The course will be presented in two sections.

Section 1 (June 11) will be an overview of focus group interviewing research. In this session we will cover the basics of in-person focus group interviewing. Topics would include planning, developing questions, recruiting, moderating and analyzing the focus group study. Special attention is placed on conducting focus group research in the academic, public and non-profit environments.

Section 2 (June 12) will build on Session 1 and introduce the strategies for conducting on-line focus group research. The course will introduce protocol for planning, conducting and analyzing results from on-line groups using Zoom.

Course Topic

The course will cover these skills:

• Conducting in-person and virtual focus groups
• How to plan and design a focus group study
• Identifying information-rich participants and getting them to show up
• Beginning the focus group – the crucial first few minutes and moderating techniques
• Developing questions—Characteristics of good focus group questions
• Analyzing—Options for analysis

Course Format

The course will be presented on Zoom over a period of 2 days.

Why Take This Course?

Focus groups are used to understand issues, pilot test ideas, and evaluate programs. They also provide great insight when used in combination with surveys. Focus groups have been used to help design surveys, to pilot test surveys, and to understand survey findings. Take this course if you want to learn more about how focus groups might add to your research toolbox.