<< Public/Nonprofit Approach

SUMMARY >>