Course Work 1 Individual Assessment
5MARK012W CW1 - TASK TWO
Any FOCUS GROUP (&/or DEPTH)
Requires:
A set of Research Objectives
Recruitment – a Sample of Participants
A Facilitator / Moderator
Analysis
WHAT ARE THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES?
Refer to page 3
Task Two Mark Allocation
| TASK TWO | Recruitment | 10 | ||
| Guide | 25 | |||
| Moderator Instructions | 10 | |||
| Analysis | 5 | |||
| Total Task Two | 50 |
RECRUITMENT PARAMETERS
Who do you want attending the group?
What characteristics should the participants have?
Where will the group be held (and how long will it last)?
What incentive are you giving?
Are there any ethical considerations?
https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/4-key-steps-to-recruiting-your-own-research-panel/
Outline briefly who will be attending the focus groups and justify your selection of participants
Perhaps provide a screener / short recruitment questionnaire that will ensure the right participants are attending each group
WRITING A TOPIC GUIDE
Develop a checklist of THEMES / topics / areas to be covered.
Steps in design are:
Examine the research question (objectives)
List THEMES / topics / areas of interest
Develop a list of relevant ideas
Decide on projective techniques
Lay out a logical guide
Design ‘SHOWCARDS’
Remember to cover: ethics; summary; thanks
Typical Mistakes
Poor match to the objectives
No clear sequence
Only closed questions
Only open-ended questions
No projective techniques or too many or poorly designed
Too long
Creating the TOPIC GUIDE CONSIDER THREE PARTS
INTRODUCTION
DISCUSSIVE PHASE
SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
Welcome (include hospitality arrangements)
Objectives of session
Explanation of what will be happening
General Agenda
Comment on MRS code
Ice-breaker: prompts for participants to introduce themselves (also checks you have the right participants)
DISCUSSIVE PHASE
Topics / Themes to be discussed
Always go from the general to the specific
Prompts and stimulus material / SHOWCARDS
Often includes / based on PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES
Remember: Probes
Qualitative Research: often uses STIMULI / PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES and Showcards
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Stimuli (often in the form of SHOWCARDS) can be as simple as a typed show card sheet, or as sophisticated as a TV advert.
Stimuli can also be Projective methods / Techniques that involve sentence completion, word association, thematic apperception tests, cartoon tests, brand obituary and photo-sorts.
Choose the projective techniques and stimuli so that they are right for the group &/or depth [and do not use too many!!! Be selective!]
PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES Note: Terminology differs
Association Techniques - word association and picture association
Completion tasks - a sentence or a cartoon
Analogy – obituary, role-playing, personification etc
Respondent Effort Techniques -story telling, postcard writing etc
Projective questioning
Word association tests
Brand personalities
Brand mapping
Photo sorts
Sentence completion
Role playing
Cartoon completion [Wilson p.115-118]
SUMMARISING PHASE
Prompts for summarising what has been discussed
Thanks to participants
Creating the TOPIC GUIDE CONSIDER THREE PARTS
& now for 2.MODERATION
INTRODUCTION
DISCUSSIVE PHASE
SUMMARY
For CW1 TASK TWO, you also need to consider MODERATION
Separate out the issues into:
BEFORE;
DURING;
& AFTER.
http://www.focusgrouptips.com/focus-group-discussion.html
MODERATION - BEFORE:
12pm start [Arrive 10 minutes earlier to prepare]:
- Venue:
Room Requirements- Good lighting/ chairs and tables provided/ signage/ suitable room temperature
Resources- Flipcharts/ Tape recorder or camera/ pens and paper
- Hospitality preparation:
Water bottles/ snacks
- Attributes of a good moderator:
Dressed professionally/ suitable appearance
Strong skill set needed - leadership, communication and interpersonal skills
Be prepared –Read topic guide
Understand the aims and the topics to be discussed
Don’t be biased
Source: UG Student – Semester 1 (2016/2017)
MODERATION - DURING:
WELCOME participants
Storage area – for coats/ bags
Name tags for participants
INTRODUCTION:
Follow topic guide (e.g. introduce yourself/ ice-breaker etc.)
Be welcoming/ personable/ friendly
PROCEDURAL ISSUES:
Ethics and confidentiality – Tape recording – How it will be used
Topic guide:
Use topic guide
Probe- to get more from a respondents answer
Projective Techniques- understand how to use them
Stay on track
MANAGING THE GROUP:
All group members must contribute
Ensure no one dominates
Use repetition or a pattern of asking people- so everyone contributes
Encourage quieter members to speak, but don’t pressure them
Time management – stay on schedule
Avoid conflicts
If conflicts occur, deal with the issue and resolve them quickly
To conclude certain topics or to probe ask the group ‘do we all agree on this’.
Source:
UG Student
– Semester 1 (2016/2017)
MODERATION – AT END / AFTER:
SUMMARY
- Ask participants if they have questions/ queries
-Thank the participants and hand out the incentive
- compile notes about different topics that have been discussed
MODERATOR REVIEW:
Review notes from the focus group
Listen/ watch the audio or video recording
Prepare a transcript
Source: UG Student – Semester 1 (2016/2017)
CW1 – TASK TWO
DATA ANALYSIS
Recommend the best option for analyzing the groups
Ensure you justify your choice based on an understanding of all the options available for analyzing the groups
Task Two Mark Allocation
| TASK TWO | Recruitment | 10 | ||
| Guide | 25 | |||
| Moderator Instructions | 10 | |||
| Analysis | 5 | |||
| Total Task Two | 50 |