PS398 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Focus Group, Grounded Theory
Document Summary
Interview-intensive (rather than interview-only) studies use observational as a source of data even if confined to the interview context. Most researchers go into the field w a few starter questions in informal interviews but expect and seek out the impromptu. Without ad hoc questions, informational gaps would make in-depth interviews much longer and more tedious. Focus group methods originated in sociology and were developed for use in marketing and polling. Size should be large enough to generate diversity of opinions but small enough to permit everyone to share in the discussion (7-10 particiapnts is optimal) Groups that include persons from different status levels can be problematic bc subordinates have concerns about repercussions of being candid. Focus group interviewing typically involves moderator (facilitator) who asks open ended questions. Degree of direction/structure depends on how narrow or broad topic of inquiry is. Moderator must present domination by one person, lack of participation etc.
