The methodology of Focus Groups: the importance of interaction between research participants

Type Journal Article Author Jenny Kitzinger URL http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9566.ep11347023 Volume 16 Issue 1 Pages 103-121 Publication Sociology of Health & Illness ISSN 1467-9566 Date 1994 Extra _eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1467-9566.ep11347023 DOI 10.1111/1467-9566.ep11347023 Accessed 2022-02-23 14:53:08 Library Catalog Wiley Online Library Language en Abstract What are focus groups? How are they distinct from ordinary group discussions and what use are they anyway? This article introduces focus group methodology, explores ways of conducting such groups and examines what this technique of data collection can offer researchers in general and medical sociologists in particular. It concentrates on the one feature which inevitably distinguishes focus groups from one-to-one interviews or questionnaires – namely the interaction between research participants - and argues for the overt exploration and exploitation of such interaction in the research process. Short Title The methodology of Focus Groups