uSInG fOCuS GROuPS 337prompt individuals to tell stories that they may not have considered
relevant or interesting until they hear others telling their stories. Finally,
listening to a focus group discussion can give you a pretty good idea of
individuals you may want to interview.
A typical focus group session is guided by a facilitator, or moderator.
The moderator’s job is much like the interviewer’s: to draw out information
from the participants on topics of importance to a given investigation. The
informal atmosphere of the focus group is intended to encourage partici-
pants to speak freely and completely about their behaviors, attitudes, and
opinions. Interaction among group members often takes the form of brain-
storming, generating a larger number of ideas, issues, topics, and even solu-
tions to problems than could be produced through individual conversations.
The following are several basic tasks necessary to orchestrating a
focus group.■ select Participants for the Focus group
Focus groups should consist of five to seven participants, in addition to
you, the moderator. Think carefully about the range of participants you’ll
need in order to gather the information you’re hoping to find. Depending
on your issue, you might choose participants based on gender, ethnicity,
major, year in school, living situation, or some other factor. Do you want a
wide range of participants? Or do you want to control the focus of the con-
versation by looking at just one particular group of people? For instance,
if you wanted to find out if technology is serving students’ needs, would
you talk only to people in the sciences? Or would you want a cross sec-
tion of disciplines represented? Or if your question is whether colleges and
universities should take race and ethnicity into consideration when select-
ing students from the applicant pool, would you limit participation to the
admissions staff? Where should you look for input on the purpose of giv-
ing preference to minority students or the advantages of a diverse campus?■ Plan the Focus group
Planning is as important for a focus group as it is for an interview. Make
specific arrangements with participants about the time and place of the
focus group session, and be clear about how much time it will take, usu-
ally thirty to forty-five minutes. You should audio-record the session and
take notes. Jot down important information during the session, and allow
yourself time to make more extensive notes as soon as it is over. You will
need to get permission from respondents to use the information they give
you and ensure their anonymity. (In your essay, you can refer to partici-
pants by letter, number, or some other designation.) Make a sheet with
your signature that spells this out clearly, and make sure all your partici-
pants sign it before the session. You should include a statement pointing
out that people have the right not to participate. We have included sample
consent forms in Figures 11.3 and 11.4.11_GRE_5344_Ch11_313_342.indd 337 11/19/14 11:02 AM