Analyzing focus group data the analysis and interpretation of focus group data require a great deal of judgment and care, just as any other scientific approach, and regardless of whether the analysis relies on quantitative or qualitative procedures. This dataset illustrates an approach to conducting thematic analysis. Still, focus group data are often underanalysed and used, for example, to. A focus group is a method whereby a group of 68 people are brought together to discuss a given the eventphenomenon in which they have a shared experience e. Then, the findings from the six focus groups are discussed with the five dominant themes. A practical, stepbystep guide for learning and teaching scholars.
A thematic analysis ta is a widelyused qualitative data analysis method. Next, i describe the focus group method used to conduct the study and explain the use of thematic analysis. Focus group data collection is complicated by intra grouo dynamics, which even the experienced researcher can manage only to a certain extent, as context is a. Focusgroup interview and data analysis fatemeh rabiee school of health and policy studies, university of central england, birmingham b42 2su, uk in recent years focusgroup interviews, as a means of qualitative data collection, have gained popularity amongst professionals within the health and social care arena. Focus group data can arise from one of the following three types. A scheme for analyzing the results of focus groups researchgate. A qualitative study using thematic analysis of two focus groups of preregistration mental health nursing students. Results approximately 700 words in this section you will need to report the results of a thematic analysis of focus group data. A qualitative framework for collecting and analyzing data. Semistructured interviews and focus groups margaret c.
A focus group study of baby boomers processing and. What limits the effectiveness of antibullying programs. A thematic analysis of focus group discussion srhe. The data from these groups will be coded and inductively analysed using a thematic analysis.
The limited literature on reporting data saturation and transparency in qualitative research has supported an inconsistent research. Download limit exceeded you have exceeded your daily download allowance. Focus group theorists disagree as to the most appropriate unit of analysis for focus group data to analyze i. This qualitative action research project used a focus group methodology and thematic content analysis to identify and interpret issues arising from workshop discussions. Preparation for a focus group can be broken down into two key areas. Less guidance tends to be provided regarding the analysis of data resulting from focus groups or how to organize and defend conclusions drawn from the analysis. Bradley th is course provides an overview of two types of qualitative data collection methodologies. A thematic analysis liam delaney 1,2,3, michael egan 1, nicola oconnell1, this version. The analysis and interpretation of focus group data require a great deal of judgment and care, just as any other scientific approach, and regardless of whether the analysis relies on quantitative or qualitative procedures. Introduction to applied thematic analysis 5 defining qualitative research before talking about process, we should first define what we mean by qualita tive research, since the definition influences how we characterize qualitative data analysis, the data items to be used in our analysis, and the types of analyses. Aim and focus of data analysis it seems that both content analysis and thematic analysis share the same aim of analytically examining narrative materials from life stories by breaking the text into relatively. This report presents the findings from one focus group discussion involving people with various longterm conditions, registered with a.
A new approach to data analysis abstract the qualitative research gold standard for quality research is data saturation. Feedback on the planned criteria for the icd11 will be sought through focus groups with service users and clinicians. Indeed the qualitative researcher is often described as the research instrument insofar as his or her ability to understand, describe and interpret experiences and perceptions is key to. A focus group study exploring student nurses experiences of an educational intervention focused on working with people with a diagnosis of personality disorder. Protocol for a qualitative study exploring perspectives on. It then outlines the theoretical and conceptual frameworks and places the focus group in context. Traditionally, focus group research is a way of collecting qualitative data, whichessentiallyinvolves engaging a small number of people in an informal group discussion or discussions, focused around a particular topic or set of issues wilkinson, 2004, p. This includes processes for valid data collection and reliable analysis of the textual data from focus group and interview transcripts. We describe the activity of thematic synthesis, outline several steps for its conduct and. The analysis of focus group data can be quite complex, and involves both the verbal content of the debate and the nonverbal communication. Summary of the advantages and disadvantages of focusgroup methodology. Thematic analysis of focus groups with consumers and carers of. This pdf has been generated from sage research methods datasets.
The goal of a thematic analysis is to identify themes, i. This is much more than simply summarising the data. Briefly put, ata is a type of inductive analysis of qualitative data that can involve multiple analytic techniques. A great deal of the skepticism about the value of focus groups probably arises from the. How to conduct focus groups interaction design foundation. This paper finds that thematic analysis is a comprehensive process where researchers are able to identify numerous. A proposed model for the analysis and interpretation of. Most importantly, it made the best use of the key attributes of focusgroup methodology for a key purpose of pedagogic research. Focus groups are one common way of collecting data in qualitative research. Challenges at work for older nurses and allied health workers in rural australia.
Braun and clarke 2006 argued that thematic analysis should be a foundational method for qualitative analysis, as it provides core skills for conducting many. A focus group study exploring student nurses experiences. Thematic content analysis can be understood to be an interpretative application of content. Focus group discussion can be utilised within a suite of techniques in a multi. A thematic analysis of the perspective of teachers charles e. Thematic analysis is a method for qualitative data analysis. Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research. Thematic analysis is a method that is often used to analyse data in primary qualitative research. Below, we situate ata within the qualitative data analysis literature to help both frame the process and provide. Pooja sawrikar from griffith university and are taken from a focus group study conducted in 2010 when she worked at the university of new south wales.
Wilkinson 1998 argues that many articles based on focus group research appear to be treating the data as identical to individual interview data, and the unique aspects of focus groups are habitually ignored in the analysis. This paper finds that thematic analysis is a comprehensive process. Similarities and differences between results are assessed. We conducted a thematic analysis of focus group discussions exploring three general questions.
Please write one short paragraph on the analysis ie what a thematic analysis is and what you actually did. Therefore, it is imperative that if a suitable and costeffective data analysis approach such as this is designed and implemented successfully, it should be shared with the wider community. Using microsoft excel to code and thematically analyse. We provide a wide range of resources related to learning and using thematic analysis. When conducting focus group studies for basic research with a social theme, where the.
August 2011, abstract this paper reports on the results of semistructured focus groups carried out with unemployed respondents across ireland in 2010. Th ese techniques are commonly used in policy research and are applicable to many research questions. In this module, you will be able to make decisions about transcription of a focus group, interpret focus group notes, analyze qualitative data to identify common categories and themes. You will be able to explain what goes into a focus group report. The article first presents an overview of focus group analysis, taking particular account of approaches which privilege both content and form. The findings from the focus groups were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach that was conducted by the primary facilitator.
Not only does it demonstrate the use of a very detailed focusgroup schedule but it also used recordings of the discussions for a thematic analysis that followed. A thematic analysis of focus group discussion of what students get and what. Thematic analysis is the process of identifying patterns or themes within qualitative data. Instinct is a 24hospital, randomized, controlled study. With ta you can legitimately focus on analysing meaning across the. Thematic analysis of focus groups with consumers and. The present article starts with a description of the focus group approach in general, mentioning some of its advantages and disadvantages. Writing a focus group report analyze, interpret and. Definitions of focus group and consequences for analysis some researchers, such as hughes and dumont 1993. First, what factors do teachers feel are limiting the. As such, it represents the first crosscultural social science study based on focus group methodology. Retention of allied health professionals in rural new.
Week 5 handout content analysis of focus groups pdf. Thematic analysis is a flexible method that allows the researcher to focus on the data in numerous different ways. Social science researchers in general and qualitative researchers in particular often rely. Does anyone know how to analyze focus group discussion. The use of focus group in the research design the goal of a focus group is to have the participants understand the topic of interest to the researcher, irrespective of its use, alone or together with other research methods. Focus groups are in depth group interviews employing relatively homogenous groups to provide information around topics specified by the researchers. These pages focus on defining our approach to ta and addressing queries about ta according to the way we have conceptualised it.
Pdf a framework and approach for analysis of focus group data. Methods and analysis the name include reflects the value of expertise by experience as all aspects of the proposed study are coproduced. As discussed previously, fg may be considered as much a standalone research method as one used in conjunction with other methods. The process involves the identification of themes international journal of qualitative methods 5 1 march 2006. We call this process applied thematic analysis ata. We hope you find this information a rich and useful resource to. Data analysis is central to credible qualitative research.
Still, focus group data are often underanalysed and used, for example, to simply report emerging themes and coding frequency. Providing this information might enable the reader to make a clear connection between the research question asked, results obtained and subsequent analysis. Nurses and allied health workers aged 50 years and over were invited to attend one of six local workshops held in the hunter new england region of nsw, australia. Next, i discuss the significant aspects of the findings, including 2. A focus group is, in essence, a large scale interview. Despite this popularity, analysing qualitative data, particularly focusgroup interviews, poses a challenge to most practitioner researchers.
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