Focus groups cultivate an environment of trust and rapport to examine a shared phenomenon (an intervention, program or policy issue). This technique encourages discussion among participants to promote a sense of comradery regarding the topic of research. Aspects of experiences and perspectives are revealed that would not be accessible without group interaction.
Focus groups provide qualitative data that can
provide context to quantitative data
help in the development of a case study
assist in the wording and nuance of a questionnaire being created
Our qualitative experts examine participants’ thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and needs on important issues to local government and state agencies. Our focus group research can be conducted as
a stand-alone study (i.e. learning about experiences, attitudes and opinions on the research topic)
supplementary data for a quantitative study (i.e. assist with the generation of survey questionnaires or the development of intervention studies)
used as follow-up data to assist the primary research (i.e. to further understand survey results or to evaluate the outcome of an intervention or program)