Accurate information the facetoface involvement of a qualified moderator means that. What are the advantages and disadvantages of group decision. The pros and cons of focus groups show that there can be a lot of valuable information gathered from this type of survey method. This thoroughness may arise simply because of the number of perspectives represented in the group, but it also owes to the fact that members often propel each others thinking. What are the advantages and disadvantages of group discussion. Advantages and disadvantages of group discussion answers. If the focus groups provide advantages, it also provides some of the disadvantages. During a focus group, a group of individualsusually 612 peopleis brought together in a room to engage in a guided discussion of a topic.
Decision making in group process is a structured problemsolving or ideagenerating strategy in which individuals ideas are gathered. Advantages and limitations of focus groups focus groups allow researchers to interact with participants, gaining valuable input. 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. What are the advantages and disadvantages of focus group. Focus groups explicitly use group interaction as part of the method kitzinger 1995. In this article, we look at online focus group advantages and disadvantages compared with facetoface focus groups. It provides a surprising amount of flexibility in the classroom, despite the lack of the traditional lecture. Advantages and disadvantages of focus groups in research. You can take advantage of multiple opinions to find a better choice. Breen faculty of education, university of technology, sydney, australia abstract this article guides readers through the decisions and considerations involved in conducting focusgroup research. This paper uses the definition of focus group as a controlled group discussion, on the basis that the group interaction generated through discussion is of prior importance to this methodology. Advantages of conducting a focus group interview are the flexibility in questioning, the encouragement of dialogue and exchange of ideas, the generation of hypotheses, being relatively fast and inexpensive and producing findings in a form that most users fully. Advantages of conducting a focus group interview are the flexibility in questioning, the.
What are the main advantages and disadvantages of discussion. Deep detailed data observations by outsider rather than selfreported data disadvantages difficult to systematically collect data, especially in middle of important moment hard to take notes so details may be forgotten ethical considerations. Advantages, disadvantages, and lessons learned in conducting. Using focus groups in schools sage publications inc. We take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of focus groups below. Aug 16, 2011 focus group participants are asked questions in an interactive setting and are encouraged to discuss thoughts freely with other participants. Marketing researchers employ a variety of tools, including oneonone interviews, written surveys and polling to track consumer opinion. The amount of data collected would be overwhelming and complex to be analyzed. The patient focus groups were characterized by a strong need to talk and a high need for information. Important skills that a group moderator should possess 3. In mixedmethod research, comparing and relating may result in conflicting findings between data collected through different methods. We first briefly explain the procedure of the technique and then provide an overview of the different forms of focus group discussion. The moderators control the discussion as per his or her experience.
We examined the advantages,disadvantages, and lessons learned regarding the use of tfgs to conduct research with the atrisk population. The group may be more thorough in dealing with a topic than any individual might be. Classroom discussions create an opportunity for teachers to lead a class through a subject and build upon students knowledge. A set of openended questions initiates focus group discussions. Stimulates learners to think about issues and problems. Participants are typically a group who are similar in some way, such as income, education, or career. More information because there is a group of people. Students should learn to understand their own conditions to choose the best research method for their study. 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. What is the purpose and advantages of focus group interviews. Focus group discussion relies on facilitators or moderators to guide the groups discussion berg, 1989. My takeaway was that the school was meeting the individual needs of their students and families. In a focus group discussion, the interviewer talks to a group of people about their thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a topic.
However, such a widespread use of fg seems to have become a fashionable research technique. Advantages enhances learning in both the affective and cognitive domains. It provides a surprising amount of flexibility in the classroom. There are advantages and disadvantages in each of these methods and as each child is an individual so should your choice be. You need to focus more on the advantages to gain maximum quality output, and that too efficiently. Pros of whole group discussion as a teaching method many teachers support this method as whole group discussions typically provide greater interaction between teacher and students. The difference between quality data and data with bias depends on how people are screened and the data is treated. Online focus group advantages and disadvantages mrqual. Online discussions advantages and disadvantages by ali press on october 3, 2014 in external online discussions can be greatly beneficial to student learning and are often one of the first things lecturers consider when moving elements of their courses and modules online as part of a blanded learning strategy. There are certain drawbacks in group decision making also. Coworkers and friends are more comfortable in voicing views in each others company than on their own with the researcher. The focus group fg technique has been recently rediscovered by social scientists.
Advantages and disadvantages of group discussion making. The method aims to obtain data from a purposely selected group of. Focus group discussions generally last from an hour and a half to. Focus groups allow businesses to directly engage with their customers. Merton, a sociologist and the associate director of the bureau of applied social research headed the first focus groups in the united states. Accurate information the facetoface involvement of a qualified moderator means that everyone is involved and the conversation. The benefits of working in groups undoubtedly weigh more than the disadvantages of group working. The group can focus multiple attentions and diverse energy on a topic. The goal of this working paper is to describe potential uses of the focus group, its advantages and disadvantages as a qualitative research method section 2. 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.
Some of the reasons the company failed in producing a popular product could include some of these disadvantages. A semistructured focus group guide used as a basis for discussion was developed by the transnational research team, which included seven women academics working from a variety of feminist perspectives. A focus group lasting more than 90 minutes probably includes too many questions or topics for discussion. A huge list of advantages and disadvantages of working in groups. In todays world, it is very common for a person to feel like they are an outsider.
Summary of the advantages and disadvantages of focusgroup methodology advantages disadvantages attitudes and opinions are socially formed. Here are a few points to highlight the advantages of group learning. The open and free discussions typically generate ideas and can provide a wealth of information for the business or organization. The focus group needs to be appropriate for the type of participants in the group. Some of the advantages that group decisions have over individual decisions are described as follows. Respondents were invited to answer directlyor comment on other focus group members discussions. Focus group participants are asked questions in an interactive setting and are encouraged to discuss thoughts freely with other participants. Working in a group is an effective and powerful way to learn, and is highly relevant to the work type and workplace. Verdict on the advantages and disadvantages of group decision making group decision making can be an effective way to encourage team members to share their experiences, education, and perspectives in a safe environment to further the goals of a personal or professional team. Used with all of the above, a focus group is an integral part of gauging public perceptions. The disadvantages of classroom discussions synonym. Taking focus groups as controlled group discussions, with their hallmark being their interactive nature, and other important features being the public performance aspect, and the moderators constraints and guidance, how can these central features of the methodology be reflected in the. The questions and the manner in which the focus group is facilitated will vary based on the type of participants.
It has become the subject of important methodological discussions and it is now considered a very innovative research method. Adapted from guidance on participatory assessments dummett et al 20 2. Dos and donts of a positive focus group experience 5. Disadvantages of focus group interviews are the technique can be misused by poorly trained researchers. When used as a survey method, the focus group approach presents various pros, strengths and. Advantages and limitations of focus groups howstuffworks. It is an inexpensive and fast method of acquiring valuable data. As said the discussions are controlled by the moderator. It generally involves group interviewing in which a small group of usually 8 to 12 people. Focus group discussions contents what focus group discussions are and when to use them 1.
Focus group is an important research method, here we list the advantages and disadvantages of such research method. Unfortunately, this is sometimes at the expense of less active students. The selfselecting process and voluntary participation may not be representative. The facilitator can steer the participants back to the focus group questions or go along with the direction of the focus group discussions, depending on the research questions posed. The democratic processes are more easily acceptable and are consistent with the democratic ideals of our society. It requires a lot of planning and training to encourage participation and focus the. All the ideas may be as unique and better in comparison to individual decision making. It is led by a moderator interviewer in a loosely structured discussion of various topics of. Some of the disadvantages are the potential for group members to slip into groupthink, the differences among separate personality types and the time required to establish discussion groups. Focus groups are a form of qualitative research that is commonly used in product marketing and marketing research, but it is a popular method within sociology as well. The impression is that fg is often adopted without any prior consideration of whether it. Oct 03, 2014 online discussions advantages and disadvantages by ali press on october 3, 2014 in external online discussions can be greatly beneficial to student learning and are often one of the first things lecturers consider when moving elements of their courses and modules online as part of a blanded learning strategy. Focus group discussions are a common qualitative research strategy. In the health care professional focus groups, researchers experienced a greater variety of communication styles.
Focus groups typically involve a moderatorled group discussion with between eight and 10 people. A practical guide to focusgroup research rosanna l. Finally, we explain how focus group findings can be used, as well as their advantages and disadvantages as informationgathering tools. Rather, a focus group consists of participants who are guided via a facilitated discussion. So, above are some of the advantages of the focus groups. Methodological aspects of focus groups in health research.
Pirates group to learn about decision making in groups because it is common to work in groups and making decisions collectively rather than alone by the group leader. Group decision making advantages and disadvantages wisestep. Focus group discussion relies on facilitators or moderators to guide the group s discussion berg, 1989. That being said, i think this holds true with classroom lectures and discussions. Mar 26, 2017 advantages and disadvantages of teams. The factors described above resulted in focus group discussions that might be interpreted as characteristic of health research. When used as a survey method, the focus group approach presents various pros, strengths and benefits, as well as cons. The group decision making is more democratic in nature, while individual decision making is perceived to be more autocratic in nature. 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 first is synchronous, which means realtime or live groups, conducted via video or chat. Many businesses are unaware of the kinds of benefits using focus groups can have. Following are the main advantages of focus group discussion in research.
Information on the internet is shared regularly and opinionated comments are everywhere. Group discussions can be difficult to steer and control, so time can be lost to irrelevant topics. A huge list of advantages and disadvantages of working in. 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. Since group members have different specialties, they tend to provide more information and knowledge. Focus group discussion is frequently used as a qualitative approach to gain an indepth understanding of social issues.
During the call the moderator andstudy team were able to log onto a website provided by the communication. As long as the disadvantages are equally weighed with the advantages that focus groups provide, the. The term focus group was created by ernest dichter, a famous market expert and psychologist. Advantages focus group brings interaction between participants highlights their view of the world. These were all the advantages and disadvantages of working in groups that one has to tackle effectively to ensure a healthy environment in the workplace. In this chapter, i will focus on the importance of the focus group method, its history, and its benefits and pitfalls. Pros and cons of classroom group discussions owlcation. Top 16 advantages and disadvantages of working in a group. Here are some additional key advantages and disadvantages of group therapy to take a look at. The advantages of discussion groups include increased productivity, enhanced creativity and the ability to reach a general consensus among all participants.
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