III. Focus Groups – Research for Organizing

GETTING YOUR DATA: FOCUS GROUPS

Download
Activity 3.4

Activity: 3.4 Preparing for a Focus Group

Purpose of Activity:

This activity is designed to educate participants about the basics of focus groups, focus group guides, and how to devise effective focus group questions.

By the End of Activity Participants Will:

Learn the basics of setting up and conducting focus groups
Develop questions for a focus group guide

Before this Activity Participants Will Need to:

Have determined your research goals and research questions

Have decided on your research method

Materials Needed:

Butcher Paper

Markers

Butcher Paper with list of Research Goals and Research Questions

Key Terms

Focus Group

Focus Group Guide

Facilitator

Qualitative Data

Time Needed:

1 Hour

Part I: Background on Focus Groups (30 minutes)

What is a Focus Group?

Facilitator Instructions:

1. Go around the room and ask people what they know about focus groups. Write answers on butcher paper.

2. Compare what people came up with, with the definition below. Make sure each piece of the definition is covered.

Focus Group Definition

A focus group is a guided discussion, led by a well-prepared facilitator where the participants will answer a set of questions. Focus groups are generally recorded and the answers that the participants provide are used as qualitative data in a final report. Qualitative data are stories or in depth ideas about a topic, rather than numbers and statistics.

3. Next have participants brainstorm goals for focus groups and record their responses on butcher paper, add any of the goals below that were missed.

Focus Group Goals

To collect in depth ideas and explanations from a specific group of people;
To have participants answer a specific set of questions to gather qualitative data;
To collect clear recordings or notes of the focus groups that can be transcribed and then analyzed;
To deepen the engagement of focus group participants in the research process and the organization’s campaigns.

4. Split participants into small groups of 3-4.

5. Ask each small group to think of benefits and challenges of using focus groups to gather data. Make sure each group records their list on butcher paper and is prepared to share it with the rest of the group.

6. Have each small group share their list benefits and challenges with the big group.

7. Compare the list of benefits and challenges with those listed in the Tool 3.7 Benefits and Challenges of Using Focus Groups for additional ideas.

Part II. Developing Focus Group Questions (30 minutes)

Facilitator Instructions:

1. Introduce the activity: the purpose of this activity is to provide information about how to develop good questions for a focus group guide. Let the participants know that by the end of the activity they will have brainstormed questions for your Focus Group Guide.

2. Describe what a Focus Group Guide is:

Focus Group Guide: is a guided set of questions, organized into sections that will help the facilitator to lead the discussion and ensure that he/she is able to collect the information needed for the research project. The guide should help the facilitator to stay on topic but should not be used as a word for word script.

3. Explain: before you brainstorm questions for your focus group guide, you are going to review some tips about what makes a good question for a focus group. Review the tips below and post them somewhere in the room for participants to refer to later.

Good Questions for Focus Groups…

Are open-ended
Sound conversational
Are easy to say
Are clear and simple
Are short and to the point
Include clear directions

4. Next refresh participants on the goals of your project/campaign, research questions, and who will participate in your focus group. Post this information on butcher paper so participants can refer back to them as needed.

5. Next ask the group to brainstorm categories of questions for your focus group, based on your research goals and questions provide one example to start the discussion (For example, if your research is focused on public housing, one section of category of questions could be about policing and another about repairs).

6. After the brainstorm, sum up what was said and create 3-4 categories for questions.

7. Split participants into small groups. Give each group a different category.

8. Ask each small group to designate a facilitator to lead the discussion and take notes. Give each small group pen and paper and ask them to brainstorm questions for the focus group for their category.

9. Come back together as a big group and ask each group to share their questions. Record them on butcher paper.

10. Explain that these questions can be used to develop your focus group guide.

11. After the training, type the questions and use as a starting point for your focus group guide (see Tool 3.9 for a sample focus group guide).

Download
Activity 3.5

Activity: 3.5 Facilitating a Focus Group

Purpose of Activity:

This activity will give participants a chance to practice facilitating a focus group. It will also allow the participants to become familiar with the focus group guide and to identify common challenges in facilitating a focus group.

Goals:

To practice leading and guiding the focus group discussion

To test focus group questions for flow and clarity

Tools Needed:

Tool 3.7: Benefits and Challenges of Using Focus Groups

Tool 3.8: Tips for Focus Group Facilitation

Materials Needed:

Butcher Paper

Markers

Draft focus group guide

Flip chart with focus group questions written out

Butcher paper with sample ground rules written out

Digital Voice Recorder

Pieces of paper with different roles for focus group participants

Time Needed:

2 hours

Part I: Running Your Focus Group (35 minutes)

Facilitator Instructions:

1. Facilitator should briefly go through “Benefits and Challenges of Using Focus Groups” (Tool 3.7).

2. Next, review “Tips for Focus Group Facilitation” (Tool 3.8), answering questions and clarifying as needed.

3. Finally, walk participants through the focus group guide, making sure to explain each section and read all focus group questions out loud.

Part III. Mock Focus Group (1 hour)

Facilitator Instructions:

1. Before the training, prepare slips of paper with the following roles for the focus group participants (each role presents a common challenge for focus group facilitation):

“The Debater:” Disagrees with other participants and tries to turn the conversation into a debate.

“The Wanderer:” Brings up different topics, unrelated to the focus group questions.

“The Quiet One:” Gives short answers with one or two words and does not elaborate.

“The Talker:” Dominates the conversation, interrupts other participants.

“The Counselor:” Tries to help others fix their problems, providing specific advice.

“The Disrupter:” Answers cell phone and/or gets up in the middle of the conversation to go to the bathroom or take a call.

2. Choose someone to be the facilitator. Everyone else will be the focus group participants.

3. Ask the facilitator to leave the room for a few moments.

4. Hand each participant the slip of paper that specifies which “role” they will play. Ask each participant to play that role during the mock focus group. Answer any questions about the different roles.

NOTE: In addition to the “roles” you may also want to create “characters” for the participants to play. For example, if your focus group participants are public housing residents, you could have people create the following characters: someone who has been threatened with eviction, someone that has been waiting for over a year for a repair; and someone who feels like the tenant association doesn’t represent their concerns. This may help to put participants at ease and ensure a variety of issues for the facilitator to address.

5. Set the room up as if you were having a focus group. Participants should sit in a circle, close enough that the recorder can pick up all of their voices.

6. Put the flip chart with focus group questions in a place that all participants can see.

7. Explain that the facilitator is going to lead the group through a mini-focus group using the focus group guide we have created for our project.

8. Begin focus group. Depending on time, go through all or some of the guide. Be sure to keep track of time so that facilitators can practice keeping on schedule.

9. Afterward, debrief for 10 minutes by asking participants to provide feedback on the mock focus group as well as the workshop as a whole. Use the questions below:

Feedback/Debrief on Mock Focus Group Questions

What worked or was challenging for the facilitator?
How easy is it to ask the questions?
Do the questions seem clear and easy to understand?
Do the questions flow easily from one topic to another?
How can the questions/process be improved?
Is the facilitator doing a good job in asking follow-up questions? What are some suggestions you have for improvement?

Download
Tool 3.7

Tool: 3.7 Benefits and Challenges of Focus Groups

Focus Group Definition:

Focus Group Goals:

To collect in depth ideas and explanations from a specific group of people;
To have participants answer a specific set of questions to gather qualitative data;
To collect clear recordings or notes of the focus groups that can be transcribed and then analyzed;
To deepen the engagement of the participants in the research process and the organization’s campaigns.

Benefits:

Focus groups are used when you need more than just numbers or statistics to answer your research questions. They are used to gather more detailed information such as stories or in depth solutions to problems.
They are also a good public education and organizing tool. They can help bring potential members into your organization and to allow people to see that they don’t just have isolated problems.
Focus groups are used when you want to talk to several people at once about experiences with the same issues. In group settings, participants often build off each other and can often come up with more creative ideas and solutions than they would have individually. On the other hand, interviews are used to gather in depth information from just one person.

Challenges:

Sometimes people will not be as honest in a group of people as they would be one-on-one.
People may think that the focus group is an opportunity to air their grievances about a particular issue or provide support or advice to one another rather than a time to answer specific questions.
People may also think it is a time to debate an issue rather than allowing everyone to express their own ideas.
If people come into your organization through a focus group, they may think that all meetings in your organization are research based rather than action based.

Download
Tool 3.8

Tool: 3.8 Tips for Focus Group Facilitation

Checklist of Materials Needed For a Focus Group

A notepad and pens or laptop for note-taking
A flip chart, markers, tape for group activities
Informed Consent forms
Sign in form
Extra pens for participants to sign consent forms
Focus group guide
Name tags
Brief demographic questionnaires

Recording equipment:

Digital recorder
Sound storage discs/tapes/cards
Extension cord
Extra batteries

Room Setup Checklist:

Room with minimal background noise / traffic
Chairs set up in a circle
If recording, table for the equipment

Logistics Checklist

Secure and set up space, food, transportation, childcare and any other onsite needs.
If recording, test the equipment. Be comfortable and familiar with equipment.
Hand questionnaire to participants to fill out and collect before you begin.

Roles Needed For the Focus Group

1) Facilitator: asks questions and guides the discussion. Should be well-trained and comfortable facilitating group discussions. Should also be very familiar with the issue that is being discussed.

2) Note-taker/Facilitator support: should be good listener and able to quickly and accurately record what is being said. Should have good typing skills. Should be familiar with the recording equipment if you are planning to record the focus group session. Should support the facilitator during the session with any logistical tasks such as collecting consent forms.

3) Interpreter/Translator (if needed): should ideally be experienced as an interpreter, should be somewhat familiar with the issue of focus.

Tips for During/After the Focus Groups

Everyone must sign consent forms before starting focus groups;
Set aside more than enough time for the running of the group;
Make sure you tell people that they must attend the entire focus group;
If recording, immediately after the focus groups, make sure the recording has worked. Press Save if your recorder requires that;
Type up any notes taken;
Transcribe recording (if recorded);
Analysis of Focus Group transcripts (more info in data analysis training).

Download
Tool 3.9
as a
Word Doc

Tool: 3.9 Sample Focus Group Guide – VOCAL NY

Download from left

Download
Tool 3.9
as a PDF

Download
Tool 3.25
as a
PDF

Tool: 3.25 Sample Focus Group Guide – RTTC

Download from left

Download
Tool 3.25
as a
Word Doc

Download
Case
Study

Case Study: 3.3 Right to the City National’s Report: We Call These Projects Home

Download
the
Report

Background on Organization and Issue

Right to the City (RTTC) is a national alliance of membership-based organizations and allies across 9 cities, organizing to build a united response to gentrification and displacement in our cities.

This research project was conceived of and developed through close partnership between RTTC grassroots organizations: Miami Workers Center, POWER, and Community Voices Heard, —and RTTC resource groups: the DataCenter, Community Development Project and Advancement Project.

Present-day U.S. government housing policies are forcing low-income people out of their cities. Public housing, one of the last options of affordable housing for low-income people in the U.S., is being destroyed and replaced by mixed-income housing. Under this process, developers backed by government contracts and encouraged by federal legislation, demolish public housing and replace them with far fewer housing affordable to the lowest income families. As a result, hundreds of thousands of public housing units have been lost, families have been displaced, and communities and social networks have been torn apart. Additionally, as low-income housing becomes increasingly privatized, it is more difficult to ensure that affordable housing remains affordable and that private landlords do not displace low-income tenants. While this crisis threatens the health of cities, government officials and private developers continue to characterize mixed-income housing policies as progress.

Below is a description of the RTTC National Public Housing research project, based on the Participatory Action Research guiding framework (see Tool 2.1 and 2.2).

WHAT….

Were the Organizing Goals connected to this research?

To promote public housing as one of the last options of permanently affordable housing.
To shift the policy debate about public housing to include the voices of low-income community members.
To educate elected officials and policy makers about the real-life impact of demolition disinvestment and privatization of public housing.
To build power nationally among low-income community members.

Overall questions did RTTC want to answer through their research?

How have low-income residents been impacted by the destruction of and disinvestment in public housing?
What are the consequences of mixed income housing policies?
What is the need for public housing as a permanently affordable housing source?
What needs to be done to ensure public housing remains a source of permanently affordable housing?

Information did RTTC need to collect to answer these research questions?

Trends in public housing policy making over the past several years;
Data on the need for public housing (waiting lists, economic indicators, etc);
Data on the displacement of residents following demolition;
Impact of privatization and mixed income housing on residents;
Stories and experiences of public housing residents;
Proposals from public housing residents about how to ensure public housing remains a source of permanently affordable housing.

WHY….

Is this research useful or important for RTTC?

Internally: The research gave RTTC National and member organizations data about how disinvestment and demolition policies are affecting residents, providing key information for campaign development. It also aided RTTC in leadership development of members, contributed to base-building activities and engaged RTTC members on the national level. The project also fostered collaboration and coalition building efforts between 15 different organizations across six cities.
Externally: The research results helped to shift the policy debate about public housing to include the voices of residents, a primary objective of the project. It also helped RTTC connect with public housing policy makers and participate in the national public housing debate.

WHO…

Are the stakeholders in this issue?

Public housing residents and other low-income community members.

Is RTTC trying to influence?

U.S. Congress; Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officials; the Administration; local public housing authorities.

HOW…

Did RTTC gather information (what methods did they use)?

RTTC primarily used focus groups to collect qualitative data from public housing residents. The focus groups allowed RTTC to collect the stories and experiences about the impact of housing policies on low-income residents and achieve the goal of highlighting residents’ voices in the public housing policy debate.

How Research Supported RTTC’s Organizing Efforts

In 2010, RTTC National released the final report summarizing the research findings at a congressional briefing in Washington D.C. co-sponsored by Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Representative Nydia Velazquez (D-NY). The report included the voices of public housing residents from seven cities and various policy recommendations calling on Congress and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to strengthen and expand public housing. The report received attention from several media outlets, ensuring the voices of residents were heard in the national public housing debate.

Click here to read the report.