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Take your time formulating them, paying special attention to phrasing.

The questions that you ask your focus group are crucially important to your analysis. See editing example Step 3: Determine your focus group questions You can be open to a wide variety of opinions, which can lead to unexpected conclusions. Are you only interested in students who have strong opinions on the subject?Ī benefit of focus groups is that your hypotheses can be open-ended.Perhaps not all students eat at the dining hall.Are you interested in including vegetarians in your analysis?.Are you interested in a particular sector of the population, such as vegans or non-vegans?.Example: Setting your scopeYou want to determine the scope of your research, so you consider the following questions. Setting your scope will help you formulate intriguing hypotheses, set clear questions, and recruit the right participants. If the topic isn’t well studied, use your instincts to determine what you think is most worthy of study. Perhaps literature already exists on your subject or a sufficiently similar topic that you can use as a starting point. Once you have determined that a focus group is the right choice for your topic, you can start thinking about what you expect the group discussion to yield. Step 2: Define your research scope and hypotheses If you’re interested in something less concrete, such as students’ perceptions of vegan food or the interplay between their choices at the dining hall and their feelings of homesickness or loneliness, perhaps a focus group would be best.However, food is much more than just consumption and nourishment and can have emotional, cultural, and other implications on individuals. If you want to determine whether the student body would regularly consume vegan food, a survey would be a great way to gauge student preferences.It needs concrete proof that vegan meals will be successful. However, the university is hesitant to do so if it will lead to increased food waste. Example: Research topicYour university dining hall is considering adding vegan meals to its daily menu. If your question hinges upon behavior but you are worried about influencing responses, consider an observational study. However, if your questions are dichotomous or if you need to reach a large audience quickly, a survey may be a better option. If you are seeking direction, explanation, or in-depth dialogue, a focus group could be a good fit. This table shows the most important differences between the four types.Īs a rule of thumb, research topics related to thoughts, beliefs, and feelings work well in focus groups. Make sure to choose the type of interview that suits your research best. Unstructured interviews: None of the questions are predetermined.Semi-structured interviews: A few questions are predetermined, but other questions aren’t planned.Structured interviews: The questions are predetermined in both topic and order.Note:There are a few other types of interviews you can consider as well. The three most common options are:

Step 4: Select a moderator or co-moderator.Step 3: Determine your focus group questions.Step 2: Define your research scope and hypotheses.