ABSTRACT
Afocus group brings together a relatively small number of people for agroup discussion. Quite popular among market researchers, focusgroups use “group interaction to produce data and insights that would be less accessible without the interaction found in a group” (Morgan, 1988, p. 12). Some researchers call this group interviewing, but the method really involves more than interviewing. Interviewing is often done one-onone. This is the case with a telephone survey, for example. A researcher calls an individual, asks a series of questions, and records the individual’s responses on the study questionnaire. Questions are usually closed-ended and allow for little or no explanation. However, in a focus group, questions are usually open-ended, and explanation, amplification, and additional comments are encouraged. Members of a focus group will participate in a moderately structured discussion led by a research moderator who is a trained research discussion facilitator.
