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Using Interviewing In Public Health Research: Experiences Of Novice Researchers, Caroline I. Wood, Nancy Daley-Moore, Rachel Powell
Using Interviewing In Public Health Research: Experiences Of Novice Researchers, Caroline I. Wood, Nancy Daley-Moore, Rachel Powell
The Qualitative Report
In this article, we provide the experiences of three novice public health researchers conducting studies with several vulnerable populations: women, people with disabilities, and children. We describe all phases of our interview studies including developing data collection guides, planning the interview in an appropriate setting, conducting the interviews, and bringing the interview to a close. Specific components of the interviews that are discussed include establishing rapport and minimizing the power imbalance inherent between interviewer and interviewee, including the added power imbalance that vulnerable populations experience. Issues of maintaining quality and rigor, as well as ethical considerations for working with our …
Parkinson’S Disease Support Groups In Rural America: Barriers, Resources, And Opportunities, Erin J. Bush, Reshmi L. Singh, Mary Jo C. Hidecker, Catherine Phillips Carrico
Parkinson’S Disease Support Groups In Rural America: Barriers, Resources, And Opportunities, Erin J. Bush, Reshmi L. Singh, Mary Jo C. Hidecker, Catherine Phillips Carrico
The Qualitative Report
People with Parkinson’s disease who live in rural communities may lack information and support regarding their condition, compared to those in urban or suburban areas. For the study described herein, the researchers sought to gain a deeper understanding of support group experiences of rural Parkinson’s disease stakeholders through merging an interpretive phenomenological design with Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR). Using this merged approach, we collected qualitative data from five focus groups to gain a community perspective. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically, first, and then further explored for an overall essence. The theme, Support Group Benefits: Opportunities for Communication expounded upon …
A System For Coding The Interaction In Focus Groups And Dyadic Interviews, David L. Morgan, Kim Hoffman
A System For Coding The Interaction In Focus Groups And Dyadic Interviews, David L. Morgan, Kim Hoffman
The Qualitative Report
Interaction among participants is the fundamental mechanism that generates data in focus groups. Despite calls for ways to analyze interaction in focus groups, there is still an unmet need to develop such tools. We present a coding system to investigate interaction by emphasizing how participants use the substantive aspects of the topics they discuss. We then apply it to the question of how conversations in dyadic interviews (with two participants) compare to discussions in focus groups (with four or more participants). We find that dyadic interviews are more likely to contain explicit connections to the content of the previous speaker’s …
Friends Or Strangers? A Feasibility Study Of An Innovative Focus Group Methodology, Chandria D. Jones, Jocelyn Newsome, Kerry Levin, Amanda Wilmot, Jennifer Anderson Mcnulty, Teresa Kline
Friends Or Strangers? A Feasibility Study Of An Innovative Focus Group Methodology, Chandria D. Jones, Jocelyn Newsome, Kerry Levin, Amanda Wilmot, Jennifer Anderson Mcnulty, Teresa Kline
The Qualitative Report
Focus groups are useful tools for examining perceptions, feelings, and suggestions about topics, products, or issues. Typically, focus groups are held in formal facilities with “strangers” or participants who do not know each other. Recent work suggests that “friendship groups” may provide an innovative alternative for collecting group-level qualitative data. This approach involves recruiting a single “source participant” who hosts a group in his/her home and recruits friends possessing the characteristics desired for the study. In order to examine the feasibility of friendship groups as a defensible research methodology, we conducted a series of four friendship groups as a feasibility …
Expanding Qualitative Researchers’ Worlds: A Review Of David Silverman’S Qualitative Research, Izhar Oplatka
Expanding Qualitative Researchers’ Worlds: A Review Of David Silverman’S Qualitative Research, Izhar Oplatka
The Qualitative Report
A collection of 26 chapters dealing with a host of topics in qualitative research (QR) under the scholarly authority of David Silverman, a putative scholar in the field of QR is to focus of my book review. While reading the book chapters I realized how colorful QR had become in recent years and how many methodologies exist today for those of us who are eager to move their research program a step further. Personally, as a qualitative researcher who has used mostly semi-structure interviews in his researches, the book challenged me to think of employing other methodologies because the world …
The Use Of Wordpress In Online Focus Group Studies, Mary E. Hancock
The Use Of Wordpress In Online Focus Group Studies, Mary E. Hancock
The Qualitative Report
Focus groups have long been used as a qualitative research methodology to gather information on a particular topic in a non-threatening setting. Adapting the traditional face-to-face (FTF) focus group to the online environment is a natural adaptation in the use of advanced technology for local and national research. The anonymity of the online environment is non-threatening allowing for open discussion. WordPress® provides a secure, easy to navigate website to conduct focus group research. Upon completion of a research study, the participant’s typed responses can be downloaded into a Word document to upload in to a qualitative data analysis program. WordPress® …
Sexting And Young People: A Review Of The Qualitative Literature, Andrea Anastassiou
Sexting And Young People: A Review Of The Qualitative Literature, Andrea Anastassiou
The Qualitative Report
The term “sexting” refers to the sending and receiving of sexually explicit imagery via some form of virtual messaging. Although sexting is by no means restricted to young people, it is the participation of young people and its effect on their well-being that have led to widespread concern from parents, educators, and the media alike. Ringrose, Gill, Livingstone, and Harvey (2012) argued that this “media panic” exists in response to a predominantly adult discourse with little input from the teenagers and young people who engage in sexting. As such, this paper will review the small but emerging field of qualitative …
Perceptions Of Athletes In Disabled And Non-Disabled Sport Contexts: A Descriptive Qualitative Research Study, Sheryl L. Chatfield, Michael Cottingham Ii
Perceptions Of Athletes In Disabled And Non-Disabled Sport Contexts: A Descriptive Qualitative Research Study, Sheryl L. Chatfield, Michael Cottingham Ii
The Qualitative Report
The term supercrip suggests extraordinary feats but is sometimes applied to any proficiency demonstrated by an athlete with a disability. This use of the term potentially undermines spectator appreciation for achievements of the upper echelon of disability sports participants. Prior disability sport researchers have suggested that a comparison of individuals’ perceptions of athletic heroes with and without disabilities has potential to help disability sport marketers counter the supercrip stereotype. The purpose of this research was to explore differences in perceptions by comparing participant descriptions of role models with and without disabilities. Research participants, who consisted of undergraduate students at a …
The Voices Of Silence In Online Charitable Fundraising: A Focus Group Study In China, Xun Lin, Hua Huang
The Voices Of Silence In Online Charitable Fundraising: A Focus Group Study In China, Xun Lin, Hua Huang
The Qualitative Report
Charitable fundraising, which often goes viral, has been flourishing on Wechat, the most popular social media site in China. It has given rise to a variety of forms of resistance. Silence among them is particularly evident. This study was conducted on three focus groups to unveil the hidden voices in the silent college students in an online charitable fundraising. Findings show that these voices demonstrate participants’ reclaiming of authorship of private space on Moments, their endeavour to avoid creating stress in vulnerable others, and their questioning of the configuration of responsibility. These voices show negotiation with or resistance against the …
“Welcome To The Real World” Inclusive Research With People With Learning Disabilities: A Doctoral Journey, Shirley Durell
“Welcome To The Real World” Inclusive Research With People With Learning Disabilities: A Doctoral Journey, Shirley Durell
The Qualitative Report
Many people with learning disabilities have been and are still been excluded from an active involvement in research. In the UK, this position has been challenged by people with learning disabilities, their supporters and academic allies, through the advancement of inclusive research. But calls have been made for a clarification of the roles that can be played by these research supporters and researchers, to expose asymmetrical relations and to advance existing practices, as well as to develop a better understanding of quality in inclusive research. In response to these matters, this paper offers an account of the experiences of a …
Exploiting Metacognitive Networks Embedded In Narrative Focus Group Interviews Using Nodexl, Divan Jagals, Marthie Sophia Van Der Walt
Exploiting Metacognitive Networks Embedded In Narrative Focus Group Interviews Using Nodexl, Divan Jagals, Marthie Sophia Van Der Walt
The Qualitative Report
Development of metacognitive theory for changing pedagogy remains an essential research activity. A lack of sufficient clear-cut qualitative analysis procedures extracting embedded metacognitive constructs from qualitative data (e.g., narrative focus group interviews) can hinder development of theory. An approach is therefore needed to analyse qualitative metacognitive data exploiting embedded metacognitive constructs for theory development. In an undergraduate fourth-year mathematics education module, two groups of students (Group A: n = 6; Group B: n = 5) participated in a series of focus group interviews. Participants designed and refined mathematics lessons about the concept of place value. We identified metacognitive networks as …
Understanding The Employment Barriers And Support Needs Of People Living With Psychosis, Margaret Hampson, Richard Hicks, Bruce Watt
Understanding The Employment Barriers And Support Needs Of People Living With Psychosis, Margaret Hampson, Richard Hicks, Bruce Watt
The Qualitative Report
This study investigated the employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis. A purposive community sample of 137 volunteers drawn from six key stakeholder groups were invited to participate in focus groups and semi-structured individual interviews to elicit their perceptions on the employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis. The stakeholder groups included in this study were people with lived experience of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, carers, health professionals, employers, employment service providers, and community members. Data obtained from 14 focus groups and 31 semi-structured individual interviews were transcribed, imported into NVivo 10, and coded …
Applying A Socio-Ecological Framework To Thematic Analysis Using A Statewide Assessment Of Disproportionate Minority Contact In The United States, Dawn X. Henderson, Tiffany Baffour
Applying A Socio-Ecological Framework To Thematic Analysis Using A Statewide Assessment Of Disproportionate Minority Contact In The United States, Dawn X. Henderson, Tiffany Baffour
The Qualitative Report
Disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in the United States represents a critical social challenge to promoting the ideals and values of social justice. The ecological nature of DMC, a phenomenon emerging from the intersection of micro- and macro-level factors, necessitates the application of systems theories in understanding the issue and designing solutions to address it. This article illustrates the application of socio-ecological systems theory in thematic analysis, drawing associations across multiple systems between contributing factors to DMC in the juvenile justice system in North Carolina, USA. Analysis examined data from 6 focus groups comprised of 55 statewide stakeholders involved in the …
A Sensitive Question: Asking About Race In A Research Interview, Laura O'Hare
A Sensitive Question: Asking About Race In A Research Interview, Laura O'Hare
The Qualitative Report
Conversations are significant, but often overlooked cultural sites where attitudes, beliefs, and values about race are both reified and challenged. As such, these sites deserve increased scholarly attention (Allen, 2007). We employed Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory as a framework to examine the discursive strategies used by 11 interviewers in a research context as they asked 115 patient participants (taking part in a larger study of patients at a community-based family medicine residency clinic) to identify their race, as well as to identify the discursive strategies used by patient participants who answered this question. Our analysis revealed that in their …
Innovations In Research With Medically Fragile Populations: Using Bulletin Board Focus Groups, Karen Cook, Susan Jack, Hal Siden, Lehana Thabane, Gina Browne
Innovations In Research With Medically Fragile Populations: Using Bulletin Board Focus Groups, Karen Cook, Susan Jack, Hal Siden, Lehana Thabane, Gina Browne
The Qualitative Report
A new group of medically fragile young adults are graduating from pediatric palliative care programs with limited expectations to live beyond early adulthood, and no comparable adult services to support their complex needs. Accessing this population is difficult because of the complexity of their conditions, the extensive personal and equipment supports that limit feasibility for travel, and divergent communication abilities. Therefore, we undertook a descriptive case study using an asynchronous modification of an online focus group, a bulletin board focus group (BBFG). The greatest strengths of the BBFG are the appeal of this methodology for young adults and the multi …
Advantages, Disadvantages, And Lessons Learned In Conducting Telephone Focus Groups To Discuss Biospecimen Research Concerns Of Individuals Genetically At Risk For Cancer, Alexis M. Koskan, Janique Rice, Clement K. Gwede, Cathy D. Meade, Ivana Sehovic, Gwendolyn P. Quinn
Advantages, Disadvantages, And Lessons Learned In Conducting Telephone Focus Groups To Discuss Biospecimen Research Concerns Of Individuals Genetically At Risk For Cancer, Alexis M. Koskan, Janique Rice, Clement K. Gwede, Cathy D. Meade, Ivana Sehovic, Gwendolyn P. Quinn
The Qualitative Report
Advances in telecommunication technology allow biomedical researchers to explore new, inexpensive opportunities for conducting focus group research. This article reports our experiences using such technology to engage individuals genetically at risk for cancer about biospecimen research. Telephone-based focus groups were conducted with a total of 40 individuals, and participants were asked about their experiences and perceived benefits and limitations of participating in a telephone focus group about biospecimen research. The lessons learned can effectively be applied to other areas of health research. In particular, this method may be most useful to engage individuals who are less apt to speak in …
Experiences Of Therapists And Occupational Therapy Students Using Video Conferencing In Conduction Of Focus Groups, Theresa Marie Smith
Experiences Of Therapists And Occupational Therapy Students Using Video Conferencing In Conduction Of Focus Groups, Theresa Marie Smith
The Qualitative Report
A paucity of literature exists on how to conduct an online focus group. The purpose of this study is to describe and learn from participants’ experiences in using virtual technology in a focus group conducted to refine a low vision assessment. Ten low vision therapists and five master’s level students participated. Two cycles of data collection and analysis occurred, one for focus group transcripts of therapists and another for student replies to a questionnaire. A case-by-case matrix was created and data sorted into three categories including: (1) benefits to using the technology; (2) challenges to using the technology; and (3) …
Challenges & Strategies For Conducting Qualitative Research With Persons Diagnosed With Rare Movement Disorders, Kori A. Ladonna, Michael J. Ravenek
Challenges & Strategies For Conducting Qualitative Research With Persons Diagnosed With Rare Movement Disorders, Kori A. Ladonna, Michael J. Ravenek
The Qualitative Report
Unique features of Huntington’s disease and young-onset Parkinson’s disease, both neurodegenerative movement disorders, can pose challenges for conducting qualitative research. From the perspectives of two doctoral candidates conducting research with these groups, a number of challenges are presented and discussed alongside strategies for managing such challenges. Challenges are organized according to physical (e.g., movement), psychological (e.g., cognition) and social (e.g., speech impairment) aspects of these diseases. The strategies presented emphasize the importance of ethical reasoning in situations that can arise, as well as the relationships developed with the research participants. Author transparency and ethical reasoning are both important in conducting …
An Evaluation Of Virginia Gold: A Medicaid Program To Improve Nursing Facility Quality Of Care, Gerald A. Craver, Amy K. Burkett, Karen E. Kimsey
An Evaluation Of Virginia Gold: A Medicaid Program To Improve Nursing Facility Quality Of Care, Gerald A. Craver, Amy K. Burkett, Karen E. Kimsey
The Qualitative Report
A qualitative case study design employing focus groups was used to evaluate certified nursing assistant (CNA) (n = 26) and resident (n = 30) perceptions of the Virginia Gold Quality Improvement Program, a Medicaid funded 2-year quality improvement intervention piloted in five nursing facilities. As part of the program, the nursing facilities implemented quality improvement projects to develop supportive work environments in an effort to reduce CNA turnover and improve quality of care. Overall, the focus group participants viewed Virginia Gold positively and reported that CNA turnover decreased, while care quality improved during the program. These findings are supported by …
Identifying Ugliness, Defining Beauty: A Focus Group Analysis Of And Reaction To Ugly Betty, Adria Goldman, Damion Waymer
Identifying Ugliness, Defining Beauty: A Focus Group Analysis Of And Reaction To Ugly Betty, Adria Goldman, Damion Waymer
The Qualitative Report
This article discusses the ideological construct “beauty” that permeates our society by focusing specifically on socially constructed ideals of beauty and ugliness as they are represented in media text, specifically, in the TV sitcom Ugly Betty. For this study we conducted focus group interview sessions to explore the influence an alternative representation of beauty and ugliness, as portrayed in the show Ugly Betty, has on college aged females’ definition and interpretation of beauty—typically questions explored using traditional experimental and other quantitative methods. Moreover, this study provides insights into tensions surrounding how beauty and ugliness are defined and the implications of …
2010 British General Election Leader Evaluations: Replicating Electoral Focus Group Research, Kristi Winters, Edzia Carvalho
2010 British General Election Leader Evaluations: Replicating Electoral Focus Group Research, Kristi Winters, Edzia Carvalho
The Qualitative Report
This research replicates and expands upon the qualitative electoral research of Winters and Campbell by using data from focus groups conducted in Essex, England to coincide with three leadership debates during the 2010 British general election. The Qualitative Election Study of Britain (QES Britain) broadly replicated Winters and Campbell’s research design but includes innovations in data collection to more accurately capture assessments. This innovation means the data coding are based entirely on the evaluations of the participants. In our analysis we innovate in the way we display each leader’s unique evaluation structure. To capture the salience and direction of leadership …
Diagrammatic Elicitation: Defining The Use Of Diagrams In Data Collection, Muriah Umoquit, Peggy Tso, Tünde Varga-Atkins, Mark O'Brien, Johannes Wheeldon
Diagrammatic Elicitation: Defining The Use Of Diagrams In Data Collection, Muriah Umoquit, Peggy Tso, Tünde Varga-Atkins, Mark O'Brien, Johannes Wheeldon
The Qualitative Report
The use of graphic representations of experience and the social environment in the data collection process is an emerging approach. The terms diagramming, mapping and drawing are often used interchangeably, with no common interdisciplinary understanding of what they mean. The lack of a unifying terminology has resulted in simultaneous but separate developments undermining a more coherent approach to this emergent method. By defining what a diagram is and examining where diagramming fits amongst other data collection approaches, this paper proposes the term diagrammatic elicitation to refer to the use of diagrams in the data collection process. Two subcategories of this …
Women And Wasta: The Use Of Focus Groups For Understanding Social Capital And Middle Eastern Women, Deborah C. Bailey
Women And Wasta: The Use Of Focus Groups For Understanding Social Capital And Middle Eastern Women, Deborah C. Bailey
The Qualitative Report
Social capital is the use of informal networking to secure access to resources and opportunities. Often identified as an asset for offsetting deficiencies in societies, research on the phenomena is limited. This paper describes a qualitative study using focus groups with young adult Emeriti women representing three social-economic groups who were interviewed by the author in order to explore the topic of social capital, specifically a form of social capital defined by the Arabic term “wasta”. The women discussed their experiences of how wasta persists regardless of social and religious laws forbidding its practice and how they might use it …
Precincts And Prospects In The Use Of Focus Groups In Social And Behavioral Science Research, Dominic Sagoe
Precincts And Prospects In The Use Of Focus Groups In Social And Behavioral Science Research, Dominic Sagoe
The Qualitative Report
Over the past few years, the focus group method has assumed a very important role as a method for collecting qualitative data in social and behavioural science research. This article elucidates theoretical and practical problems and prospects associated with the use of focus groups as a qualitative research method in social and behavioural science research. The core uses of focus groups in social and behavioural science research are discussed. In addition, the strengths and limitations of employing focus groups in social and behavioural science research are elucidated. Furthermore, the article discusses practical recommendations for strengthening the focus group method in …
Qualitative Inquiry Into Church-Based Assets For Hiv/Aids Prevention And Control: A Forum Focus Group Discussion Approach, Godwin N. Aja, Naomi N. Modeste, Susanne B. Montgomery
Qualitative Inquiry Into Church-Based Assets For Hiv/Aids Prevention And Control: A Forum Focus Group Discussion Approach, Godwin N. Aja, Naomi N. Modeste, Susanne B. Montgomery
The Qualitative Report
Assets church members believed they needed to engage in effective HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities. We used the three-step forum focus group discussion (FFGD) methodology to elicit responses from 32 church leaders and lay members, representing five denominations in Aba, Nigeria. Concrete resources, health expertise, finances, institutional support, capacity building, and spiritual support connected to the collective interest of members were indicated as useful for church members to engage in HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities. Adequate planning and delivery of cost-effective, appropriate and sustainable health promotion programs require an understanding of perceived church-based assets.
The Unfocused Focus Group: Benefit Or Bane?, Nancy K. Franz
The Unfocused Focus Group: Benefit Or Bane?, Nancy K. Franz
The Qualitative Report
Facilitating successful focus groups requires both science and art. One element that can fully challenge focus group facilitators includes how to handle the unfocused focus group. This article describes "unfocus" and the benefits and disadvantages of unfocus in focus groups. Lessons learned from and approaches taken on this journey are shared to enhance focus group facilitation best practices.
Consistency And Change In Participatory Action Research: Reflections On A Focus Group Study About How Farmers Learn, Fred P. Piercy, Nancy Franz, Joseph L. Donaldson, Robert F. Richard
Consistency And Change In Participatory Action Research: Reflections On A Focus Group Study About How Farmers Learn, Fred P. Piercy, Nancy Franz, Joseph L. Donaldson, Robert F. Richard
The Qualitative Report
The purpose of this paper is to reflect on our efforts to balance consistency in our multi-year participatory action research study with the need to adapt our research protocol to what we are learning along the way. While both are important, we share several examples of how our flexibility and openness to adapt our protocol to our research findings has lead to methodological refinements and serendipitous learnings. We discuss implications for both agricultural education and research.
How-To Data Collection Series: The Evolution Of The Focused Discussion Group: From Non-Participant To One Of The Crew, José Luis Calderón
How-To Data Collection Series: The Evolution Of The Focused Discussion Group: From Non-Participant To One Of The Crew, José Luis Calderón
The Qualitative Report
This article is part of The Weekly Qualitative Report's occasional series on "How-To Collect Qualitative Data." The qualitative data collection method described is that of focused discussion groups (FDG's). This method involves the moderator, or scripter as is the preferred term in focused discussion groups, to move beyond that of a non-participant data collector to that of an engaged participant-observer, observer-participant who is willing to get into the discussion with the participants and to provide accurate information to them while prodding them to discuss the topic in increasingly personally meaningful ways. Focused discussion groups are particularly helpful for working with …
Using Focus Groups In Preliminary Instrument Development: Expected And Unexpected Lessons Learned, Slyvia C. Nassar-Mcmillan, Mary Wyer, Maria Oliver-Hoyo, Amy Ryder-Burge
Using Focus Groups In Preliminary Instrument Development: Expected And Unexpected Lessons Learned, Slyvia C. Nassar-Mcmillan, Mary Wyer, Maria Oliver-Hoyo, Amy Ryder-Burge
The Qualitative Report
Focus groups can be utilized effectively across various stages of instrument development. This article details selected aspects of a process in which they were employed at the initial stages of item generation and refinement in a study of occupational stereotyping. The process yielded rich contextual information about the worldview and corresponding terminology of participants. In addition, the use of a tool developed and previously employed as an approach to clinical case notes (i.e., SOAP notes), produced surprising benefits in documenting the focus group data. The purpose of this paper is to describe this process and highlight the insights that emerged. …
Innovative Data Collection Strategies In Qualitative Research, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Nancy L. Leech, Kathleen M.T. Collins
Innovative Data Collection Strategies In Qualitative Research, Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, Nancy L. Leech, Kathleen M.T. Collins
The Qualitative Report
This article provides an innovative meta-framework comprising strategies designed to guide qualitative data collection in the 21st century. We present a meta-framework comprising strategies for collecting data from interviews, focus groups, observations, and documents/material culture. We present a template for collecting nonverbal data during interviews and discuss the concept of debriefing the interviewer. We identify types of data that can be collected in focus groups in addition to the actual statements made by the participants and provide templates for categorizing these data. Also, we outline the role that social networking websites can play in focus group interviews. Further, we provide …