Qualitative Research in Practice : Stories From the Field - Blogs Unpad

Qualitative research in practice
Particular advantages of focus groups relate to the benefits of
group interaction, such as the extent to which the cross-flow of
communication sparks ideas that would not emerge as easily in a
one-to-one interview. Groups also take the pressure off participants
to respond to every question. Hearing others talk about their experiences,
in a supportive environment, may enable participants to feel
comfortable about sharing their own experiences. The group context
also enables exploration of a range of subjective responses in relation
to one or more topics in a relatively short space of time and relatively
economically (Basch, 1987; Mariampolski, 1989; Morgan, 1997).
It is also in relation to the group interaction that potential disadvantages
of focus groups arise. These relate to the extent to which
participants may experience peer pressure to remain silent about
some views or to readily agree with more dominant views in the
group. With sensitive topics there is the potential for embarrassment,
and participants may be reluctant to talk about personal experiences.
Focus groups also place limits on the amount of time each
participant has to speak. In-depth interviews allow for concentrated
and uninterrupted focus on the perceptions of one person and are
preferred when this is sought.
As with any qualitative research, participants in focus groups
should be given as much information as possible about the purpose
of the research and the topics to be discussed and given the opportunity
to opt out if they do not feel able to participate comfortably
in group discussion. It is in the initial pre-group meeting that trust
begins to be established. Issues of trust apply to focus groups as
much as they do to in-depth interviews. Unless there is trust in the
facilitator—that they will be heard when they speak, their contribution
will be valued, they will not be pressured to speak when they
don’t want to or about things they don’t want to talk about, and that
they will be ‘protected’ from the group if needs be—prospective
participants are not likely to agree to take part. Worse, they may
choose to participate and, if their trust turns out to be unwarranted,
be at emotional risk in the process.
Darlington, Osmond and Peile (2001) used focus groups in a
study of child welfare workers’ use of theory in practice. They were
used as a third stage of data collection, following two in-depth
interviews, so participants had developed considerable trust in the
researchers by this stage. The focus groups involved two activities.
The first activity involved presenting back to participants the
thematic analysis of the material obtained from two rounds of
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