Focus Groups

General texts

Barbour, R. (2007). Doing focus groups. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi & Singapore: Sage.

Bloor, M., Frankland, J., Thomas, M., & Robson, K. (2001). Focus groups in social research. Thousand Oaks: Sage

Frey, J. H., & Fontana, A. (1993). The group interview in social research. In D. L. Morgan (Ed.), Successful focus groups: Advancing the state of the art (pp. 20-34). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Greenbaum, T. (1993). The handbook of focus group research. New York: Lexington.

Greenbaum, T. L. (1993). The handbook for focus group research (Revised Edn ed.). New York: Lexington.

Halkier, B. (2010). Focus groups as social enactments: integrating interaction and content in the analysis of focus group data. Qualitative Research, 10(1), 71-89.

Harrell, M. C., & Bradley, M. (2009). Data collection methods: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

Kamberelis, G., & Dimitriadis, G. (2008). Focus groups: Strategic articulations of pedagogy, politics, and inquiry. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (3rd ed., pp. 375-402). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Kreuger, R. A. (1994). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Krueger, R. A. (1998a). Developing questions for focus groups (Vol. 3). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Krueger, R. A. (1998b). Moderating focus groups (Vol. 4). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Krueger, R. A., & Casey, M. A. (2000). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Lee, R. (2010). The secret life of focus groups: Robert Merton and the diffusion of a research method. [Article]. American Sociologist, 41(2), 115-141. doi: 10.1007/s12108-010-9090-1

Liamputtong, P. (2011). Focus group methodology. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Litoselliti, L. (2003). Using focus groups in research. London: Continuum.

Merton, R. K. (1987). The focused interview and focus groups: Continuities and discontinuities. Public Opinion Quarterly, 51, 550-566.

Merton, R. K., Fiske, M., & Kendall, P. L. (1990). The focused interview: A manual of problems and procedures: The Free Press.

Morgan, D. L. (1988). Focus groups as qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Morgan, D. L. (1993). Successful focus groups: Advancing the state of the art. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Morgan, D. L. (1996). Focus groups. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 129-152.

Morgan, D. L. (2002). Focus group interviewing. In J. F. Gubrium & J. A. Holstein (Eds.), Handbook of interview research: Context and method (pp. 141-160). Thousand Oaks & London: Sage.

Morgan, D., & Bottorff, J. (2010). Advancing Our Craft: Focus Group Methods and Practice. Qualitative Health Research, 20(5), 579-581.

Morgan, D., Fellows, C., & Guevera, H. (2008). Emergent approaches to focus group research. In S. N. Hesse-Biber & P. Leavy (Eds.), Handbook of emergent methods (pp. 189-205). New York & London: The Guilford Press.

Morgan, D. L., & Krueger, R. A. (1998). The focus group kit. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Morrison, D. E. (1998). The search for a method: Focus groups and the development of mass communication research. Bedfordshire, UK: University of Luton Press.

Rodriguez, K. L., Schwartz, J. L., Lahman, M. K. E., & Geist, M. R. (2011). Culturally responsive focus groups: reframing the research experience to focus on participants. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 10(4), 400-417.

Smithson, J. (2000). Using and analysing focus groups: Limitations and possibilities. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 3(2), 103-119.

Stewart, D. W., Shamdasani, P. N., & Rook, D. W. (2007). Focus groups: Theory and practice (Vol. 20). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Vaughn, S., Schumm, J.S., & Singagub, J. (1996). Focus group interviews in education and psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Walden, G. R. (2008). Focus groups: A selective annotated bibliography. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.

Wilkinson, S. (1998). Focus group methodology: A review. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 1(3), 181-203.

Wilkinson, S. (2004). Focus group research. In D. Silverman (Ed.), Qualitative research: Theory, method and practice (2nd ed., pp. 177-199). London: Sage.

 

Theoretical, methodological and analytic issues

Agar, M & McDonald, J. (1995) Focus groups and ethnography. Human Organization, 54(1), 78-86.

Barbour, R., S., & Kitzinger, J. (Eds.). (1999). Developing focus group research: Politics, theory, and practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Carey, M. A. (1995). Comment: Concerns in the analysis of focus group data. Qualitative Health Research, 5, 487-495.

Duggleby, W. (2005). What About Focus Group Interaction Data? Qualitative Health Research, 15(6), 832-840.

Freeman, M. (2006). Nurturing dialogic hermeneutics and the deliberative capacities of communities in focus groups. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(1), 81-95.

Fuller, T. D., Edwards, J. N., Vorakitphokatorn, S., & Sermsri, S. (1993). Using focus groups to adapt survey instruments to new populations. In D. L. Morgan (Ed.), Successful focus groups: Advancing the state of the art (pp. 89-104). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Goodsell, T. L., Ward, C. J., & Stovall, M. J. (2009). Adapting focus groups to a rural context: Challenges and strategies. [Article]. Community Development, 40(1), 64-79. doi: 10.1080/15575330902924731

Hollander, J. A. (2004). The social contexts of focus groups. Journal of Contemporary

Ethnography, 33(5), 602-637.

Hollander, J. A., & Gordon, H. R. (2006). The processes of social construction in talk. Symbolic Interaction, 29(2), 183-212.

Kamberelis, G., & Dimitriadis, G. (2005). Focus groups: Strategic articulations of pedagogy, politics, and inquiry. In N. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed., pp. 887-907). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Kidd, P. S. & Parshall, M. B. (2000). Getting the focus and the group: Enhancing analytical rigor in focus group research. Qualitative Health Research, 10(3), 293-308.

Kitzinger, J. (1994). The methodology of focus groups: The importance of interaction between research participants. Sociology of Health & Illness, 16(1), 103-121.

 

Sensitive topics & ethics

Farquhar, C., & Das, R. (1999). Are focus groups suitable for ‘sensitive topics’? In R. S. Barbour & J. Kitzinger (Eds.), Developing focus group research: Politics, theory and practice (pp. 47-63). London: Sage.

Hoppe, M. J., & Wells, E. A. (1995). Using focus groups to discuss sensitive topics with children. Evaluation Review, 19(1), 102-114.

Smith, M. W. (1995). Ethics in focus groups: A few concerns. Qualitative Health Research, 5(4), 478-486.

Zeller, R.A. (1993). Focus group research on sensitive topics: Setting the agenda without setting the agenda. In D. L. Morgan (Ed.), Successful focus groups: Advancing the state of the art. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

 

Targeted groups

Clark, C. D. (2011). In a younger voice: doing child-centered qualitative research. New York: Oxford University Press.

Esposito, N. (2001). From meaning to meaning: The influence of translation techniques on Non-English focus group research. Qualitative Health Research, 11(4), 568-579.

Kaehne, A., & O’Connell, C. (2010). Focus groups with people with learning disabilities. [Article]. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 14(2), 133-145. doi: 10.1177/1744629510381939

Maynard-Tucker, G. (2000). Conducting focus groups in developing countries: Skill training for local bilingual facilitators. Qualitative Health Research, 10(3), 396-410.

Robinson, N. (1999). The use of focus group methodology — With selected examples from sexual health research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 29(4), 905-913.

 

Analysis of focus group interaction

Matoesian, G. M., & Coldren, J. R. (2002). Language and bodily conduct in focus group evaluations of legal policy. Discourse and Society, 13(4), 469-493.

Moretti, F., van Vliet, L., Bensing, J., Deledda, G., Mazzi, M., Rimondini, M., . . . Fletcher, I. (2011). A standardized approach to qualitative content analysis of focus group discussions from different countries. [Article]. Patient Education & Counseling, 82(3), 420-428. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2011.01.005

Morgan, D. (2010). Reconsidering the Role of Interaction in Analyzing and Reporting Focus Groups. Qualitative Health Research, 20(5), 718-722.

Myers, G. (1998). Displaying opinions: Topics and disagreement in focus groups. Language in Society, 27, 85-111.

Myers, G. (1999). Functions of reported speech in group discussions. Applied Linguistics, 20(3), 376-401.

Myers, G. (2000). Analysis of conversation and talk. In M. W. Bauer & G. Gaskell (Eds.), Qualitative researching with text, image and sound: A practical handbook (pp. 191-206). London: Sage.

Myers, G., & Macnaghten, P. (1999). Can focus groups be analysed as talk? In R. S. Barbour & J. Kitzinger (Eds.), Developing focus group research: Politics, theory and practice (pp. 173-185). London: Sage.

Puchta, C., & Potter, J. (1999). Asking elaborate questions: Focus groups and the management of spontaneity. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 3, 314-335.

Puchta, C., Potter, J., & Wolff, S. (2004). Repeat receipts: A device for generating visible data in market research focus groups. Qualitative Research, 4(3), 285-309.

Puchta, C., & Potter, J. (2004). Focus group practice. London: Sage.

Wilkinson, S. (2006). Analysing interaction in focus groups. In P. Drew, G. Raymond & D. Weinberg (Eds.), Talk and interaction in social research methods (pp. 50-62). London, Thousand Oaks & New Delhi: Sage.

 

Feminist research

Madriz, E. (2000). Focus groups in feminist research. In N. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (Vol. 2nd, pp. 835-850). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Wilkinson, S. (1999). How useful are focus groups in feminist research? In Barbour, R., S., & Kitzinger, J. (Eds.), Developing focus group research: Politics, theory, and practice (pp. 64-78). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

 

Participatory research

Daley, C. M., James, A., Ulrey, E., Joseph, S., Talawyma, A., Choi, W., . . . Coe, M. (2010). Using Focus Groups in Community-Based Participatory Research: Challenges and Resolutions. Qualitative Health Research, 20(5), 697-706.

 

Online focus groups

Deggs, D., Grover, K., & Kacirek, K. (2010). Using message boards to conduct online focus groups. The Qualitative Report, 15(4), 1027-1036.

Fox, F. E., Morris, M., & Rumsey, N. (2007). Doing synchronous online focus groups with young people: Methodological reflections. [Article]. Qualitative Health Research, 17(4), 539-547.