Bridging the gap between theory and practice in a warm, accessible manner, this book addresses the “whats,” “whys,” and “how-tos” of designing, conducting, analyzing, and presenting focus groups in research and community settings. Key topics include when to use a focus group (versus when not to); group modes; purposive, convenience, and snowball sampling strategies; homogenous versus diverse group composition; managing group dynamics; and recruitment, incentives, and scheduling. The text describes different types of probes and analytic approaches—such as thematic, content, conversational, and poetic analysis—along with ways to represent data, present quotes, and address data quality issues. Illustrated with annotated excerpts from real focus groups, the book highlights feminist, critical, and community-based participatory approaches, in addition to traditional approaches. Chapter objectives, tables and planning guides, and ethical reflection questions support learning.

This title is part of the Qualitative Methods "How-To" Guides series, edited by Patricia Leavy.