Understanding the multiple realities of everyday life: Basic assumptions in focus-group methodology

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a notable growth in the use of focus groups within occupational therapy. It is important to understand what kind of knowledge focus-group methodology is meant to acquire. The purpose of this article is to create an understanding of the basic assumptions within focus-group methodology from a theory of science perspective in order to elucidate and encourage reflection on the paradigm. This will be done based on a study of contemporary literature. To further the knowledge of basic assumptions the article will focus on the following themes: the focus-group research arena, the foundation and its core components; subjects, the role of the researcher and the participants; activities, the specific tasks and procedures. Focus-group methodology can be regarded as a specific research method within qualitative methodology with its own form of methodological criteria, as well as its own research procedures. Participants construct a framework to make sense of their experiences, and in interaction with others these experiences will be modified, leading to the construction of new knowledge. The role of the group leader is to facilitate a fruitful environment for the meaning to emerge and to ensure that the understanding of the meaning emerges independently of the interpreter. Focus-group methodology thus shares, in the authors' view, some basic assumptions with social constructivism.

What undermines healthy habits with regard to physical activity and food? Voices of adolescents in a disadvantaged community

“…To ensure credibility, we took the following three measures: (1) When selecting the sample, we invited all seventh graders in the targeted school to participate in the study, and all agreed; however, one of the adolescents was absent during the focus-group interview; (2) Focus-group interviews are an effective method for exploring how people think and speak about certain subjects and to recognize the world from the participants’ perspectives (Dahlin Ivanoff & Hultberg, 2006); the choice of this method can thus be considered appropriate for the purpose of the study; (3) Furthermore, the meaning units selected were neither too broad nor too narrow (see examples in Table 2), and to ensure that no relevant data were excluded or irrelevant data included, categories and themes was regularly discussed among the co-authors during the analysis process, as recommended by Graneheim and Lundman (2004). At the stage of analysis when all the meaning units had been condensed and coded, they were reviewed by the co-authors, and similarities and differences were discussed until consensus was reached.…”

“…It was our intention to conduct traditional focus-group interviews as specified in the literature (e.g., Dahlin Ivanoff & Hultberg, 2006). However, we experienced that the adolescents in some of the focus groups were, to some extent, only answering our questions.…”

“…In order to capture the adolescents’ complex and shared realities, this study relied on focus-group interviews to produce data, as this allowed the adolescents to express themselves freely and make their voices heard (Dahlin Ivanoff & Hultberg, 2006). …”

“…This pilot testing, in addition to inspiration from the literature (e.g., Dahlin Ivanoff & Hultberg, 2006), formed the basis for how the focus-group interviews in the present study were designed. In total (excluding the pilot interviews) 10 focus-group interviews were conducted with four to six adolescents in each.…”

Empowering aspects for healthy food and physical activity habits: adolescents’ experiences of a school-based intervention in a disadvantaged urban community

“…Dahlin-Ivanoff and Hultberg (2006) argue that focus groups allow participants to relate to each other’s stories and shared realities, which in turn might stimulate them to share their experiences. Chen, Shek Daniel, and Bu (2011) argue that it is necessary to understand adolescents’ subjective interpretations of reality to understand the motivations for their behaviours.…”