Speaker 1: hello viewers data collection is a very significant step in qualitative research today i am going to give you a brief overview of how we can collect meaningful data from focus groups in qualitative research here i am going to tell you first of all some of the different types of data we collect in qualitative research there are different types of data for example we collect data from interviews we collect data from field observation then we collect data from pictures we collect some of the relevant documents related to our research and we also collect some of the field notes from the research site we also conduct focus groups which is one-to-many data collection technique in qualitative research so today I am going to give you a brief overview of how we can conduct focus groups and what are the different benefits of this technique. In focus groups the word group means focused because you have gathered individuals who previously have had some common experience or may share some common experience feelings and perceptions. Then in focus group we also have a moderator or we can also call it facilitator. The role of the moderator or facilitator in qualitative research is to keep members on track, to include all the members in the discussion, to keep an eye on time and also to cover all decided questions in the list of focus group guide. So it is the role of a moderator or facilitator to check that all the questions which have been decided are covered or not. What are the different aims of conducting focus group technique mainly there are three aims when your aim is to obtain data from a purposely selected group of individuals rather than from a statistically representative sample of a broader population then the technique you will use is focus group when you need your project should be cost-effective because at one time you can collect data from multiple participants so this is a cost effective technique as well. Here is another objective when your study requires the researcher to ask questions control the dynamics of the discussion or engage in dialogue with a specific individual at a a time then the suitable technique is focus groups. Here are some of the techniques involved in focus groups. The step number one is research design. Based on research design and topic you need to prepare a list of all the relevant questions to be asked from the participants. Here you also need to see the ethical clearance as you know that focus group involved recording of voices of the participants so you need to be make sure that your project or your participant consent is there or not second step you need to identify and recruit the participants of your focus group this is a very significant step depends on willingness and availability of the participants recruit the participants as much as you can you can recruit respondents through snowball or through some reference or you can also directly contact to the participants who are relevant to your topic it is also suggested in research books that over recruitment is good because at the time of the focus group maybe some of the participants won't be available due to some unavoidable reasons so it is suggested to over recruit the participants for safety. Step number three you need to select a suitable location for the conduct of focus group that location should be accessible to the participants that should be quiet place with minimum distortion and distractions there is a proper arrangement of recording and the name tags of the participants should also be provided at that place to recognize the participants and to interact with them at the fourth step you need to prepare for the conduct of the focus group here you need to familiarize with the questions you are going to ask with the participants also familiarize with the bios of the participants to interact with them confidently. At the fifth step you are going to collect your data. Here introduce yourself first of all and explain the rules and the regulations of the focus group to the participants. Also tell them the confidentiality policy related to your focus group data. You may also ask respondents to introduce themselves so that the discussion may be more interactive. Always check the recording device again and again as it recording properly or not. Here is the last step where I am going to tell you what you need to do during the meeting and at the concluding session. Ask complete questions within the time frame. Prop, pause, reflect and observe nonverbal gestures and take notes. It is the role of the moderator or facilitator to probe where you feel that explanation is needed or you can also pause when you want the participants to speak out at the last conclude with acknowledgement after collecting the data there are multiple methods which you can use to analyze your focus group data more commonly there are three types of analysis methods content analysis you can also use thematic analysis and the ground truth theory analysis if you are intended to come up with a model or a framework. Here are the types of focus groups mainly there are two types of focus group one is the physical focus group and the other are online focus groups under these two broader categories we have further four categories single focus groups which is very traditional one which we usually have with the one moderator facilitator and the other members mainly 12 to 14 for the discussion purpose then we have another type which is called two-way focus group here the one group is for the discussion purpose and the other group plays the roles of the observers when one group is discussing the topic the other group is observing them and then the role reversed the observer group now included in the discussion group and the discussion one now acted like observers so in this type of focus group there is a reverse role of both types of groups in the third type which is called dual moderator group here is two moderators the role of the moderator you can classify. For example one may take the field notes or observe the nonverbal gestures of the participants and one may facilitate the focus group by asking the questions and involving in the discussion. So here involve two moderators and the last type of focus group that is dueling moderator focus group this is very interesting type of focus group and this also there is a role of two moderators. One is taking the positive stance or the one position on the topic and the other moderator took the opposite or the negative position on that relevant topic and both start or facilitate discussion together and they ask participants to share their point of view accordingly. What are the uses of focus groups? Although there are many uses of focus group However, according to Morgan, there are three mainly uses of focus group. First of all, this technique can be used as a self-contained method. That means it is a main data collection technique from which you can collect the data and you can use in your project and make analysis and write the report. So this can be act as a main data collection technique. Secondly, it can also act as a supplementary source of data. for example sometimes you need to generate survey questionnaires you need to develop questionnaires sometimes you need to develop a program you need to develop a curriculum or you need to validate the findings of quantitative research then the helpful technique is focus group another use of focus group technique is it can be used as a multi method in different studies they may be effectively used when you are collecting data from different techniques for example you are collecting data from surveys you are collecting data from observation and simultaneously you can conduct or collect data from focus groups as well. I hope that this brief overview of focus group technique is beneficial for all of you and you will be considering this technique in your research projects in future. Thank you