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Middle Level Teachers Using Focus Group Research

Posted on: Monday, 3 October 2005, 12:01 CDT

By Whitney, Linda

Found for years in marketing research, focus group use in education is a rather new but increasingly used research method. Middle school students and teachers, as experts about their schools, will actively participate in focus group discussions. This article describes how graduate students in education planned and conducted focus groups and then reports the results of their focus group research.

Most middle school students enjoy gathering in groups to discuss their thoughts on topics important to them. Jackson and Davis (2000) comment, "Middle grades students are mature enough to engage in thoughtful, sustained analysis and problem solving, especially on matters that clearly affect them" (p. 145). Focus group discussions offer participants time to discuss particular topics. So it seems to follow that focus group research would work well with middle school students. They are experts about their schools and have definite opinions about what works well and what could be improved.

After serving in a team of four university faculty members using focus groups to evaluate the effectiveness of our teacher preparation program, I thought focus groups would work well at the middle school level with students, teachers, administrators, and other members of the school community participating. After considering the content included in a masters level middle level education course, Issues in Middle Level Education, I began to weave in experiences that would prepare graduate students to use focus groups in a small research project.

This article will share results of several graduate students' attempts to implement focus group research. After a brief review of literature reflecting the use of focus groups and recommendations for their use, by using comments gathered from graduate students who oversaw focus group research, I will report their reactions and their experiences. Finally, I will share what my students learned about conducting focus groups at middle schools and suggestions for their use at middle schools.

Focus Group Research

Focus group research is a "focused" group discussion, based upon a chosen topic or topics (Morgan, 1998). Interviewers usually ask focus group participants to consider and answer questions, and then to make additional comments after listening to the responses of others (Patton, 1990). According to Morgan (1998a), "Focus groups are first and foremost a method for gathering research data"(p. 29). Whereas individual interviews may provide an individual's thinking about a specified topic, the interaction of focus group participants as they compare their perspectives, opinions, and experiences, provides researchers with a broader view than that obtained through individual interviews (Morgan, 1998a). Found for years in marketing research, focus group use in the social sciences is a rather new but quickly increasing endeavor.

Focus groups are a way of listening to and learning from people (Morgan, 1998a), a way of gathering data about the "meanings" of an issue to a particular group (Bloor, Frankland, Thomas, and Robson, 2001). They are especially useful when a researcher needs more generalized, group data rather than an "individual account" (Morgan, 1997, 1998a). Focus groups tend to be a more qualitative than quantitative form of research (Edmunds, 1999). They are increasingly viewed as a valid research method, especially when a researcher is interested in "filling in between the lines", thereby gaining a deeper understanding of issues.

Social scientists have easily adapted marketing's previously developed focus group techniques to their own research (Morgan, 1997, 1998a). The guidelines for conducting focus groups intersect with the guidelines for conducting interviews and qualitative research. Focus groups use similar methodology as interviews; however, they are interactive group interviews (Morgan, 1998a) on a focused topic. Six to ten persons constitute the traditional size of a focus group. Most researchers use more than one focus group per study often amounting to three to five groups (Morgan, 1997, 1998b). Topics of discussion are predetermined; a moderator or facilitator will be highly involved in the discussion (Simon, 1999). The questions are very important (Kruegar, 1998b; Morgan, 1998) and should be planned in advance in a discussion guide (Edmunds, 1999). Researchers should develop questions related to what they or their organization needs to know (Morgan, 1998b), in other words, the objectives of the study. Researchers should select the participants for the focus groups appropriately for the particular study (Morgan, 1998b). Frequently participants are homogenous strangers, but there are no hard and fast rules for choosing focus group respondents (Morgan, 1997).

Morgan (1997) notes that social scientists usually use focus groups for three reasons: as the principal source of data in which the results can stand alone, as a supplementary source to embellish another data source such as a survey, and in "multimethod" studies. Focus groups are a useful tool for program evaluations (Patton, 1990). Focus groups differ from ordinary group interviews in that the researcher determines the discussion focus and the data results from the group's interaction (Morgan, 1997).

Focus groups are time efficient producing a large amount of concentrated data in a short amount of time (Morgan, 1998a; Simon, 1999): in as little as an hour, a researcher can gather information from six to eight people (Morgan, 1997). Blooret. al (2001) suggest that "focus groups should be the sociological method of choice, providing concentrated and detailed information on an area of group life which is only occasionally, briefly and allusively available to the ethnographer over months and years of fieldwork"(p. 6). Focus group research offers some quality control over data collection through the process. Focus group members validate and check other members' responses (Morgan, 1998a), thereby indicating and eliminating the extremes (Patton, 1990). Participants' responses will often indicate what is most important. However, there are potential weaknesses in the process. For example, researchers need to restrict the number of questions to allow adequate response time (Patton, 1990). Facilitators must consider group dynamics (Kruegar, 1998c; Morgan, 1997) and take an active role so that all voices are heard by not allowing one or two participants to dominate the discussion. Patton mentions other difficulties including unexpected diversions such as power struggles or conflicts during the discussion, and problems guaranteeing confidentiality of comments made. At times, participants will engage in side conversations (Edmunds, 1999), possibly confusing the discussion and data gathering. Morgan (1997) also notes potential difficulties related to the tendencies toward "conformity" and "polarization". In addition, focus group participants should be encouraged to talk mainly with each other, not with the facilitator (Edmunds, 1999).

Although the researcher can be flexible in designing the research, the design will influence the data gathered and its subsequent analysis. When choosing focus group participants, researchers often use purposive or "theoretical" sampling (Morgan, 1997; Patton, 1990). It is more important to minimize sample bias than to achieve generalizability (Morgan, 1997). Researchers might incorporate early findings and insights into later interviews allowing those focus group participants to react to emerging theories and insights (Krueger, 1988b). Before conducting the focus groups, it is important to consider how the data will be analyzed and reported. There is a range in the systematic and detailed analysis required, depending on the goal of the research (Morgan, 1997), but the goal should be to increase understanding (Krueger, 1998a).

Method, Participants, and Setting

There were eight graduate students in the middle school masters level course, seven middle school teachers and one sixth grade teacher at a K-6 school. They ranged in experience from 2 to 15 years of teaching. Their instructional areas included science, math, language arts, and historysocial science. Each graduate student determined the focus and participants for his or her study. A majority of the studies incorporated focus groups made up of students, although three used focus groups made up of teachers, with two of these including teachers and administrators. Several of the graduate students studied classroom instruction in some way, exploring issues such as: effective classroom management, effective differentiated instructional strategies, best practices in science education, assessment that supports student learning, and challenging instruction for high-achieving students. Two studies focused upon teachers: one graduate student studied the effectiveness of teachers analyzing student work to improve instruction, while another surveyed teachers using academic standards to guide their instruction. The eighth graduate student's focus group study included teachers and administrators in her focus groups to determine their views on effective middle school classroom management.

As the course instructor, my first step was locating an appropriate text, which was Morgan's (1997) Focus Groups as Qualitative Research. Although students \found the slim volume filled with more information about focus groups than they actually needed, Morgan provided information and valuable examples to prepare them for their research. In addition a focus group study presented in Action in Teacher Research (Whitney, Golez, Nagel, & Nieto, 2002) was assigned to illustrate how a group of university faculty members had conducted their focus group study. Along with the reading, class assignments prepared the graduate students to conduct focus groups. They chose topics focused upon middle school issues, and then developed annotated bibliographies related to their topics. They led discussions about their ongoing research with the university class. Each graduate student developed questions as well as consent forms to be used with his or her focus groups. The course instructor as well as the other students reviewed the questions and provided feedback in class as well as by e-mail. We conducted a mock focus group in class, which gave students a model for the groups they would be conducting. The graduate students held the focus group sessions at their schools. They were required to interview at least two different focus groups. Some of the graduate students audiotaped the interviews, however, most relied on notes taken during the interviews. As they worked through their research, they shared the emerging themes and data, leading to in-depth discussions of each topic. All the previous work contributed to a final writing assignment, an article such as those written for a teachers' professional journal, including their interpretations, conclusions and recommendations.

Results

Generally, focus group interviews worked well with middle school students, teachers, and administrators, with all but one graduate student reporting focus group interviews. Some graduate students used pizza, candy, and soft drinks for the students during focus group discussions. They reported that the refreshments made students comfortable and encouraged lively discussions. Although they offered rewards, they reported that students answered questions honestly. Two graduate students reported that using varied groups (such as seventh graders with eighth graders) encouraged discussion, where as another described difficulties in one group that included an administrator with teachers. The graduate student reported that some teacher participants appeared intimidated by the administrator's presence.

There was a range as to how focus group respondents interacted, responded, and participated during the sessions. The graduate students reported that discussions were animated partially due to the school-related topics that interested focus group members. One graduate student reported that the students she interviewed "were nearly all eager to share their opinions and did not seem to be intimated. They readily told me what they did not like about the program." Another described the students she interviewed during the focus group by saying, "When anyone answered a question, someone else had something to add or make a statement about. There was a constant conversation." One graduate student, a science teacher, first realized that his middle school students took him seriously by their reactions when he said he valued their input and that they could make a difference in how the class would be conducted the following year. A few other graduate students commented that there were students in their focus groups, who did not fully participate by merely agreeing with whatever the other respondents said. One graduate student mentioned that high-achieving students were quicker to respond than underachieving students. Another graduate student mentioned that she had to lead students toward some of the answers and that others were too quiet, while another graduate student often thought that the student participants often "seemed they were of one mind and agreed with each other. There may have been opinions that didn't surface." Those graduate students who questioned groups of teachers reported that the respondents fully participated, although one graduate student commented that this was a new experience for many and there was not "a total comfort level for all". He added that the newer teachers confined their answers to very basic and general comments.

Although the graduate students described their focus groups as being successful, they did note ways they could have been strengthened. Another graduate student, who had interviewed teachers in his focus groups, thought that having more time available for each meeting would have strengthened his study. He noted, "Some of the quieter, and newer staff members had trouble getting a word in, at times." Another said that if he were to conduct a similar study, he would group teachers by experience (beginner, intermediate, veteran) rather than group them by their teaching tracks. Another graduate student had invited all high-achieving students to participate, and thought including some low performing students would result in more balanced data. Another commented that having more focus group experience would help her feel more confident leading focus groups and said, "I've facilitated a lot with students in small groups, but not as much with my peers." Two mentioned that they would use better audio-recorders next time.

The graduate students indicated future possibilities for using focus groups at their schools for topics as varied as professional development with teacher groups to parental concerns with parent groups. A graduate student suggested using teacher focus groups to evaluate curriculum, especially new curriculum. Several graduate students mentioned that focus group research should be considered when a researcher is dealing with issues that affect people. One student suggested using focus groups "for my staff in departments to brainstorm/collaborate; to gather data on strategies that benefit/ hinder kids; in staff meetings (selective) for gathering data on concerns/issues in the site." Several commented that focus groups were especially effective to get "some people to speak up in groups where they wouldn't speak in a one-on-one situation."

One graduate student cautioned that as is true with most research, the data has to be viewed in the context of the sample. She noted that focus group research would be ineffective in areas where there are straightforward answers that do not leave room for discussion. Another commented that focus groups would not be successful when the desired data was quantitative or the discussion related to universally accepted attitudes or minor issues.

The graduate students generally agreed that focus group research worked very well and challenged them as educators. Most were planning to share their study's results with principals and teachers at their schools and in their districts. One commented that the resulting paper from his study "will be useful when I share it with my colleagues, administration and district curriculum leaders." Several mentioned that the information they gathered would be used in their classrooms or at their schools in planning for the following year. Moreover, the focus group research provided a new and different way of looking at issues. As one graduate student commented, "I think that is what a masters program should be all about, looking at topics of interest in different ways. This assignment helped us look deeper into our profession!"

Discussion and Conclusions

From the beginning, focus group research seemed to be a likely process for middle level education, and a meaningful experience for middle school teachers. On a final course evaluation form, several of the graduate students commented how everyone's studies, no matter which subject area they taught, seemed to overlap. One graduate student commented that it was encouraging to hear how other middle school teachers deal "with the same issues I am dealing with on a daily basis." Another said, "I love to listen to what is happening at other schools in other districts. But this assignment was relevant because it was about me, my class, and my students. Another graduate student said, "I learned that there are often more questions after the research than before. But, it is all good because the new questions stimulate thought and discussion." Another graduate student commented that by working with middle school students in focus groups, "I learned to respect and value the opinions of my students with regards to their learning. They really do care about the curriculum!"

Focus group research worked for this group of highly motivated graduate students. The studies succeeded because their studies were carefully chosen for this type of research and they were willing to attempt an unfamiliar research process. The inclass support offered by the graduate class was invaluable especially in developing project topics, research and focus group questions, and in interpreting the resulting data. Appropriately, the graduate students noted the limits of gathering data through focus groups, yet they also reported that it was an underused form of information gathering in education. Finally, one graduate student reported, "Prior to conducting these focus groups, I was unaware of the benefits of getting different groups of people together to listen and to discuss their thoughts and ideas on any one subject. However, having had the experience of setting up and running this project, I feel confident that I truly learned."

References

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

Edmunds, H. (1999). The focus group research handbook. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group.

Jackson, A. W., & Davis, G. A. (2000). Turning points 2000: Educating adolescents in the 21st century. New York: Teachers College Press:

Krueger, R. A. (1998b). Developing questions for focus groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage\.

Krueger, R. A. (1998c). Moderating focus groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Krueger, R. A. (1998a). Analyzing and reporting focus group results. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Morgan, D. L. (1997). Focus groups as qualitative research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Morgan, D.L. (1998a). The focus group guidebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Morgan, D.L. (1998b). Planning focus groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Simon, J. S. (1999). Conducting successful focus groups. Saint Paul, MN: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.

Whitney, L., Golez, F., Nagel, G., & Nieto, C. (2002). Listening to voices of practicing teachers to examine the effectiveness of a teacher education program. Action in Teacher Research, 23(4), 69- 76.

DR. LINDA WHITNEY

Department of Teacher Education, College of Education California State University Long Beach

Copyright Project Innovation Fall 2005

Source: Education

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