focus_groups_guidelines - Impada project - O1 a2

IMPADA
Methodology tools and guidance
for the organisation of the focus
groups
Output type: Intellectual Output
PROMEA
December, 2015

of 26
Project acronym: IMPADA
Project name: Improving the effectiveness of adult education for
disadvantaged groups
Project code: 2015-1-UK01-KA204-013666
Document History
Versions Date Changes Type of change Delivered by
Version 1.0 09/12/2015
Initial
document
- PROMEA
Document Information
Document ID name: IMPADA_O1-A2_Methodology tools and guidance for the
organisation of the focus groups_2015_12_09
Document title: Methodology tools and guidance for the organisation of
the focus groups
Output Type: Intellectual Output
Date of Delivery: 09/12/2015
Activity Type: Methodology
Activity Leader: PROMEA
Dissemination level: Public
Disclaimer
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute
an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the
Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information
contained therein.
The project resources contained herein are publicly available under the Creative Commons
license Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

Contents
Acronyms & abbreviations ..................................................................................................................................5
1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................................................6
1.1 Purpose and context of the document.......................................................................................................6
1.2 Structure of the document.............................................................................................................................6
2. Defining a focus group..................................................................................................................................8
2.1. Aim and basic characteristics ...........................................................................................................................8
2.2. Ideal group size and number of participants..............................................................................................8
3. Recruitment and preparation of participants..................................................................................10
3.1. Recruitment issues and strategies............................................................................................................10
3.2. Preparation of participants...........................................................................................................................11
3.3. Defining the target group participants for the IMPADA focus groups .........................................11
4. Presentation of the discussion guide ..................................................................................................13
4.1. Type and structure of the focus group questions ...................................................................................13
4.2. Discussion Guide .................................................................................................................................................13
5. Facilitation of the focus groups..............................................................................................................15
5.1. Role and traits of the moderators.................................................................................................................15
5.2. Facilitation tips .....................................................................................................................................................16
5.3. Communication strategies for attending certain group personality types ....................................17
6. Preparing the analysis ................................................................................................................................18
6.1. Preparatory steps and actions during and immediately after the focus group............................18
6.2. Filling in the data forms....................................................................................................................................18
Annex: Materials for the conduction of the focus groups .................................................................20
Recruitment e-mail ......................................................................................................................................................20
Focus Groups Confirmation Letter .........................................................................................................................21
Introductory remarks..................................................................................................................................................22

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Discussion Guide...........................................................................................................................................................23
Focus group identity form .........................................................................................................................................24
Synthesized focus group data form.......................................................................................................................25

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Acronyms & abbreviations
IMPADA consortium
DACES Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service
IBE Educational Research Institute
UPTER People’s University of Rome
ENAEA Estonian Non-formal Adult Education Association
PROMEA
Hellenic Association for the promotion of Research & Development
Methodologies
Other abbreviations
AF Application Form
EACEA Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency
SC Steering Committee
ECORYS The British National Agency

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1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose and context of the document
The purpose of this document, within the context of activity O1-A2, is to provide the
methodology instructions and tools for the conduction of focus groups with adult
education stakeholders.
The document serves the needs of the IMPADA project Intellectual Output O1, namely
“Criteria for measuring adult education effectiveness on disadvantaged groups”. The
purpose of Intellectual Output O1 is to elaborate at least 10 criteria that influence the
effectiveness of adult education providers towards disadvantaged learners leading to a
report on the criteria for measuring adult education effectiveness on disadvantages.
1.2 Structure of the document
This document is structured as follows:
 Chapter 1 highlights the scope and purpose of the deliverable within the context of
the IMPADA project Intellectual Output O1, presenting also the structure of the
document.
 Chapter 2 provides general, theoretical definitions, as well as practical
specifications on the basic characteristics of the focus group qualitative
methodological approach.
 Chapter 3 offers guidance to the partners regarding practical and logistic issues
concerning the organisation of the focus groups, such as the recruitment and
preparation of participants.
 Chapter 4 describes the development of the discussion guide and the structure and
definition of the focus groups’ questions.
 Chapter 5 gives a rather detailed account of how we conduct focus groups
addressing issues such as the role and traits of the moderators, facilitation tips

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and communication strategies to deal with certain personality types and issues
that may appear during the group discussion and the focus group context.
 Finally, in the Annex, material that will help the organization of focus groups is
provided, such as a sample of a recruitment e-mail and of a confirmation letter for
participants, introductory remarks, the discussion guide in printable form, a focus
group identity form, and a focus group synthesized data form.

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2. Defining a focus group
2.1. Aim and basic characteristics
Focus groups explore insights into how people think on a particular subject providing a
deeper understanding of the phenomena being studied. While a valuable research tool,
surveys generally ask closed-ended questions that may limit the feedback that can be
gained from respondents. A method to gain more in-depth information to supplement
surveys is semi-structured interviews; conducting interviews, however, can be an
expensive procedure that often exceeds the available resources. Focus groups are group
interviews that give the researcher the ability to capture deeper information more
economically than individual interviews.
Economy is an important benefit but also there are other benefits of focus groups when
compared to interviews, such as group interaction and non-verbal communication, which
are primary benefits of focus groups when exploring opinions, representations and
cognitions. Group interaction between members of the target population during focus
groups may encourage participants to make connections to various concepts through the
discussions that may not occur during individual interviews. A skilled facilitator can
encourage these group interactions to capture this data to provide a more
comprehensive understanding of what is being studied. Non-verbal communication is also
data that can be captured in focus groups. Participants within a focus group may respond
very differently to a topic. A topic related to gender equity, for example, may provoke
intense discussion among female participants while male participants withdraw from the
discussion. This type of interaction is observation data for analytical purposes.
2.2. Ideal group size and number of participants

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A focus group is a homogeneous group of six to ten people led through an open
discussion on a specific topic by a skilled moderator. Homogeneity is important to
maximizing disclosure among focus group participants who ideally are very comfortable
with each other but none of them know each other. The group needs to be large enough
to generate rich discussion but not so large that some participants are left out.
Focus groups are structured around a set of carefully predetermined questions – usually
no more than 8-10 – but the discussion is free-flowing. The focus group moderator
nurtures disclosure and spontaneity of participants in an open format. Ideally,
participants' comments will stimulate and influence the thinking and sharing of others.
The aim is to generate a maximum number of different ideas and opinions from as many
different people in the time allotted, which is anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes. Beyond
that, most groups are not productive and it becomes an imposition on participants’ time.

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3. Recruitment and preparation of participants
3.1. Recruitment issues and strategies
Participant inclusion and exclusion criteria should be established upfront and based on
the purpose of the study, as a basis to screen all potential applicants. The following
selection criteria should be considered in the formulation of groups and the recruitment
of participants:
 Gender: Both men and women should feel comfortable discussing the topic in a
mixed gender group.
 Age – Participants should represent the same age group.
 Power – Participants should hold similar positions of power within the thematic
context of the focus groups.
 Cliques/ Existing relationships: It is advisable, participants to be unknown to each
other.
Focus groups participants can be recruited in any one of a number of ways. Some of the
most popular include:
 Nomination – Key individuals nominate people they think would make good
participants. Nominees are familiar with the topic, known for their ability to
respectfully share their opinions, and willing to volunteer about 2 hours of their
time.
 Random selection – If participants will come from a large but defined group (e.g.
teachers) with many eager participants, names can be randomly drawn until the
desired number of verified participants is achieved.
 All members of the same group – Sometimes an already existing group serves as
an ideal pool from which to invite participants.

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 Same role/job title – Depending on the topic, the pool might be defined by
position, title or condition. This is the case for the selection of participants in the
present study.
 Volunteers – When selection criteria are broad, participants can be recruited with
flyers and newspaper ads.
3.2. Preparation of participants
Once a group of viable recruits has been established, call each one to confirm interest
and availability. Give them times and locations of the focus groups and secure verbal
confirmation. Tell them you will mail (or email) them a written confirmation and call to
remind them two days before the scheduled group.
Tell participants that the focus group will take about one and half to two hours. Give
them a starting time that is 15 minutes prior to the actual start of the focus group to
allow for filling out necessary paperwork, having a bite to eat, and settling in to the
group.
Arrange for a comfortable room in a convenient location with ample parking. Depending
on your group, you may also what to consider proximity to a bus line. The room should
have a door for privacy and table and chairs to seat a circle of up to 12 people (10
participants and the moderator and assistant moderator).
Arrange for food. At a minimum, offer a beverage and light snack (cookies,
cheese/crackers, veggie tray, etc.). It is OK to offer a full meal but be sure to add an
additional 30 to 45 minutes to the entire process so that everyone can finish eating
before the group begins.
3.3. Defining the target group participants for the IMPADA focus
groups

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The participants of the IMPADA focus groups, as defined in the Application From should
comprise (for each focus group) 7-10: a) adult education experts, and b) decision
makers in the field of adult education, ideal for providing exclusive insight on the topic
under research. To ensure maximum validity, due to the limited number of focus groups
foreseen to be organised in the partnership countries, it is significantly important for
partners to invite and ensure the participation of experts and stakeholders with high level
of responsibility and expertise in the field of adult education.

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4. Presentation of the discussion guide
4.1. Type and structure of the focus group questions
There are three types of focus group questions:
1. Engagement questions: introduce participants to and make them comfortable with the
topic of discussion
2. Exploration questions: get to the point of the discussion
3. Exit question: check to see if anything was missed to be discussed
Focus group participants won’t have a chance to see the questions they are being asked.
Focus groups questions should be comprehensive, simple, open structured, and to make
sure participants understand and can fully respond. To this end, questions should be:
 Short and to the point
 Focused on one dimension each
 Unambiguously worded
 Open-ended or sentence completion types
 Non-threatening or embarrassing
 Worded in a way that they cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”
answer. We should use “why” and “how” instead.
4.2. Discussion Guide
(A printable form of the discussion guide is also provided in the Annex)
Introductory questions/ice-braking
What does the term “adult education for disadvantaged groups” bring to mind?

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Main questions
1. What could be improved in the adult education programmes for disadvantaged groups
in order to improve its effectiveness?
2. What should be included in the adult education for the disadvantaged training
programmes?
Probe: What are the training needs of adult learners from disadvantaged groups?
3. What kind of knowledge, skills and competences do trainers for adult learners need in
order to provide effective education to learners from disadvantaged groups?
4. What kind of qualifications, should trainers hold in order to provide effective adult
education to disadvantaged groups?
5. What characteristics should training institutions have in order to provide effective adult
education for the disadvantaged?
Probes: In terms of training staff, infrastructure, values, funding? Other?
6. What could be improved in the adult education provided to disadvantaged groups in
order to deal with the issue of group heterogeneity?
7. As concerns the effect of adult education provision in the learners’ life: what are the
areas that could provide input for the assessment of the education provided?
Probes: with regards to employability…financial independence…social
inclusion…feeling of personal fulfillment…health and wellbeing (physical and
psychological)
8. Do you have any other ideas, proposals, suggestions, and second thoughts on the
improvement of criteria for adult education effectiveness on disadvantaged?

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5. Facilitation of the focus groups
5.1. Role and traits of the moderators
The focus group should be conducted by a team consisting of a moderator and an
assistant moderator. The moderator facilitates the discussion; the assistant takes notes
and runs the tape recorder. The focus group moderator should present the following
traits:
 Can listen attentively with sensitivity and empathy
 Has adequate knowledge of the topic
 Can keep personal views and ego out of the facilitation
 Is someone the group can relate to but also give authority
 Can appropriately manage challenging group dynamics
The assistant moderator must be able to do the following:
 Run a tape recorder during the session
 Take notes of the basic themes of the discussion
 Note/record body language or other subtle but relevant clues, such as tone of
voice, moments of tension, periods of prolonged silence or subtle conflict
 Remains silent and allow the moderator to do all the talking during the group
session
Both moderator and assistant moderator are expected to welcome participants, offer
them food and/or beverages, help them make their name tents etc.
Before asking the first focus group question, an icebreaker can be inserted to increase
comfort and level the playing field. The focus group moderator has a responsibility to
adequately cover all prepared questions within the time allotted.

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It is good moderator practice to:
 Get all participants to talk and fully explain their answers.
 Facilitate the conversation providing helpful probes such as: “Can you talk about
that more?” “Help me understand what you mean” “Can you give an example?”
 Paraphrase and summarize long, complex or ambiguous comments.
 Demonstrate active listening and clarify the comment for everyone in the group.
 Remain neutral, refraining from nodding/raising eyebrows, agreeing/disagreeing,
or praising/denigrating any comment made.
 Tactfully deal with challenging participants.
5.2. Facilitation tips
Preparation is the most important element to a successful focus group; there are,
however, tips that can be utilized to help make the focus group more successful.
 Pause: When someone says something, wait approximately five seconds to see if
that person has more to say or if another participant wants to add feedback. Give
participants the opportunity to finish their thoughts.
 Probe: If something is important to explore, ask questions like “Can you tell me
more about that?” or “Can you give me an example?”
 Avoid head nods or responses like “yes,” “I agree,” “OK”: The moderator is there
to get the feedback from the participants. These kinds of responses are messages
to the group on what is acceptable to say and can limit the discoveries that are
made during the group.
 Reflect: When a topic appears complete, review the notes taken to verify that
important information was captured. If the note taker is displaying the notes on an
easel pad, the moderator can use this as a guide with the group. Utilize non-verbal
communication:
 If someone has something to say, acknowledge them with a hand signal to let
him/her know that you will give them an opportunity to contribute.

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 If someone interrupts when someone else is speaking, signal them to wait and
that they will be given an opportunity to speak.
 Eye contact is important. Establish eye contact with those that are speaking but
also with those that are not participating to encourage their engagement in the
conversation.
5.3. Communication strategies for attending certain group
personality types
Personality type Suggested strategy
Self-appointed experts These are individuals that generally know more about the topic
than anyone else in the group. They either attempt to dominate
discussion or do not participate because of their extensive
knowledge. Whichever applies, the moderator should remind them
on the value of getting everyone’s input, making comments such as
“Thank you. What do other people think?”
Dominant talkers The moderator has the chance to identify these individuals during
the ice – brake/”small talk” at the beginning. If they are dominating
the discussion, the moderator should use non-verbal
communication or draw attention away from them by moving to the
opposite side of the room and drawing eye contact towards him/her
form the other participants. Useful probe: “Let’s have some other
comments” while looking someone else in the group.
The rambler Stop eye contact; look at your watch; jump in at their inhale. Also
use guiding statements such as “what is specific thing you are
trying to say” or “we need to keep the group moving but you will
have the chance to tell me more about that after the group”.
The shy participant Make eye contact; smile at them. Call on them “I don’t want to
leave you out of the conversation, what do you think”.
The participant who talks
very quietly
Ask them to repeat their response more loudly.

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6. Preparing the analysis
6.1. Preparatory steps and actions during and immediately after the
focus group
1. Start while moderating the focus groups
• Listen for inconsistent comments and probe for understanding
• Listen for vague or cryptic comments and probe for understanding
• Consider asking each participant a final preference question
• Offer a summary of key answers and seek confirmation
2. Immediately after the focus group
Immediately after all participants leave, the moderator and assistant moderator debrief
while the recorder is still running and label all tapes and notes with the date, and name
of the group.
• Draw a diagram of seating arrangement
• Spot check tape recording to ensure proper operation
• Conduct moderator and assistant moderator debriefing discussing their notes and
impressions on the focus group
• Note themes, hunches, interpretations, and ideas
• Label and file field notes, tapes and other materials
6.2. Filling in the data forms
3. Soon after (within hours), analyze the focus group:
• Moderator and assistant moderator listens to tape, reviews field notes and reads
transcript if available

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• Moderators fill in the synthesized data form of the individual focus group in a question-
by-question format with amplifying quotes and draft a small summary of the basic ideas
in narrative form.
4. After the completion of all 5 focus groups in the 5 partnership countries, PROMEA will
proceed to the final analysis of the collected data based on the filled-in data forms sent
by the partners. In particular, PROMEA will:
• Compare and contrast results by categories of individual focus groups
• Look for emerging themes by question and then overall
• Construct typologies and present the synthesized categorization of the focus groups
content
• Describe findings and use quotes to illustrate
5. Finally, PROMEA will prepare the report employing the following approach:
• Narrative style versus bulleted style
• Use of characteristic quotes to illustrate main conclusions
• Sequence analysis both by themes and question by question
• Verification of report by partners
• Revision and finalisation of the report following verification

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Annex: Materials for the conduction of the focus
groups
Recruitment e-mail
Subject: IMPADA project – Invitation to participate in a focus group on the evaluation
criteria of Adult Education on disadvantaged
Dear Sir / Madam
We would like to invite you to participate in a focus group, which aims at developing a
set of criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of Adult Education provided to disadvantaged
groups
As an expert in the field of Adult Education, we consider your input to be vital.
The focus group will take 1-2 hours of your time and it will be organized in Place/Address
on the date of the focus group organisation. Please check your availability and confirm or
(if unavailable) select an alternative date here (doodle link). (N.B. all times stated are
Central European Time).
In case of any difficulties / enquiries please do not hesitate to contact …….: contact e-
mail
Thank you for your contribution.
Signature
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The IMPADA project is a Strategic Partnership that aims at improving the effectiveness of
adult education for disadvantaged groups and it is being funded under ERASMUS+
Programme.

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Focus Groups Confirmation Letter
Once a group of viable recruits has been established, call each one to confirm interest
and availability. Give them times and locations of the focus groups and secure verbal
confirmation. Tell them you will mail (or email) them a written confirmation and call to
remind them two days before the scheduled group.
Over-invite in anticipation of a no-show rate of 10 to 20 percent. But you will never want
a group of more than 10 participants.
Month Date, 2015
Dear ________________,
Thank you for your willingness to participate in our focus group. As discussed on the
phone, we would like to hear your ideas and opinions about the criteria of
effectiveness of adult education on disadvantaged groups. You will be in a group
with 6 to 9 other persons relevant to the subject. Your responses to the questions
will be kept anonymous. The date, time, and place are listed below. Please look for
signs once you arrive directing you to the room where the focus group will be held.
DATE:
TIME:
PLACE:
If you need directions to the focus group or will not be able to attend for any reason
please call xxxxxxx xxxxxx at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Otherwise we look forward to seeing
you.
Sincerely,
XXX
Name of the organization

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Introductory remarks
Once consent forms and demographic surveys are collected and reviewed for
completeness, the questioning begins. The moderator uses a prepared script to welcome
participants, remind them of the purpose of the group and also sets ground rules.
FOCUS GROUP INTRODUCTION
WELCOME
Thanks for agreeing to be part of the focus group. We appreciate your willingness to
participate.
INTRODUCTIONS
Moderator; assistant moderator
PURPOSE OF FOCUS GROUPS
On behalf of the IMPADA partnership we conduct this focus group.
The reason we are having this focus groups is to identify criteria that influence the
effectiveness of adult education on disadvantaged groups.
We need your input and want you to share your honest and open thoughts with us.
GROUND RULES
1. WE WANT YOU TO DO THE TALKING.
We would like everyone to participate.
I may call on you if I haven't heard from you in a while.
2. THERE ARE NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWERS
Every person's experiences and opinions are important. Speak up whether you
agree or disagree. We want to hear a wide range of opinions.
3. WHAT IS SAID IN THIS ROOM STAYS HERE
We want group participants to feel comfortable sharing when sensitive issues come
up.
4. WE WILL BE TAPE RECORDING THE GROUP
We want to capture everything you have to say. We don't identify anyone by name
in our report. You will remain anonymous.

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Discussion Guide
Introductory questions/ice-braking
What does the term “adult education for disadvantaged groups” bring to mind?
1
What could be improved in the adult education
programmes for disadvantaged groups in order to
improve its effectiveness?
2
What should be included in the adult
education for the disadvantaged training
programmes?
Probe: What are the training needs of adult
learners from disadvantaged groups?
3
What kind of knowledge, skills and competences do
trainers for adult learners need in order to provide
effective education to learners from disadvantaged
groups?
4
What kind of qualifications, should trainers
hold in order to provide effective adult
education to disadvantaged groups?
5
What characteristics should training institutions have in
order to provide effective adult education for the
disadvantaged?
Probes: In terms of training staff, infrastructure, values,
funding? Other?
6
What could be improved in the adult
education provided to disadvantaged
groups in order to deal with the issue of
group heterogeneity?
7
As concerns the effect of adult education provision in
the learners’ life: what are the areas that could provide
input for the assessment of the education provided?
Probes: with regards to employability, financial
independence, social inclusion, feeling of personal
fulfillment, health and wellbeing (physical and
psychological)
8
Do you have any other ideas, proposals,
suggestions, and second thoughts on the
improvement of criteria for adult education
effectiveness on disadvantaged?

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Focus group identity form
Focus Group Date:
Number of participants:
Description of participants: P1:
Position/Expertise:
Age:
Gender:
P2:
Position/Expertise:
Age:
Gender:
P3:
Position/Expertise:
Age:
Gender:
Pn:
Position/Expertise:
Age:
Gender:
Focus Group Duration: Yes:
No:

Synthesized focus group data form
Question
Main Points / basic
Ideas
Indicative quotes to
illustrate basic ideas
Debate points Aligned Opinions
Other significant notes
/ issues
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