Focus groups

One-to-one interviews useful in gaining information but group meetings can be more productive.

Main advantage – collective views used to explain group reactions to particular situation/event.

Difficulty in ensuring information gathered is not just from smaller, more vocal minority of group which is not representative of whole group.

Limitations of focus groups

• Less control over data produced compared to quantitative studies or one-to-one interviews. Focus groups are open-ended and cannot not entirely predetermined.
• Individuals may not be expressing their own definitive individual view. They are speaking within specific context and culture.