Using Focus Groups With Lower Socioeconomic Status Latina Women

Abstract

This article discusses the use of focus groups when interviewing lower socioeconomic status Latina women in some areas of New York City and northern New Jersey. Drawing from the author's research experience, the article discusses the use of focus groups within the framework of feminist methodology, the author's experience with the use of focus groups in studying the fear of crime, and some of the issues faced by the author related to narrowing the gap between the researcher and the participants and creating together ness among the interviewees.

Gender differences in teenage alcohol consumption and spatial practices

“…Participants' willingness to describe particular escapes or present themselves in a certain light was to some extent influenced by the research process; as such the narratives do reflect an idealised version of the young people's drinking experiences (Madriz 1998). Our intention is not to present the data as verifiable accounts of young people's drinking, but rather as an exploration into the practices that are expressed by young people and that other young people are likely to identify with.…”

The Experiences of Cuban American Women Attending a Hispanic Serving Institution and the Influences on Identity Development

“…Montell (1999) notes that group interviews allow for more interaction between the participants resulting in new and important data not necessarily found in other types of data collection. As illustrated in several articles about this topic, researchers reported focus groups were helpful when representing "invisible groups" such as Latina women (Madriz, 2003). Focus groups are particularly useful when trying to gain information on a particular subject while trying to understand it from multiple perspectives.…”

Culturally Responsive Focus Groups: Reframing the Research Experience to Focus on Participants

“…Further, she touted the benefits of focus groups for women in general, and in particular, for those who have been additionally marginalized by their socioeconomic status or racial/ethnic identity. Madriz (1998) stated, Communication among women can be an awakening experience and an important element of a consciousness raising process, because it asserts women's right to substantiate their own experiences. The discovery that other women face similar problems or share analogous ideas is an important tool…in women's realization that their opinions are legitimate and valid.…”

“…As interview techniques gained popularity and prominence as a valid and reliable data collection method, a discussion of "distinctive respondents" and techniques designed for particular groups ensued (Gubrium & Holstein, 2002). The current literature regarding focus groups is likewise attentive to new techniques and strategies for specific populations of participants including the value of focus groups with the following: lower socio-economic class Latina women (Madriz, 1998), the Bangladeshi community (Fallon & Brown, 2002), shy women (Minister, 1991), children (Morgan, Gibbs, Maxwell, & Britten , 2002), the poor (Farnsworth & Boon, 2010), those with physical disabilities (Balch & Mertens, 1999;Woodring, Foley, Rodo, Brown, & Hamner, 2006), the incarcerated (Pollock, 2003), health caregivers (Moody, Webb, Cheung, & Lowell, 2004;Wilmot, Legg, & Barrett, 2002), and persons who identify as gay and lesbian (Allen, 2006). Morgan (2002), in an article on the development of focus groups, stated, "the goal should be not only to use [the focus group] method, but to develop it as well" (p. 157).…”