Health Research: Critical Review of Focus Group Methodology

This report provides a critical review of focus groups as a research method, particularly within the context of health and medicine. It begins by highlighting the advantages of focus groups, such as their inclusivity for individuals with varying literacy levels and their ability to encourage participation from those hesitant to be interviewed individually. The report then delves into the methodology, emphasizing the importance of group interaction in generating data and exploring diverse perspectives. It discusses the benefits of tapping into everyday communication dynamics but also acknowledges potential downsides, such as the silencing of dissenting voices and confidentiality concerns. The review emphasizes the appropriateness of focus groups for research involving empowered participants and action research, while cautioning against their use with disempowered patient populations who may be reluctant to provide negative feedback. The report concludes by underlining the significance of the group interaction in achieving research aims, such as identifying attitudes, encouraging communication, and identifying group norms. The report also offers insights into social procedures within the articulation of knowledge and facilitating concepts that may be underdeveloped in individual interviews. The report also references key literature in the field, including works by Kitzinger, Barbour, Krueger, and others, providing a comprehensive overview of the subject matter.

Running head: CRITICAL REVIEW
CRITICAL REVIEW
Name of the Student
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Author Note

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Introduction
Focus groups have been known to be possessing several advantages for several
researchers within the particular field of both medicine as well as health. They do not at all
discriminate against any kind of people who will be not at all be able to either read or rather
write. They will be actually encouraging the participation from several people who are
greatly reluctant for being interviewed upon their own. Groups of focus are a specific form of
an interview of group which will be capitalising upon the sharing of information in between
the participants of the research for generating data (Kamberelis & Dimitriadis, 2013).
Discussion
Focus groups are known to be explicitly utilising interaction of group as the
particular part of the method. This actually means that all of the various people are hugely
encouraged for talking to one another and ask questions or rather exchange several anecdotes.
They can also be able to directly comment upon one another’s experiences. This method is
really very much helpful for particularly exploring the knowledge of the people. The actual
idea or rather concept behind the particular method of focus group is that all of the various
procedures of the group can be helping all of the people to properly explore as well as clarify
all of their various views in several ways which will be quite less accessible within an
interview which will be actually one to one (Krueger, 2014). The work of the group can be
really very much helpful for all of the various researchers in tapping into several forms of
communication which people will be utilising within the day to day communication or rather
interaction involving arguing, teasing as well as jokes.
However, it has also been known that the particular downside of such kinds of
dynamics of group is that the specific articulation of the norms of the groups may be totally
silencing each and every individual dissent voices. The particular presence of some other

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participants of the research may also be comprising of the confidentiality of the session of the
research. However, it must not at all be assumed that the focus groups are particularly
inhibiting relative to that of the privacy of the situation of the interview or rather that the
groups of focus are totally improper whenever all of the topics which are sensitive are
researched. All of the various methods of the focus group are actually very much proper with
all of those who have been conducting the research of the action and also those who have
been highly concerned for empowering all of the various participants of the research. This is
because all of the various participants can be becoming a highly active part of the procedure
of the analysis. However, some of the researchers have even noticed that the discussions of
the group can be generating comments which will be much more critical as compared to all of
the various interviews. A specific method which will be facilitating the criticism’s expression
as well as the exploration of several kinds of solutions is totally invaluable if the main aim of
the research is actually to enhance all of the various services (Barbour, 2014). Such a kind of
technique is particularly improper whenever working with specific disempowered
populations of the patient who are quite reluctant for offering feedback which are negative.
It can be said that it is very much essential to specifically consider the appropriateness
of the work of group for several populations of the study and also for thinking how all of the
difficulties can be overcome (Kitzinger, 1995). Properly analysis groups of focus is actually
quite similar as that of particularly analysing other qualitative data of self-report. The one and
only working feature which is distinct with the data of the focus group is the main
requirement for indicating the huge impact of the dynamic of group and the analysis of all of
the various sessions in several ways which will be taking complete advantage of the
particular communication in between all of the various participants of the research.

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Conclusion
The particular interaction in between all of the various participants can be greatly
utilised for achieving some of the aims which will be involving the highlighting of the
attitudes of several respondents, encouraging the participants of the research for generating as
well as exploring all of the various questions, for encouraging a huge variety of
communication from all of the various participants and also for helping in the identification
of several norms of group. Communication in between the participants can also be greatly
utilised for offering insight into the specific operation of the social procedures of the group
within the particular articulation of the knowledge and also for facilitating several
experiences as well as concepts which may be left totally underdeveloped within a particular
interview.

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References
Kitzinger, J. (1995). Qualitative research: introducing focus groups. Bmj, 311(7000), 299-
302.
Barbour, R. S. (2014). Analysing focus groups. The SAGE handbook of qualitative data
analysis, 313-326.
Davidson, P. M., Halcomb, E. J., & Gholizadeh, L. (2013). Focus groups in health research.
Kamberelis, G., & Dimitriadis, G. (2013). Focus groups. London: Routledge.
Krueger, R. A. (2014). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Sage
publications.
Stewart, D. W., & Shamdasani, P. N. (2014). Focus groups: Theory and practice (Vol. 20).
Sage publications.