SOC244H1 Chapter Notes -No. 5 Group Raf, Focus Group, Health Promotion
Document Summary
Group interviews have the advantage over one-to-one interviews of providing access to interactions between participants, thus some insight into how social knowledge is produced. In addition, they can be a useful way of researching some sensitive issues, such as dissatisfaction with services. In health research they have been used widely in health promotion, health services research and in needs assessment. Different types of group interview are discussed, including focus groups and natural groups, and the issues to consider when planning and conducting them. By group interviews we mean any interview in which the researcher simultaneously gathers data from more than one participant. Focus group is often used in lit. to describe any formal group interview. Consensus panels are groups gathered to come to some agreement about an issue, such as priorities for health care spending, an agenda for health research, or guidelines for clinical practice. There are a number of different formal methods for reaching decisions, such as:
