Transcript Conducting a Youth Led Focus Group

Conducting a Focus
Group
Presentation to:
Oak Park Neighborhood Association
Prepared by:
Joël L. Phillips
EMT Associates, Inc.
771 Oak Avenue Parkway, Suite 2
Folsom, CA 95630
September 27, 2005
Table of Contents
What is a Focus Group?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
How Does a Focus Group Work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Three Types of Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How Do We Collect Information? What Do We Do With Information? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Advantages of Focus Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Disadvantages of Focus Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
General Guidelines for Managing a Focus Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Facilitating a Focus Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Facilitator Behaviors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Dealing with Different Personalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Ground Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Our Focus Group Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Opening Script: A Suggestion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Go Over Ground Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
No Before We Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Time Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Hints for Spontaneous Follow-Up Questions: Curiosity in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
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What is a Focus Group?
 A process to collect information through a
group discussion based on a set of questions.
 Uses a moderator (or facilitator) that follows a
predetermined interview guide (scripted).
 Small groups – generally between 5 – 12
 Collects information about a group’s
perception, attitude or experience on defined
topics.
 Uses people from the population under study
3
How Does a Focus Group Work?
Beginning
Middle
Third
Broad questions
less structure
More structured
– lead into topics of
most interest
Obtain answers
to specific
assessment
questions
4
Three Types of Questions
Interview Questions – These are predetermined and
limited in number. There are 10 broad questions for
our Oak Park focus groups.
Follow-up (Probes) Questions – These are written
questions added in interview questions below. There
are 16 follow-up questions in our interview.
Spontaneous Follow-up Questions – These are
questions that the facilitators – especially the backup
co-facilitator – can ask after listening to the first set of
responses to each question. You may find you will
use 25 – 50 spontaneous follow-up questions.
5
How do we collect information?
What do we do with information?
Written summaries
Collection
Results in
“data pools”
Methods
Taped Recordings
Data pools are categorized and analyzed.
6
Advantages of Focus Groups
 Provides insights – not just what you think but
why
 Reveal consensus and diversity of
participants’ perceptions
 Allows group interactions to build on each
other’s ideas
 Provide opportunity to explore reasons
behind the response
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Disadvantages of Focus Groups
 Groups are small – may not be representative
 Generates lots of information – difficult to
analyze
 Information can be biased by subjective
interpretations
 Outspoken individuals can dominate the
discussion
8
General Guidelines for Managing a
Focus Group
 Mix of questions – general and more specific –




include follow - up probes
Select group members who represent the target
population
Limit size of group to 5 - 12 – smaller groups = more
depth and detail
You don’t need to do a lot of focus groups (4 - 6 often
the maximum), but this is depending on variation of
the target groups
Good note keeping is central to the success of the
focus groups. Generally, the sessions are recorded.
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Facilitating a Focus Group
1.
2.
3.
Create a friendly, comfortable climate
- Way the room is set up (drinks)
- How you greet the participants (chat)
- How you talk to them (friendly)
Maintain neutrality in your words and expression
- Behave in a way that shows each answer is interesting – but no
better or worse than any other response. Use a lot of “uh – huhs”
and thank you’s.
- Avoid use of affirming (positive) statements like “that’s a great
idea…”
- Avoid negative body language or facial responses
Seek balance among participants
- Encourage non-talkers to be more expressive
- Make sure all members feel valued
- Give both verbal and non-verbal (a nod) cues to participants
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Facilitating a Focus Group
4.
5.
Convey sense of purposefulness
- Set positive tone
- Guide the pace of the meeting
- Make sure all questions are addressed (sometimes they may
need to be repeated twice)
Time management
- Watch out for time limits for each question
- Make sure you and your partner know roles and
responsibilities, who leads on each question, who asks follow-up
and spontaneous questions
REMEMBER – Key facilitator traits are WARMTH,
NEUTRALITY AND PURPOSEFULNESS
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Facilitator Behaviors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Pause 7 seconds after asking a question – don’t rush in.
Invite participants to express a different point of view:
- “Does anyone see it differently?”
Request more information.
- “Tell me more about that.”
- “I don’t understand.”
- “Could you please say more?”
- “Will you give me an example so I can understand better?”
Try to maintain neutrality while listening to your fellow students.
Avoid piling on with such statements as:
- “Yeh, that’s how I see it too.”
- “No, that’s not right.”
Don’t offer advice or solutions. This isn’t a session about fixing
things or providing resources – it’s to get their ideas and thoughts
about a small number of issues concerning Oak Park.
Make sure to get everyone to the extent possible to contribute. 12
Dealing with Different Personalities
The group is made up of all sorts of people – who come with different social and
interpersonal skills. Here are some tips on handling different personalities.
For dominant talkers:
 Withdraw eye contact
 Shift attention, “Thanks, Chris. Now I would like to hear how the rest of you feel
about…”
For shy people:
 Try for appropriate eye contact
 Ask that everyone (or a whole section of the table) respond to a question
 Less often (only when it seems appropriate), call the person by name for a
response
For rambling types:
 Withdraw eye contact after the talk gets repetitive
 Turn slightly away
 Do not take notes or reinforce the talk in any way
 At a pause, say, “Thank you, Terry. Now I want to get some other people to jump in
here on this question.” Repeat the question, if necessary, to pull the focus back.
 (Rarely) Interrupt. “Excuse me, Evelyn. I’m sorry to have to interrupt you, but I see
other people would also like to answer this question and I want to make sure they
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have times.” Then repeat the question.
Ground Rules
Ground rules provide sense of structure for the group
that allows for a productive conversation. They
provide for sense of comfort and confidentiality.
Two ways to do ground rules.
1. Let each focus group come up with them.
(problem – time)
2. Come in with a prepared list of Do’s and Don’ts
(preferred)
Review these with participants.
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Example
Proposed Ground Rules
YES
NO
Speak your truth; tell what you know Interrupting
and believe. Speak from the edge
of your knowledge.
Naming unnecessary names
Ask questions of other participants.
Whining
Listen to hear what others mean to
say.
Fixing blame without offering a
solution.
Talk with respect for others and for
yourself.
Personal attacks
Follow the moderator’s guidance
about time and whose turn it is to
talk.
Hitting, spitting, hairsplitting
Let’s do our ground rules for these focus groups.
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Our Focus Group Interview
The Opening
 Keep it brief
 Indicate how long the session will last
 Describe the process
 Lay out the ground rules
 Do introductions.
Go to the suggested script.
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Opening Script
A Suggestion
Good evening. I’m ____ and my partner tonight is ______. Thanks
for coming to this meeting.
We are here today to talk about alcohol, drugs and what our
community can do about problems related to the use of these
substances. It will probably take about an hour—maybe a little
more, maybe a little less.
We aren’t interested in names or personal stories. We want to know
how you think and feel about these issues.
We have some other ground rules (go to sheet) that we will use in our
meeting. Notes will be taken but no names will be used in
reporting the results of the session.
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Go over ground rules
Emphasize again that the purpose of the session is to get as many
opinions as possible about each topic. It is not to make
decisions or persuade each other.
Strongly encourage people to state their personal opinions, no
matter what opinion others in the group may hold.
Explain as facilitators you will be the guides. You will recognize
people to speak. As much as possible, encourage people to
speak one at a time, but assure them if they get lively, you will
help them sort it out.
Let people know you might rush some sections of the discussion
they find interesting – and may even have to interrupt some
people, in order to get through all the questions or ensure all are
heard from.
Ask people to speak for themselves.
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Now before we start…
Let’s take a few minutes to introduce ourselves.
We want your first name and how long you
have lived in Oak Park.
Then, Go to Question 1 --
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Questions
Start time for focus group:
(Suggested time) 5 min.
(Actual time) ______
(Elapsed time)
_________
Question 1. How do you spend your time in Oak Park when
not at work or in school?
Probe: What takes most of your time?
Probe: Are you satisfied with the way you spend your time?
Why or why not?
Probe: How would you like to spend your time differently if the
opportunities were there in Oak Park?
(Suggested time) 7 min.
(Actual time) ______
(Elapsed time)
_________
Question 2. Do you feel safe in Oak Park?
Probe: What specifically makes you feel safe? -----police,
community members, other reasons…..
Probe: What specifically makes you feel unsafe? ------level of
violence, gangs, other reasons……
(Suggested time) 7 min.
(Actual time) ______
(Elapsed time)
_________
Question 3. What do you know about alcohol and drug
use in Oak Park (Remember: NO NAMES)
Probe: Is it physically present in our community. If so, in what
ways?
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Probe: Which is the bigger problem, alcohol or drugs? Why?
Questions
(Suggested time)
6 min.
(Actual time) ______
(Elapsed time)
______
Question 4. What have been some of the problems
associated with alcohol and drug use in Oak Park?
Probe: Has it had an impact on my sense of personal
safety? If yes, in what ways?
Probe: Has it contributed to a general decline in our
community? If yes, in what ways?
(Suggested time)
8 min.
(Actual time) ______
(Elapsed time)
______
Question 5. What has been done to reduce alcohol and
drug use in Oak Park? (list out)
Probe: Which of these do you think were successful?
Probe: For each response—why do you think they were
successful?
(Suggested time)
8 min.
(Actual time)______
(Elapsed time)
_________
Question 6. Were there things done in Oak Park to
reduce alcohol and drug use that were not successful?
(list out)
Probe: Why do you think they were not successful? (for
each response)
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Questions
(Suggested time)
5 min.
(Actual time) ______
(Elapsed time)
_________
Question 7. Research has demonstrated that there is a
relationship between deteriorated housing and
alcohol/drug use and crime in the community. What
actions should be taken to reduce the level of
deteriorated housing in our community?
(Suggested time)
5 min.
(Actual time)_______
(Elapsed time)
_________
Question 8. What roles or actions should the business
community take to reduce alcohol and drug problems
in Oak Park?
Probe: For example, some businesses have increased
commercial lighting to deter loitering (street prostitution).
(Suggested time)
6 min.
(Actual time) _______
(Elapsed time)
________
Question 9. If you could change one thing to improve
the Oak Park Community, what would it be?
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Questions
For Youth Led Groups:
Suggested) 6 min.
(Actual time) ______
(Elapsed time)
________
Suggested) 6 min.
(Actual time) ______
(Elapsed time)
________
Question 10. What part does alcohol and drugs play in
teen activities in your community?
Probe: How accepted is alcohol and drug use?
Probe: How do teens get a hold of alcohol and drugs in
Oak Park?
Question 11. Why do you think teenagers in your
community drink or use drugs?
Probe: What happens to kids who do not use? Is that a
problem for them?
Thank people for coming, and say goodbye.
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Time Tracking
Starting on the first page of the questions (page __) you will see a
suggested time allocation for each question. A blank for actual
time is provided as well. On your Interview Guideline (separate
handouts) that you will use in your focus groups. The estimated
time and actual time will be blank.
Before you run each focus group, you will need to fill in the actual
clock time, like 9:30 a.m., for your focus group session, with the
first entry on page 2 being your focus group starting time. Use a
pencil. Then you fill in the rest of the actual time blanks by adding
time to your starting time.
The elapsed time space indicates how many minutes should have
already passed in your focus group session, if you are following
the time estimates for each question.
The actual time indicates the time on a clock, such as 9:45 a.m. or
10:30 a.m. For example, beside Question ___, the elapsed
minutes says “__.” If your session started at 9:30, then your
actual time here will be ___. You fill in all the blanks for actual
time in advance, and this show you that by ___ you should be24
starting Question Two.
Hints for Spontaneous Follow-Up
Questions: Curiosity in Action
Note: Spontaneous follow-up questions are the key to detail and
depth. They help you get the good stuff that’s below the first,
“surface” answers.
Here are good first words for spontaneous follow-up questions:
Please say more about that.
Can you give me more details?
Anybody else?
What is it about….
Tell me more about…
What is your experience with…
Describe…
Imagine…
What caused you to…
What features of X do you particularly like/dislike…
How… When… Where… How often do you…
Note: Try to avoid “Why” questions because they can put people on
the defensive and make them not want to answer questions at all.
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