Benefits of Focus Group Research
Introduction:
Focus group research offers the unique opportunity for researchers to
perceive an individual, and their opinions, not only in an exclusive
situation, but also as part of a group. Within a group there is a
wealth of tacit and experiential knowledge from the outset as in the
course of most people's lives they will have interacted with other
people in group situations. Bryman (2001) refers to the focused
interview as the precept for focus group research,
'The original idea for the focus group- the focused interview- was
that people who were known to have a certain experience could be
interviewed in a relatively unstructured way about the
experience.'(p.336-7)
Bryman (2001) notes that the main aims and merits of focus group
research include the discovery of how people have constructed their
knowledge, why they think what they do;
Issues that concern the participants are bought to the fore as the
moderator relinquishes power. Throughout the course of the group
participants are challenged and may change or revise their views. The
researcher may also use the concepts of group dynamics to study the
ways in which individuals make sense of a phenomenon. Focus group
research differs from a group interview, as the motivation is not to
save time on individual interviews, but to study group dynamics and
get extra information from this. Arguments and 'sensitive moments'
within the group may give rise to the tacit knowledge about why
participants hold certain views.
My aim is to demonstrate firstly, the different definitions and
schools of thought on what actually co...
... middle of paper ...
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...practices and ethical conduct toward students, professional colleagues, and community members. I could tell they maintained the dignity of their profession, demonstrated integrity, and exemplified honesty.
Qualitative research as it is known today began during the period 1925-1934. As almost the antithesis of the more entrenched and accepted quantitative research, it has only been deemed acceptable and trustworthy in recent years. Qualitative research first gained respectability through the application of applied psychology in advertising and marketing, and is now almost universally accepted in academia. (Bailey, 2013)
In our daily activities as humans, we consciously and unconsciously observe what people do around us, how they do it, and sometimes ask why they do what they do. In so doing we gain a better understanding of their ways of life. Anthropologist and sociologist too mention but a few, professions employ the daily observations we engage in as humans in a methodology called participant observation. Dewalt and Dewalt (2002:1) define participant observation as “a method in which a researcher takes part in the daily activities, events, rituals and interactions, of a group of people as one of the means of learning the explicit and tacit aspects of their life routine and culture.” Participant observation can be carried out in roles that reveal or hide the identity of the researcher (i.e. covert or overt roles) in four different capacities namely complete participant, participant as observer, observer as participant, complete observer Bryman (2004). These capacities all have their merits and demerits. However, for the purpose of this essay participant observation would be discussed holistically devoid of the various roles. This is due to limitation on words. This essay discusses the merits and weaknesses of participant observation, arguing that the weaknesses are inherent in the merits and as such the merits outweigh the weaknesses and concludes with ethical discussions on participant observation.
The current study will be conducted through the focus group method. It was deemed appropriate for the research investigation because, focus groups are a distinctive and convenient¬ method for gathering qualitative data. They explicitly use group interaction as a part of the method. It encourages participants to be active and exchange their knowledge and ...
The first, focus groups, interviews conducted with 8 to 10 people with a trained moderator following an interview guide, a common useful approach for acquiring health care information. Also, useful in examining a wide range of sensitive health care issues. Second, probability sampling, units selected by chance, the sample’s reliability, and does not require detailed information about the population surveyed. The third option, mail surveys, inexpensive way to contact individuals over a large geographical area, provide anonymity to the respondent, and eliminate interviewer bias.
Focus groups can be used in my Applied Project, and in general, to gain a more accurate idea of how people feel or think. Bryman and Bell (2015) point out that when an interviewer only has one person to interview, that person may say untruths, knowingly or unknowingly, and in a group setting others are more likely to call that person out. More than one person allows individuals to possibly dig deeper in how or why they feel or think a certain way because people tend to feed off of each other and can bring discussions out of others. I may gather a bit more how followership is viewed, dealt with, and ways to improve the understanding and actions of various followers.
The group and curriculum showed a support group dynamic. The facilitator led the group and provided ways to stimulate sharing, suggestions, and advice. He was able to provide support to individual participants and the group as a whole (Maguire, 2002). They read a book about a group of pigs that were doing a scavenger hunt to find a prize. One pig in particular didn’t listen to the instructions and in a humorous way he struggled to find the clues. He often would push others to get the next clue and other pigs were scared of him. The pig that didn’t listen had many struggles. It was resolved by the other pigs helping him, as well as the main character realizing what he should have done differently. Throughout the book the facilitator stopped and asked questions using the text and pictures. He added group empathy by adding their personal experiences to the
Group therapy can become a very vital part of the social worker’s intervention with pre-delinquents and delinquents. If we look at group therapy with the delinquent population in terms of its objectives, it becomes apparent that group therapy can serve a number of important functions. One of the most important functions is the resocialization of the delinquent adolescent through contact with his peers (as well as an authority figure) in a real social situation. The fact that the group -- with its membership composed of fellow delinquents -- may have a greater situational resemblance to the real-life situation of the adolescent than an encounter with an individual therapist should enhance the likelihood of the generalization of results from the group situation to the outside world. The critical insights of members of the group can help each other gain an insight into their own difficulties, as well as the difficulties of other group members. Through the process of structuring roles amongst its members, the therapy group can achieve the objective of revealing distortions in role perception than the delinquent carries around with him. The members of the group can be set free to evolve new roles in the context of the therapy group as a substitution for the institutionalized roles that usually evolve from the expectations of the society or the authority.
Group therapy can offer the essential support acquired from others within the group who are experiencing similar, if not the same, struggles as his or her peers. When someone is on the other side of the equation, for instance, it can be quite difficult to comprehend the extent to which an individual is willing to go and the manner in which he or she explains the urge to indulge. Therefore, for relatable factors, those within the group could find comfort in knowing that he or she is not alone and make those much needed, healthy connections emerging from the group. Once connections are made and therapeutic relationships are established, which can take some time, the encouraging support with a sense of empathetic understanding should emerge and the seemingly alienation from the world can begin to diminish. It is the positive nourishment deriving from successful group counseling that can offer enrichment to his or her stagnated growth that effectively leads to the blooming expansion of his or her life once again (Van Wormer & Davis, 2013).
Reflecting on chapter 4, the chapter gave a different way of viewing groups. Many of the types of groups discussed in the chapter I was unfamiliar with such as an education group. However, I found the topic of treatment groups interesting. I view group work and support groups as an awesome asset to have access to as group work brings many common interest individuals together to support one another. Two of the treatment groups I read about that I found intriguing are support groups(Pg.139) and growth groups(Pg.141). Support groups are comprised of individuals that have similar walls of life with struggles they face or issues they have experienced. The support group supports and encourages emotional stability for each other through discussion
Therapy is part of the healing and treating process that people suffering from any type problems may need. To attain total recovery, some individuals require certain types of therapy. One of the most common therapies is through group therapy, also called group psychotherapy. Group therapy or counseling has become a popular method working with offenders. One of the most fundamental values to group therapy is that an individual is affected by the system in which he or she functions (Brabender, Smoler, and Fallon, 2004). Group therapy is an approach that involves a small group of members and one or more therapists with specialized training in group therapy. This group approach to therapy is designed to promote psychological growth and improve problems through cognitive and emotional explorations of the interactions among members, between members, and the therapist (Brabender et al, 2004). Furthermore, group therapy has shown to be effective with offenders involved in domestic violence, substance abuse, anger, trauma, and sex offenders (Hanser and Mire, 2011).
...ipants were the students with Shanghai background, who studied abroad. Group study room in the Leicester’s library was a good choice for focus group. It was a competitive formal focus group.
Like any other science, psychology is concerned with theories and data. Psychologists use a wide range of research methods and techniques that allow them to gather and make sense of the data that they produce. The methods that psychologists use to research and analyse the experience and behaviours of individuals or groups are called psychological research methods. This essay will be investigating and analysing three research methods to include; experimental, observational and surveys, also, reflecting on their strengths and weaknesses of each in addition to their usefulness in the psychology field.
A qualitative write-up is characterized by thick, detailed descriptions. The report aims to tell a story and report findings, sharing “what the researcher has learned and how s/he learned it” (Patton, 2002, p. 502). However, concerns about quality remain as omissions will be made, analytic structures are not all encompassing, and philosophical points may induce chaos. Researchers are therefore challenged to ensure quality, addressing audience and format requirements, as well as communicating research findings strategically and reflexively (Creswell, 2013; Patton, 2002).
Surveys are an effective and popular method for research because of the efficiency, versatility and generalizability. Generalizability is the ability to sample and draw research conclusions for large populations (Bachman & Schutt, 2012). In order to effectively maximize outcomes in survey research, surveys must be structured to avoid unclear or confusing questions. Demographic related questions should be avoided if not pertinent to the research study (Bachman & Schutt, 2012). Generally, the motivation of the researcher is clearly identified in a survey, and the respondent has the option of declining involvement in the survey. There are fewer ethical dilemmas with survey research than other types of research methods.