Advantages and disadvantages the focus group fg technique has been recently rediscovered by social scientists. The focus group fg is one of the qualitative research methods to be utilized in the search for answers to such questions. However, such a widespread use of fg seems to have become a fashionable research technique. There are however issues with focus groups that people should be aware of. Advantages of focus groups 1 advantages of focus groups. Used with all of the above, a focus group is an integral part of gauging public perceptions.
The researcher can interact with the participants, pose followup questions or ask questions that probe more deeply. Aug 16, 2011 using focus groups to gather qualitative data on the customer experience is a widely used marketing strategy which allows organizations to develop products and services that meet customer requirements. Benefits and challenges of focus groups in the evaluation of a new graduate entry medical programme. Advantages of asynchronous online focus groups and facetoface. Advantages focus group brings interaction between participants highlights their view of the world. Jan 30, 2020 there are inevitably going to be challenges when running a focus group, the biggest one being potential bias. Online versus inperson focus groups interq research. Jan 14, 2011 the benefits of focus groups far outweigh any of the perceived barriers that exist. May be one of the few research tools available for obtaining data from children or from individuals who are not particularly literate. Disadvantages of focus groups marketing research assignment. The focus group may also be undertaken to discover preliminary issues that are of concern to a group or community, and on which to base.
As long as the disadvantages are equally weighed with the advantages that focus groups provide, the. Coworkers and friends are more comfortable in voicing views in each others company than on their own with the researcher. Nov 30, 2015 advantages of online focus groups people from all over the country or even the world can participate, and the client can observe the group from the convenience of the home or office. Advantages, disadvantages, and lessons learned in conducting telephone focus groups to discuss biospecimen research concerns of individuals genetically at risk for cancer abstract advances in telecommunication technology allow biomedical researchers to explore new, inexpensive opportunities for conducting focus group research. Download scientific diagram advantages and disadvantages of the focus group. The key is to make sure you know what you want and identify your goals as specifically as possible. The pros and cons of focus groups show that there can be a lot of valuable information gathered from this type of survey method. Following are the main advantages of focus group discussion in research. Online focus group advantages and disadvantages mrqual.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of focus group. Competitive advantage relies on being ahead of the game, and focus groups give organizations the ability to gather insightful information faster than individual interviews or interpreting and analyzing thousands of survey responses. Thus, for our research purpose, focus groups were the best method of data collection to capture these insights. It provides a diverse set of responses based on interviewee profiles. Methodological aspects of focus groups in health research. Students should learn to understand their own conditions to choose the best research method for their study. Focus groups provide some distinct advantages to businesses and researchers. Introduction and history 3 participants are encouraged to talk to each other instead of answering the moderators questions. Merton, a sociologist and the associate director of the bureau of applied social research headed the first focus groups in the united states. Geographical constraints are removed and time constraints are lessened. What is the purpose and advantages of focus group interviews. September 22, 2010, christina, comments off on benefits of focus groups.
Many businesses are unaware of the kinds of benefits using focus groups can have. Overcoming the limitations of focus groups team consulting. Nov 14, 2018 the results of the focus group interviews helped us design parent lounges that met the unique needs of parents who often spend days, weeks or even months with a sick child in the hospital. Even with an experienced moderator, one or two people may dominate the group and sway the opinions of the others. Participants are able to listen to responses of other participants and feed off each other. So, above are some of the advantages of the focus groups. The first is synchronous, which means realtime or live groups, conducted via video or chat. Oct 24, 2014 online focus groups ofgs are increasingly used as a method of data collection. Focus group also gives insights into peoples shared understandings of everyday life, so that the researcher can find out why an issue. It helps to explains why people feel the way they do and offers several perspectives about same topic. By contrast, nondirective procedures like focus groups begin with limited assumptions and place considerable emphasis on getting in tone with the reality of the respondents. As with traditional focus groups business advantage will recruit members of the target audience to agreed guidelines to meet at a prearranged time, except here, they interact over the internet by logging on to conferencing software.
With the dynamic offerings and needs of the educational technology market, it is hard to stabilize your learner analysis findings. Download citation the focus groups in social research. Todays market researcher has an embarrassment of tools available to them, yet one research option has stood the test of time the focus group. As said the discussions are controlled by the moderator. The aim of focus groups in social science research is to understand. Online focus groups have several advantages over traditional facetoface ones. Focus groups are one of the most effective and frequently used. Focus groups provide a useful way to measure the reaction of customers to a new corporate strategy, proposed service, or a new product. Focus groups aim to discover the key issues of concern for selected groups. Focus group learn about different types of focus groups. Focus groups are often portrayed as heartless in fiction, but in real life they remain a useful feedback method. Using focus groups in elearning design will add the desired edge needed in your learner analysis report. Focus group brings interaction between participants highlights their view of the world.
Online audiovisual and online textonly focus groups have the advantage of saving money and time and attracting diverse participation in comparison to ftf focus groups abrams et al. Focus groups can give you both a broad and indepth overview of reactions to the product, services, or organizational. When used as a survey method, the focus group approach presents various pros, strengths and. Advantages, disadvantages, and lessons learned in conducting. Welch, he suggests there are opportunities for bias to creep into the results of group discussions. Hence, the moderators primarily aim to facilitate discussion, rather than to direct it. Online focus groups the business advantage group ltd. In this article, we look at online focus group advantages and disadvantages compared with facetoface focus groups.
The second is asynchronous, which means not in realtime. Focus groups typically involve a moderatorled group discussion with between eight and 10 people. The term focus group was created by ernest dichter, a famous market expert and psychologist. Customer expectations are a moving target so it is important to stay on top of understanding the customer perspective. Compared to a quantitative survey, focus groups are able. Focus groups can get you all the information you need as long as adequate preparation is made. Apr 11, 2016 if youre trying to understand which method is preferable online or inperson focus groups here is a quick pro and con list of each method. In this lesson, youll learn about focus groups, as well as their advantages and. Group participants will likely have been chosen based on shared demographics, circumstances, buying. Focus groups are usually tools used by the advertising industry to measure the potential impact of a new product.
Perhaps the most important thing we were able to take from our experience was how much our audience appreciated. In the book, research marketing problems and opportunities with focus groups, written by j. Benefits and challenges of focus groups in the evaluation. Focus groups are used in business research all the time. Focus groups are a cheaper means of obtaining information compared to individual interviews. The analysis of focus groups in health care research might also require special procedures because the focus group method is used to answer not only sociological research questions e. The impression is that fg is often adopted without any prior consideration of whether it. Participants respond and share information through online means. If the focus groups provide advantages, it also provides some of the disadvantages. It has become the subject of important methodological discussions and it is now considered a very innovative research method.
Advantages and limitations of focus groups howstuffworks. Provide a broader range of information offer opportunity to seek clarification suggest potential solutions to problems identified deeply understand the phenomena studied. The groups generally result in more data being gathered as participants are given the opportunity to rebut each other. Some people may not wish to publicly share their views on sensitive topics, but these can be important views that need to be included. The focus groups are the groups of intellectuals, professionals who come together to form an opinion for the new product in the company. Wed like to understand how you use our websites in order to improve them. Online focus groups are becoming more popular because they are a quick, convenient and cost effective way to gather qualitative data. Created using powtoon free sign up at create animated videos and animated presentations for free. Focus group is an important research method, here we list the advantages and disadvantages of such research method.
Advantages and disadvantages of focus groups advantages. Show full abstract between focus groups and both surveys and individual interviews help to show the specific advantages and disadvantages of group interviews, concentrating on the role of the. Marketing researchers employ a variety of tools, including oneonone interviews, written surveys and polling to track consumer opinion. Results can be easier to understand than complicated statistical data. What are the advantages and disadvantages of focus groups. The focus group is the collaboration of people who come together to make an opinion, put forth their. In particular, the values and beliefs about a situation. Focus groups allow businesses to directly engage with their customers. The moderators control the discussion as per his or her experience.
Focus group discussion is frequently used as a qualitative approach to. A great moderator of focus groups can understand people and their nonconscious body cues. Pros in an online focus group, 3 to 6 people is the ideal sample size. Online focus groups are done to reach a broader range of participants. Although their advantages for research have repeatedly been described, participants opinions about ofgs have seldom been studied. It has become the subject of important methodological discussions. The difference between quality data and data with bias depends on how people are screened and the data is treated. Being able to work face to face with a range of people, of different demographics can give a more real insight into their opinions and help businesses to get to know their customers better. We investigated ofg participants preference for participation in an ofg or a facetoface focus group ftf, as well as their perceptions of the advantages of both methods. As can be inferred from the above description, the focus group format has several advantages.
As long as the disadvantages are equally weighed with the advantages that focus groups provide, the data value is unquestionable. Discovering these issues can help determine which of a number of options is the preferred way forward, or to determine what are the concerns that would prevent a proposal going ahead. However, each of these methods presents different advantages and. It is an inexpensive and fast method of acquiring valuable data. Oct 05, 2017 advantages and disadvantages of focus groups todays market researcher has an embarrassment of tools available to them, yet one research option has stood the test of time the focus group. The focus group fg technique has been recently rediscovered by social scientists. Advantages of asynchronous online focus groups and faceto. Ppt advantages of focus groups powerpoint presentation. Will your small business benefit from a focus group. There can be focus groups for anything product focus groups, service improvement focus groups or merely idea generation.
A key market research tool, focus groups are often used in order to gain a better insight into different behaviours and opinions of consumers regarding products, brands and services. The use of focus groups in social science research focus groups originated in sociology merton and kendall 1946 were primarily used by market researchers in recent years templeton 1987 and are increasingly being used as a research tool in the social sciences. A growing literature on the setting up and running of focus groups for social. Focus groups enabled us to observe group dynamics and levels of consensus and to gather information on contextual factors that may shape the implementation process krueger, 1994.
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