ABSTRACT
Social scientists initially used focus groups during the 1920s, most often to assist in the development of questionnaires (Morgan, 1996). Robert Merton and Paul Lazarsfeld pioneered the use of the focus group method in social science research in the 1940s (Madriz, 2000). Between World War II and the 1970s, focus groups were used primarily in market research to ascertain the wants and needs of the public. They continue to be used for this purpose today. Lastly, from the 1980s until recently, focus groups have been used to collect data in a variety of social areas (Morgan, 1996), Recently, focus groups have gained greater popularity among qualitative researchers as a method of choice (Madriz, 2000). Researchers view the focus group process as a window into human interaction (Madriz, 2000).
