Focus groups
How have focus groups been used in media and cultural studies?
To plan champagne receptions
To investigate birth and conception
To explore audience reception
To measure TV reception
To explore audience reception
Groups will, and do, form in social contexts to work out individual and group objectives. A focus group is an artificial construction of a group for a specific research purpose. Group members could be those with ‘expert’ knowledge of a topic and it might be interesting to hear their discussion. However, in social science research, the tendency is to try to understand what ‘ordinary’ people think. Thus, focus groups in media and cultural studies typically ask regular consumers of mass media to discuss their reception of mass media communications. Bryman cites (p502) Morley’s (1980) research on the British news programme Nationwide. Focus groups of specific categories of people discussed the programme after watching recordings of it and it became clear that reception varied significantly among the groups, “implying that meaning does not reside solely in the programmes but also in the ways in which they are watched” (p502).
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 502
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 502
To explore audience reception Groups will, and do, form in social contexts to work out individual and group objectives. A focus group is an artificial construction of a group for a specific research purpose. Group members could be those with ‘expert’ knowledge of a topic and it might be interesting to hear their discussion. However, in social science research, the tendency is to try to understand what ‘ordinary’ people think. Thus, focus groups in media and cultural studies typically ask regular consumers of mass media to discuss their reception of mass media communications. Bryman cites (p502) Morley’s (1980) research on the British news programme Nationwide. Focus groups of specific categories of people discussed the programme after watching recordings of it and it became clear that reception varied significantly among the groups, “implying that meaning does not reside solely in the programmes but also in the ways in which they are watched” (p502).
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 502
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 502
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Why have feminists argued that focus groups successfully avoid “decontextualizing” their participants?A. Because they study the individual as part of a social context
B. Because they tend to be carried out by female researchers
C. Because moderating a focus group demands great technical knowledge
D. Because the data tends to be analysed using post-structuralist theories
What is the role of the moderator in a focus group?
A. To stimulate discussion and keep the conversation on track
B. To ask leading questions and dominate the discussion
C. To sit away from the group and observe their behaviour
D. To evaluate the group’s performance on a particular task
When might it be useful to conduct a relatively large number of focus groups?
A. When participants’ views are likely to be affected by socio-demographic factors
B. When you want to capture as much diversity in perspectives as possible
C. When there are lots of willing volunteers who meet the relevant criteria
D. All of the above
What should the moderator say in their introductory remarks?
A. Thank you to the participants for coming
B. Who they are and what the research is about
C. How the focus group will proceed
D. All of the above
Why is it particularly difficult to get an accurate record and transcript of a focus group session?
A. Because the researcher often forgets to take notes
B. Because focus groups are transcribed several years after they are conducted
C. Because you cannot use a tape recorder in a focus group
D. Because there are so many different voices to follow
What is the main difference between a focus group and a group interview?
A. Group interviews involve fewer participants
B. Focus groups are used to study the way people discuss a specific topic
C. There is no moderator present in a focus group
D. Focus groups save more time and money
What are the two main forms of group interaction that Kitzinger identifies in focus group sessions?
A. Altruistic and aggressive
B. Complementary and argumentative
C. Conventional and alternative
D. Passive and assertive
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