Focus group methodology: a review

Commitment and the changing sequence of cohabitation, childbearing, and marriage

“…Notwithstanding these limitations, the focus group methodology allows us to describe the range of ways in which people talk about commitment in marriage and cohabitation. Furthermore, the interactions between focus group participants provides unique insights into how opinions are constructed as a result of discussion with other focus group respondents (Wilkinson 1998;Morgan 2010). In this way, the focus group discussions reveal the complex relationship between the new ordering of life events and the nature of commitment.…”

“They didn't tell us, they made us work it out ourselves”: Patient perspectives of a cognitive–behavioral program for rheumatoid arthritis fatigue

“…After the consolidation session at week 14, patients were invited to participate in a focus group to discuss their views and experiences of the program with researchers who had not been involved with its delivery (SH, CA, AC, AH, MM, or AS). Focus groups are practical for gathering evidence from large numbers of participants, and the interaction tends to be between participants with relatively little influence from the researchers (30,31). Furthermore, the focus groups comprised the program groups, where participants were accustomed to discussing their experiences together.…”

Is there really “nothing you can do”? Pathways to enhanced flood-risk preparedness

“…Focus groups were favoured as they allow participants to 'explore and clarify their views in ways that would be less easily accessible in a one to one interview' (Kitzinger, 1995: 299), and they can often yield intangible or hidden data (e.g. non-verbal or physical expressions) (Wilkinson, 1998;Sim, 1998). In addition, focus groups can allow for the maximisation of data collection, particularly if time is limited (Acocella, 2012), and when used in exploratory research, can help inform more structured approaches to data collection (Wilkinson, 1998;Sim, 1998).…”