Focus Groups-A Needs Assessment Tool

Focus groups were originally used as a market research tool to evaluate potential customer response to new products. Now their use has spread to a variety of organizations interested in the opinions of current or prospective clientele about proposed or ongoing programs.1 Focus groups are useful for identifying needs and constraints that might be missed through other methods of assessment. Potential programs for new clientele can be revised before expensive mistakes are made. The focus of existing programs can be re-directed. Recruitment strategies may be adjusted to better meet the interests of potential volunteers.

A set of focus groups typically consists of a minimum of three different discussion groups, each with eight to 10 people. Over-recruiting is necessary to attract the number of participants needed and an incentive such as money or a meal is usually offered. The participants should share some characteristic related to the topic. For example, a set of focus groups to discuss a state lottery consisted of people who were religious conservatives and opposed to gambling. The groups seem to work best when the leader is a stranger and the participants haven't previously met each other. The idea is to provide an opportunity for people with a common interest to talk together, so that the researchers can get a greater insight into their attitudes and opinions on the topic.

Each group meets once for two hours or less. The discussion is tape- or video-recorded. The topic is introduced by the leader who explains the need for the recorder and then follows a pre- determined questioning route. Plenty of time is allowed for group members to offer insights, ideas, and clarification. The role of the leader is important. The leader should be trained through observations of expert focus-group interviewers and should read suggested procedures carefully. The leader's wording and sequence of the interview questions requires careful thought.

After each session, the leader listens to the tape, consults his or her notes, and prepares a summary. Summaries of three or more groups are compared to note items of concern that surfaced in more than one group.

The breadth and quality of results obtained from focus-group interviews in Extension have been impressive. Focus groups have helped Extension faculty spot ineffective plans or programs in time to revise or eliminate them. The interviews can also provide information in advance on how participants will respond to a program.

Although focus groups can help identify client opinions, they don't indicate the extent of the opinions, and aren't a sample of the population as a whole. For example, if 90% of the people in three focus groups hold an opinion, that doesn't mean that 90% of the entire population hold that opinion. Assessment methods based on random sampling must be used to supplement focus -group interviews if generalizations to whole populations are needed.

A limiting factor in the use of focus groups is the availability of skilled group leaders. Skills in selecting participants, developing questions, sequencing questions, moderating groups, and analyzing tapes are essential.

1. Richard A. Krueger, Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research (Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications, 1988).