Using Focus Groups

Focus groups have been used in marketing research for quite some time, but are now being used for more diverse purposes, including program evaluation.² This section will help you decide if a focus group evaluation is right for your program.

What Is a Focus Group?

A focus group is a small group of individuals who engage in a discussion designed to gain insight into their opinions and about their experiences with a specific topic or program.

These groups are typically made up of as few as 6 but no more than 15 participants, with most experts recommending that focus groups be capped at 12 members.^3,4 Focus groups use a facilitator who asks open-ended questions and guides the conversation.

² Israel, G.D. (June 2003) "Using Focus Group Interviews for Evaluating Extension Programs." University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Available at UF/IFAS on the World Wide Web: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PD036.

³ Gibbs, A. (1997) "Social Research Update: Focus Groups." University of Surrey, Department of Sociology, Guildford, England. Available on the World Wide Web: www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/sru/SRU19.html.

⁴ Rubin, A., and Babbie, E. (2001) Research Methods for Social Work (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomas Learning.