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Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups

Focus groups have advantages and disadvantages compared to other evaluation techniques like naturalistic observation, individual interviews, and questionnaires. While focus groups provide dynamic group discussion, they are conducted in unnatural settings and moderators can influence responses. Individual interviews allow evaluators to cover more ground but focus groups can provide more in-depth information through group interactions. Questionnaires are easier to administer but focus groups allow deeper understanding of issues with fewer participants. Many evaluators use both focus groups and surveys to gain comprehensive understanding of key topics.

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56 views

Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups

Focus groups have advantages and disadvantages compared to other evaluation techniques like naturalistic observation, individual interviews, and questionnaires. While focus groups provide dynamic group discussion, they are conducted in unnatural settings and moderators can influence responses. Individual interviews allow evaluators to cover more ground but focus groups can provide more in-depth information through group interactions. Questionnaires are easier to administer but focus groups allow deeper understanding of issues with fewer participants. Many evaluators use both focus groups and surveys to gain comprehensive understanding of key topics.

Uploaded by

mihir_mhk
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Focus Groups

The decision of whether to use focus groups for a given evaluation project depends
on the strengths and limitations of focus groups in contrast to other evaluation
techniques. Below, are three ways of collecting information for program
evaluation and how the process and results might differ from focus groups.

1) Naturalistic observation has some advantages over focus groups. Focus groups are
conducted in an unnatural social setting. The presence and direction of the
moderator may influence responses that might be different in a more natural setting.
While naturalistic observation allows for observation of a broader range of
information and potentially a more open discussion, focus groups set an agenda and
use questioning strategies that influence the group process.

2) Individual interviews are more efficient that focus groups and interviewers are
typically able to cover more ground interviewing one person versus a group. While
focus groups may actually get at less information that a one hour individual
interview, the dynamic interchange between the group members may result in more
in depth and unbiased information concerning a particular topic. A potential
weakness of focus groups may occur when members do not express their personal
opinions and conform to a popular opinion or acquiesce to a particular group
member. Strategies for increasing an open exchange of ideas will be discussed
below. Focus groups can be used in tandem with individual interviews. Evaluators
may use focus groups to initially explore issues and then seek expanded (perhaps
private) information through individual interviews.

3) Questionnaires compared to focus groups are relatively easy and inexpensive to


create, analyze and communicate the findings. Questionnaires may be administered
to the masses while focus groups typically elicit information from only 8 to 24 people
who hopefully represent the population being investigated. Questionnaires may
include as many questions as the evaluator thinks the respondents will complete,
while focus group moderators have to crack the whip in order to get responses to
five or so key questions. So why use a focus group?? In some cases evaluators want
to gain a deeper understanding of the issues. Focus groups are able to delve much
deeper into issues than questionnaires. This is discussed further in the When to Use
Focus Groups section.

Many evaluators use both focus groups and surveys. Surveys may indicate areas that
require further probing through focus groups. Focus groups may also be used in the
creation of surveys. By discussing the area in need of investigation, focus groups can
illuminate key points about the topic so that the survey is comprehensive enough.
Focus groups can also clarify terminology used to describe what is being
investigated. Maximizing knowledge about key concerns and effective communication
with the potential focus group participants helps developers of surveys create
questions that are understood in the same way by all respondents.

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