focus_groups_guidelines - impada project - o1 a2

IMPADA

Methodology tools and guidance

for the organisation of the focus

groups

Output type: Intellectual Output

PROMEA

December, 2015

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Project acronym: IMPADA

Project name: Improving the effectiveness of adult education for

disadvantaged groups

Project code: 2015-1-UK01-KA204-013666

Document History

Versions Date Changes Type of change Delivered by

Version 1.0 09/12/2015 Initial

document - PROMEA

Document Information

Document ID name: IMPADA_O1-A2_Methodology tools and guidance for the

organisation of the focus groups_2015_12_09

Document title: Methodology tools and guidance for the organisation of

the focus groups

Output Type: Intellectual Output

Date of Delivery: 09/12/2015

Activity Type: Methodology

Activity Leader: PROMEA

Dissemination level: Public

Disclaimer

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute

an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the

Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information

contained therein.

The project resources contained herein are publicly available under the Creative Commons

license Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Contents

Acronyms & abbreviations .................................................................................................................................. 5

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 6

1.1 Purpose and context of the document....................................................................................................... 6

1.2 Structure of the document ............................................................................................................................. 6

2. Defining a focus group .................................................................................................................................. 8

2.1. Aim and basic characteristics ........................................................................................................................... 8

2.2. Ideal group size and number of participants .............................................................................................. 8

3. Recruitment and preparation of participants .................................................................................. 10

3.1. Recruitment issues and strategies ............................................................................................................ 10

3.2. Preparation of participants ........................................................................................................................... 11

3.3. Defining the target group participants for the IMPADA focus groups ......................................... 11

4. Presentation of the discussion guide .................................................................................................. 13

4.1. Type and structure of the focus group questions ................................................................................... 13

4.2. Discussion Guide ................................................................................................................................................. 13

5. Facilitation of the focus groups .............................................................................................................. 15

5.1. Role and traits of the moderators ................................................................................................................. 15

5.2. Facilitation tips ..................................................................................................................................................... 16

5.3. Communication strategies for attending certain group personality types .................................... 17

6. Preparing the analysis ................................................................................................................................ 18

6.1. Preparatory steps and actions during and immediately after the focus group............................ 18

6.2. Filling in the data forms .................................................................................................................................... 18

Annex: Materials for the conduction of the focus groups ................................................................. 20

Recruitment e-mail ...................................................................................................................................................... 20

Focus Groups Confirmation Letter ......................................................................................................................... 21

Introductory remarks .................................................................................................................................................. 22

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Discussion Guide ........................................................................................................................................................... 23

Focus group identity form ......................................................................................................................................... 24

Synthesized focus group data form ....................................................................................................................... 25

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Acronyms & abbreviations

IMPADA consortium

DACES Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service

IBE Educational Research Institute

UPTER People’s University of Rome

ENAEA Estonian Non-formal Adult Education Association

PROMEA Hellenic Association for the promotion of Research & Development Methodologies

Other abbreviations

AF Application Form

EACEA Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency

SC Steering Committee

ECORYS The British National Agency

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1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose and context of the document

The purpose of this document, within the context of activity O1-A2, is to provide the

methodology instructions and tools for the conduction of focus groups with adult

education stakeholders.

The document serves the needs of the IMPADA project Intellectual Output O1, namely

“Criteria for measuring adult education effectiveness on disadvantaged groups”. The

purpose of Intellectual Output O1 is to elaborate at least 10 criteria that influence the

effectiveness of adult education providers towards disadvantaged learners leading to a

report on the criteria for measuring adult education effectiveness on disadvantages.

1.2 Structure of the document

This document is structured as follows:

Chapter 1 highlights the scope and purpose of the deliverable within the context of

the IMPADA project Intellectual Output O1, presenting also the structure of the

document.

Chapter 2 provides general, theoretical definitions, as well as practical

specifications on the basic characteristics of the focus group qualitative

methodological approach.

Chapter 3 offers guidance to the partners regarding practical and logistic issues

concerning the organisation of the focus groups, such as the recruitment and

preparation of participants.

Chapter 4 describes the development of the discussion guide and the structure and

definition of the focus groups’ questions.

Chapter 5 gives a rather detailed account of how we conduct focus groups

addressing issues such as the role and traits of the moderators, facilitation tips

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and communication strategies to deal with certain personality types and issues

that may appear during the group discussion and the focus group context.

Finally, in the Annex, material that will help the organization of focus groups is

provided, such as a sample of a recruitment e-mail and of a confirmation letter for

participants, introductory remarks, the discussion guide in printable form, a focus

group identity form, and a focus group synthesized data form.

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2. Defining a focus group

2.1. Aim and basic characteristics

Focus groups explore insights into how people think on a particular subject providing a

deeper understanding of the phenomena being studied. While a valuable research tool,

surveys generally ask closed-ended questions that may limit the feedback that can be

gained from respondents. A method to gain more in-depth information to supplement

surveys is semi-structured interviews; conducting interviews, however, can be an

expensive procedure that often exceeds the available resources. Focus groups are group

interviews that give the researcher the ability to capture deeper information more

economically than individual interviews.

Economy is an important benefit but also there are other benefits of focus groups when

compared to interviews, such as group interaction and non-verbal communication, which

are primary benefits of focus groups when exploring opinions, representations and

cognitions. Group interaction between members of the target population during focus

groups may encourage participants to make connections to various concepts through the

discussions that may not occur during individual interviews. A skilled facilitator can

encourage these group interactions to capture this data to provide a more

comprehensive understanding of what is being studied. Non-verbal communication is also

data that can be captured in focus groups. Participants within a focus group may respond

very differently to a topic. A topic related to gender equity, for example, may provoke

intense discussion among female participants while male participants withdraw from the

discussion. This type of interaction is observation data for analytical purposes.

2.2. Ideal group size and number of participants

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A focus group is a homogeneous group of six to ten people led through an open

discussion on a specific topic by a skilled moderator. Homogeneity is important to

maximizing disclosure among focus group participants who ideally are very comfortable

with each other but none of them know each other. The group needs to be large enough

to generate rich discussion but not so large that some participants are left out.

Focus groups are structured around a set of carefully predetermined questions – usually

no more than 8-10 – but the discussion is free-flowing. The focus group moderator

nurtures disclosure and spontaneity of participants in an open format. Ideally,

participants' comments will stimulate and influence the thinking and sharing of others.

The aim is to generate a maximum number of different ideas and opinions from as many

different people in the time allotted, which is anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes. Beyond

that, most groups are not productive and it becomes an imposition on participants’ time.

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3. Recruitment and preparation of participants

3.1. Recruitment issues and strategies

Participant inclusion and exclusion criteria should be established upfront and based on

the purpose of the study, as a basis to screen all potential applicants. The following

selection criteria should be considered in the formulation of groups and the recruitment

of participants:

Gender: Both men and women should feel comfortable discussing the topic in a

mixed gender group.

Age – Participants should represent the same age group.

Power – Participants should hold similar positions of power within the thematic

context of the focus groups.

Cliques/ Existing relationships: It is advisable, participants to be unknown to each

other.

Focus groups participants can be recruited in any one of a number of ways. Some of the

most popular include:

Nomination – Key individuals nominate people they think would make good

participants. Nominees are familiar with the topic, known for their ability to

respectfully share their opinions, and willing to volunteer about 2 hours of their

time.

Random selection – If participants will come from a large but defined group (e.g.

teachers) with many eager participants, names can be randomly drawn until the

desired number of verified participants is achieved.

All members of the same group – Sometimes an already existing group serves as

an ideal pool from which to invite participants.

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Same role/job title – Depending on the topic, the pool might be defined by

position, title or condition. This is the case for the selection of participants in the

present study.

Volunteers – When selection criteria are broad, participants can be recruited with

flyers and newspaper ads.

3.2. Preparation of participants

Once a group of viable recruits has been established, call each one to confirm interest

and availability. Give them times and locations of the focus groups and secure verbal

confirmation. Tell them you will mail (or email) them a written confirmation and call to

remind them two days before the scheduled group.

Tell participants that the focus group will take about one and half to two hours. Give

them a starting time that is 15 minutes prior to the actual start of the focus group to

allow for filling out necessary paperwork, having a bite to eat, and settling in to the

group.

Arrange for a comfortable room in a convenient location with ample parking. Depending

on your group, you may also what to consider proximity to a bus line. The room should

have a door for privacy and table and chairs to seat a circle of up to 12 people (10

participants and the moderator and assistant moderator).

Arrange for food. At a minimum, offer a beverage and light snack (cookies,

cheese/crackers, veggie tray, etc.). It is OK to offer a full meal but be sure to add an

additional 30 to 45 minutes to the entire process so that everyone can finish eating

before the group begins.

3.3. Defining the target group participants for the IMPADA focus

groups

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The participants of the IMPADA focus groups, as defined in the Application From should

comprise (for each focus group) 7-10: a) adult education experts, and b) decision

makers in the field of adult education, ideal for providing exclusive insight on the topic

under research. To ensure maximum validity, due to the limited number of focus groups

foreseen to be organised in the partnership countries, it is significantly important for

partners to invite and ensure the participation of experts and stakeholders with high level

of responsibility and expertise in the field of adult education.

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4. Presentation of the discussion guide

4.1. Type and structure of the focus group questions

There are three types of focus group questions:

1. Engagement questions: introduce participants to and make them comfortable with the

topic of discussion

2. Exploration questions: get to the point of the discussion

3. Exit question: check to see if anything was missed to be discussed

Focus group participants won’t have a chance to see the questions they are being asked.

Focus groups questions should be comprehensive, simple, open structured, and to make

sure participants understand and can fully respond. To this end, questions should be:

Short and to the point

Focused on one dimension each

Unambiguously worded

Open-ended or sentence completion types

Non-threatening or embarrassing

Worded in a way that they cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”

answer. We should use “why” and “how” instead.

4.2. Discussion Guide

(A printable form of the discussion guide is also provided in the Annex)

Introductory questions/ice-braking

What does the term “adult education for disadvantaged groups” bring to mind?

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Main questions

1. What could be improved in the adult education programmes for disadvantaged groups

in order to improve its effectiveness?

2. What should be included in the adult education for the disadvantaged training

programmes?

Probe: What are the training needs of adult learners from disadvantaged groups?

3. What kind of knowledge, skills and competences do trainers for adult learners need in

order to provide effective education to learners from disadvantaged groups?

4. What kind of qualifications, should trainers hold in order to provide effective adult

education to disadvantaged groups?

5. What characteristics should training institutions have in order to provide effective adult

education for the disadvantaged?

Probes: In terms of training staff, infrastructure, values, funding? Other?

6. What could be improved in the adult education provided to disadvantaged groups in

order to deal with the issue of group heterogeneity?

7. As concerns the effect of adult education provision in the learners’ life: what are the

areas that could provide input for the assessment of the education provided?

Probes: with regards to employability…financial independence…social

inclusion…feeling of personal fulfillment…health and wellbeing (physical and

psychological)

8. Do you have any other ideas, proposals, suggestions, and second thoughts on the

improvement of criteria for adult education effectiveness on disadvantaged?

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5. Facilitation of the focus groups

5.1. Role and traits of the moderators

The focus group should be conducted by a team consisting of a moderator and an

assistant moderator. The moderator facilitates the discussion; the assistant takes notes

and runs the tape recorder. The focus group moderator should present the following

traits:

Can listen attentively with sensitivity and empathy

Has adequate knowledge of the topic

Can keep personal views and ego out of the facilitation

Is someone the group can relate to but also give authority

Can appropriately manage challenging group dynamics

The assistant moderator must be able to do the following:

Run a tape recorder during the session

Take notes of the basic themes of the discussion

Note/record body language or other subtle but relevant clues, such as tone of

voice, moments of tension, periods of prolonged silence or subtle conflict

Remains silent and allow the moderator to do all the talking during the group

session

Both moderator and assistant moderator are expected to welcome participants, offer

them food and/or beverages, help them make their name tents etc.

Before asking the first focus group question, an icebreaker can be inserted to increase

comfort and level the playing field. The focus group moderator has a responsibility to

adequately cover all prepared questions within the time allotted.

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It is good moderator practice to:

Get all participants to talk and fully explain their answers.

Facilitate the conversation providing helpful probes such as: “Can you talk about

that more?” “Help me understand what you mean” “Can you give an example?”

Paraphrase and summarize long, complex or ambiguous comments.

Demonstrate active listening and clarify the comment for everyone in the group.

Remain neutral, refraining from nodding/raising eyebrows, agreeing/disagreeing,

or praising/denigrating any comment made.

Tactfully deal with challenging participants.

5.2. Facilitation tips

Preparation is the most important element to a successful focus group; there are,

however, tips that can be utilized to help make the focus group more successful.

Pause: When someone says something, wait approximately five seconds to see if

that person has more to say or if another participant wants to add feedback. Give

participants the opportunity to finish their thoughts.

Probe: If something is important to explore, ask questions like “Can you tell me

more about that?” or “Can you give me an example?”

Avoid head nods or responses like “yes,” “I agree,” “OK”: The moderator is there

to get the feedback from the participants. These kinds of responses are messages

to the group on what is acceptable to say and can limit the discoveries that are

made during the group.

Reflect: When a topic appears complete, review the notes taken to verify that

important information was captured. If the note taker is displaying the notes on an

easel pad, the moderator can use this as a guide with the group. Utilize non-verbal

communication:

If someone has something to say, acknowledge them with a hand signal to let

him/her know that you will give them an opportunity to contribute.

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If someone interrupts when someone else is speaking, signal them to wait and

that they will be given an opportunity to speak.

Eye contact is important. Establish eye contact with those that are speaking but

also with those that are not participating to encourage their engagement in the

conversation.

5.3. Communication strategies for attending certain group

personality types

Personality type Suggested strategy

Self-appointed experts These are individuals that generally know more about the topic

than anyone else in the group. They either attempt to dominate

discussion or do not participate because of their extensive

knowledge. Whichever applies, the moderator should remind them

on the value of getting everyone’s input, making comments such as

“Thank you. What do other people think?”

Dominant talkers The moderator has the chance to identify these individuals during

the ice – brake/”small talk” at the beginning. If they are dominating

the discussion, the moderator should use non-verbal

communication or draw attention away from them by moving to the

opposite side of the room and drawing eye contact towards him/her

form the other participants. Useful probe: “Let’s have some other

comments” while looking someone else in the group.

The rambler Stop eye contact; look at your watch; jump in at their inhale. Also

use guiding statements such as “what is specific thing you are

trying to say” or “we need to keep the group moving but you will

have the chance to tell me more about that after the group”.

The shy participant Make eye contact; smile at them. Call on them “I don’t want to

leave you out of the conversation, what do you think”.

The participant who talks

very quietly

Ask them to repeat their response more loudly.

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6. Preparing the analysis

6.1. Preparatory steps and actions during and immediately after the

focus group

1. Start while moderating the focus groups

• Listen for inconsistent comments and probe for understanding

• Listen for vague or cryptic comments and probe for understanding

• Consider asking each participant a final preference question

• Offer a summary of key answers and seek confirmation

2. Immediately after the focus group

Immediately after all participants leave, the moderator and assistant moderator debrief

while the recorder is still running and label all tapes and notes with the date, and name

of the group.

• Draw a diagram of seating arrangement

• Spot check tape recording to ensure proper operation

• Conduct moderator and assistant moderator debriefing discussing their notes and

impressions on the focus group

• Note themes, hunches, interpretations, and ideas

• Label and file field notes, tapes and other materials

6.2. Filling in the data forms

3. Soon after (within hours), analyze the focus group:

• Moderator and assistant moderator listens to tape, reviews field notes and reads

transcript if available

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• Moderators fill in the synthesized data form of the individual focus group in a question-

by-question format with amplifying quotes and draft a small summary of the basic ideas

in narrative form.

4. After the completion of all 5 focus groups in the 5 partnership countries, PROMEA will

proceed to the final analysis of the collected data based on the filled-in data forms sent

by the partners. In particular, PROMEA will:

• Compare and contrast results by categories of individual focus groups

• Look for emerging themes by question and then overall

• Construct typologies and present the synthesized categorization of the focus groups

content

• Describe findings and use quotes to illustrate

5. Finally, PROMEA will prepare the report employing the following approach:

• Narrative style versus bulleted style

• Use of characteristic quotes to illustrate main conclusions

• Sequence analysis both by themes and question by question

• Verification of report by partners

• Revision and finalisation of the report following verification

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Annex: Materials for the conduction of the focus

groups

Recruitment e-mail

Subject: IMPADA project – Invitation to participate in a focus group on the evaluation

criteria of Adult Education on disadvantaged

Dear Sir / Madam

We would like to invite you to participate in a focus group, which aims at developing a

set of criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of Adult Education provided to disadvantaged

groups

As an expert in the field of Adult Education, we consider your input to be vital.

The focus group will take 1-2 hours of your time and it will be organized in Place/Address

on the date of the focus group organisation. Please check your availability and confirm or

(if unavailable) select an alternative date here (doodle link). (N.B. all times stated are

Central European Time).

In case of any difficulties / enquiries please do not hesitate to contact …….: contact e-

mail

Thank you for your contribution.

Signature

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The IMPADA project is a Strategic Partnership that aims at improving the effectiveness of

adult education for disadvantaged groups and it is being funded under ERASMUS+

Programme.

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Focus Groups Confirmation Letter

Once a group of viable recruits has been established, call each one to confirm interest

and availability. Give them times and locations of the focus groups and secure verbal confirmation. Tell them you will mail (or email) them a written confirmation and call to

remind them two days before the scheduled group. Over-invite in anticipation of a no-show rate of 10 to 20 percent. But you will never want

a group of more than 10 participants.

Month Date, 2015

Dear ________________,

Thank you for your willingness to participate in our focus group. As discussed on the

phone, we would like to hear your ideas and opinions about the criteria of

effectiveness of adult education on disadvantaged groups. You will be in a group

with 6 to 9 other persons relevant to the subject. Your responses to the questions

will be kept anonymous. The date, time, and place are listed below. Please look for

signs once you arrive directing you to the room where the focus group will be held.

DATE:

TIME:

PLACE:

If you need directions to the focus group or will not be able to attend for any reason please call xxxxxxx xxxxxx at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Otherwise we look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely, XXX

Name of the organization

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Introductory remarks

Once consent forms and demographic surveys are collected and reviewed for

completeness, the questioning begins. The moderator uses a prepared script to welcome

participants, remind them of the purpose of the group and also sets ground rules.

FOCUS GROUP INTRODUCTION

WELCOME

Thanks for agreeing to be part of the focus group. We appreciate your willingness to

participate.

INTRODUCTIONS

Moderator; assistant moderator

PURPOSE OF FOCUS GROUPS

On behalf of the IMPADA partnership we conduct this focus group.

The reason we are having this focus groups is to identify criteria that influence the

effectiveness of adult education on disadvantaged groups.

We need your input and want you to share your honest and open thoughts with us.

GROUND RULES

1. WE WANT YOU TO DO THE TALKING.

We would like everyone to participate.

I may call on you if I haven't heard from you in a while.

2. THERE ARE NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWERS

Every person's experiences and opinions are important. Speak up whether you

agree or disagree. We want to hear a wide range of opinions.

3. WHAT IS SAID IN THIS ROOM STAYS HERE

We want group participants to feel comfortable sharing when sensitive issues come

up.

4. WE WILL BE TAPE RECORDING THE GROUP

We want to capture everything you have to say. We don't identify anyone by name

in our report. You will remain anonymous.

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Discussion Guide

Introductory questions/ice-braking

What does the term “adult education for disadvantaged groups” bring to mind?

1

What could be improved in the adult education

programmes for disadvantaged groups in order to

improve its effectiveness?

2

What should be included in the adult

education for the disadvantaged training

programmes?

Probe: What are the training needs of adult

learners from disadvantaged groups?

3

What kind of knowledge, skills and competences do

trainers for adult learners need in order to provide

effective education to learners from disadvantaged

groups?

4

What kind of qualifications, should trainers

hold in order to provide effective adult

education to disadvantaged groups?

5

What characteristics should training institutions have in

order to provide effective adult education for the

disadvantaged?

Probes: In terms of training staff, infrastructure, values,

funding? Other?

6

What could be improved in the adult

education provided to disadvantaged

groups in order to deal with the issue of

group heterogeneity?

7

As concerns the effect of adult education provision in

the learners’ life: what are the areas that could provide

input for the assessment of the education provided?

Probes: with regards to employability, financial

independence, social inclusion, feeling of personal

fulfillment, health and wellbeing (physical and

psychological)

8

Do you have any other ideas, proposals,

suggestions, and second thoughts on the

improvement of criteria for adult education

effectiveness on disadvantaged?

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Focus group identity form

Focus Group Date:

Number of participants:

Description of participants: P1:

Position/Expertise:

Age:

Gender:

P2:

Position/Expertise:

Age:

Gender:

P3:

Position/Expertise:

Age:

Gender:

Pn:

Position/Expertise:

Age:

Gender:

Focus Group Duration: Yes:

No:

Synthesized focus group data form

Question Main Points / basic

Ideas

Indicative quotes to

illustrate basic ideas Debate points Aligned Opinions

Other significant notes

/ issues

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