Evaluation and Civic Activism Curriculum Module 3: Data Collection Methods and Evaluation Tools

RESOURCE SHEET 3- C Evaluation Focus Groups

WHAT IS A FOCUS GROUP AND WHEN IS IT USED? Focus groups are moderated group discussions on a particular topic/issue. Focus groups are useful for gathering information from a group of respondents at one time, to capture perspectives from a cross section of the population. Focus groups can be less structured than an interview and encourages participants to speak and interact in a more spontaneous, less evaluator-directed way. The focus group can be useful when you do not have sufficient resources to interview people individually. Focus groups can however, be difficult to facilitate in a way that prevents some participants from dominating the conversation. Some participants may also feel uncomfortable being open in a less anonymous group setting. Having multiple participants can also make documentation difficult STEPS FOR COMPLETING FOCUS GROUPS Setting Up Focus Groups. Select a small group of participants, no more than 6 people. Consider the composition of the group (i.e. mixed, such as youth staff or separate groups for youth staff). Group configurations will depend on the degree to which participants feel comfortable speaking openly in front of each other. Allow adequate time to contact participants and schedule groups. Conducting the focus group. Set clear guidelines from the beginning that (1) only one person should be speaking at a time, (2) everyones participation is important, (3) outline the purpose of the focus group, the topics to discuss and the time frame for the focus group, (4) have all members of the group introduce themselves. Use a sign up list if you do not know everyone so you can use their names when addressing them. Documenting the focus group. When possible, identify two facilitators for the focus groupone who can lead the focus group discussion and another who can document/take notes on individuals responses and interactions between people. It is a good idea to audio-tape focus groups, so that you can capture fully everyones responses. In order for the tape to clear, however, the interview must occur in a quiet space.

Created by: Social Policy Research Associates for The Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development

Resource Sheet 3-C: p. 1

Evaluation and Civic Activism Curriculum Module 3: Data Collection Methods and Evaluation Tools

FOCUS GROUP TIPS Determine the level of facilitator involvement. Low-level involvement-if the goal of your group is to learn something new from participants. A benefit is the ability to assess participants own interests. A disadvantage is that the group can be disorganized in its content and some topics that are important to you may never come up. High level involvement-If you have a specific agenda that you want to follow. An involved facilitator can cut off unproductive or extraneous discussion and can also ensure that all participants have an opportunity to speak. Ensure equal participation. Provide opportunities to speak by creating ground rules and encourage everyone to speak. Get permission from all respondents if you plan to audiotape or videotape the interviews. Also, let them all know that you will stop the tape anytime if they ask. Go around the room and have everyone state their name, how long they have been coming to the program. You may also want to do an ice breaker to make people feel safe and get people talking. With each question ask for multiple perspectives. For instance, you can explicitly ask people if they have had similar or dissimilar experiences to someone who as answered a question. If some participants are not volunteering information, solicit their opinion. Do everything you can to equalize voices within the group.

Created by: Social Policy Research Associates for The Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development

Resource Sheet 3-C: p. 2