Holli H. Seitz
Mississippi State University
Suggested Citation:
Seitz, H. H. (2025). The focus group introduction: Learning about research methods while learning about one another. Utah Journal of Communication, 3(1), 100-103. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15312891
Abstract
Designed for research methods courses or other courses that incorporate content about research or group communication, the Focus Group Introduction offers a meaningful introductory activity. By having students work together to design and facilitate a focus group in which the goal is to learn about one another, the activity is designed to build an inclusive learning community while allowing students to preview, experience, and reflect on important course content.
Keywords: focus groups, research methods, introduction, GIFTS, icebreaker
Courses
- Communication Research Methods
- Small Group Communication
- Other courses that include a research component
Objectives
By participating in the Focus Group Introduction, students should be able to:
- describe the purpose of focus group research;
- construct a simple focus group questioning route;
- apply speaking and listening skills in a focus group setting;
- respectfully consider diverse perspectives shared by others in a focus group.
Rationale
The Focus Group Introduction is designed to build inclusivity while allowing students to preview, experience, and reflect on important content from the course. Although focus groups are widely used in communication research, many students have not participated in a focus group (Fife, 2005). There is also limited prior literature on teaching focus group methodology in the communication classroom. Existing literature on teaching focus groups has focused on the experience of conducting focus groups rather than their planning (e.g., Fife, 2005) or mentioned them briefly within the context of a semester-long focus on using experiential learning to teach research methods (e.g., Cvancara, 2017). The Focus Group Introduction activity adds to the literature by providing detailed instructions for an activity that teaches focus group planning and development of a questioning route.
By involving students in the work of planning and executing a focus group, the Focus Group Introduction also employs principles of experiential learning (Kolb, 2015), which has been shown to improve learning outcomes (Burch et al., 2019). Specifically, it allows students to experience the first three phases of the learning cycle (Kolb, 2015): “concrete experience,” “reflective observation,” and “abstract conceptualization” (p. 51). Students are then prepared to engage in their own “active experimentation” (the fourth step in the learning cycle; Kolb, 2015, p. 51) and continue to move through the learning spiral, using insights gained from the experience as they learn and apply research principles later in the course.
Finally, because the content of the focus group is designed to get to know the students (rather than using an existing guide on another topic, e.g., Fife, 2005), the Focus Group Introduction encourages students to get to know one another, adding to a small body of literature on meaningful introductory activities in communication that can build community (e.g., Levin, 2021; Vartabedian & Klinger, 2019). Zakrajsek and Nilson (2023) recommend that instructors “implement introductions on the first day of class” (p. 101) as a means of building an inclusive classroom climate. Nunn (2019) also recommends building “‘get-to-know-you’ activities” (p. 31) into the early weeks of class to help first-year and first-generation students build their social support networks. This activity provides a novel option for a meaningful introductory activity that builds inclusivity while previewing course content.
Description of the Activity
Advance Preparation
Create and print written reflection templates for each student with the following prompts and space for responses:
- List two things you learned about focus group research through this activity.
- List two things you learned about your classmates through this activity.
- How do the things you learned connect to [the course topic]?
Alternatively, prepare a method through which students can write and submit reflections electronically.
Introducing the Activity
Share the goal of the activity with students: the focus group introduction is designed to allow students to get to know each other while previewing content from the course. Explain that focus group research is a research method used to gain insights into the beliefs and experiences of a group of individuals and understand group processes. Highlight that focus group research is used in academic research, market research, and the nonprofit sector (Krueger & Casey, 2015) and that these skills will transfer to a variety of professional settings. It may be helpful to show a brief video explaining or demonstrating a focus group (e.g., TED-Ed, 2017) to increase student comfort with the activity. Explain that in this activity, students will work together to plan and conduct a focus group. One person in the focus group will serve as a moderator, one will serve as assistant moderator, and the others will serve as participants. Finally, mention that in a research setting, a researcher would explain the procedure to participants, seek informed consent from participants before the focus group, and gain permission to record the focus group.
Planning the Focus Group
Introduce students to some of the steps involved in focus group research according to Krueger and Casey (2015; e.g., planning, developing questions; selecting and recruiting participants; moderating, etc.). Acknowledge that the mock preparation will be greatly condensed for the purposes of this activity. For the class activity, preparation will involve only developing the questioning route:
- Have students generate a list of things they would like to know about one another. This corresponds to the first step of brainstorming identified by Krueger and Casey (2015). Typical responses include where others are from, hobbies, and future goals.
- Then, work with students to put the topics/questions into the order in which they will be asked. Introduce students to sequencing advice from Krueger and Casey (2015): identify the most important topics or questions for your research purpose and then work backward to identify questions that lead naturally into those key questions. The typical sequence of questions used in focus group research involves beginning with an introductory question that is non-threatening and easy for everyone to answer, moving to a general question more closely related to your main topic but still easy to answer, asking key questions after the group has built rapport and better understands the context, and bringing the focus group to a close by asking a question that provides a sense of closure.
- Guide students through the next step of carefully phrasing the questions. Looking at each proposed topic, work as a group to come up with phrasing that is open-ended (i.e., cannot be answered with a yes/no or one-word response) and simple (i.e., “the shortest way to clearly ask a question,” Krueger & Casey, 2015, p. 66).
- Write down the final phrasing and order of the questioning route for the moderator.
Conducting the Focus Group
Ask for a volunteer moderator to lead the conversation and an assistant moderator to take notes. Emphasize that it often takes practice to become an effective moderator, and brief the moderator, assistant moderator, and the class on the following guidelines. A moderator typically welcomes participants, provides an overview of the topic and ground rules, and then begins the questioning route. Throughout the focus group, the moderator remains respectful, open, and non-judgmental; encourages participants to have a conversation with one another; invites those who have not participated to share; and redirects the conversation when needed. Turn the focus group over to the moderator, who begins by asking the opening question and follows the questioning route. The instructor should remain observant and actively monitor for challenges, responding to questions about focus group moderation or offering reminders, if needed.
Debrief
With approximately 15 minutes remaining in the class meeting, pause the focus group and explain how a focus group would typically end. Options offered by Krueger and Casey (2015) include thanking participants and providing them with any incentives, summarizing main points from the conversation and inviting corrections or additions, or closing the conversation by inviting participants to share anything that might have been missed in the earlier conversation. Explain that recorded data from a focus group is typically transcribed and is often analyzed using qualitative approaches such as grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) or thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
Then, invite students to share their insights from the focus group in a group discussion, using the following questions as a starting point:
- What was it like for you to serve in your role? What did you observe?
- What surprised you? How might these surprises inform your future interactions with others?
- How might you apply skills and insights you gained from the focus group activity in your future professional or academic work?
Following the group discussion, invite students to complete an individual written reflection using the reflection template referenced previously. If there is not enough time for in-class written reflection, the reflection can be completed as homework or at the beginning of the next class meeting.
In the class discussion, student moderators typically note that they experienced challenges implementing the questioning route or making sure that everyone was involved in the conversation. They often express surprise about learning of similarities they share with other classmates. In written reflections, one student noted, “I learned that some folks are quick to speak and others hold back.” In thinking about how the activity connected to the course topic of research methods, another student wrote, “I believe it is two-fold in that you can [1] learn to formulate questions and [2] observe the responses to such questions to gather results.”
Appraisal
The activity is most well-suited for longer class periods (75 minutes or more) and smaller groups (approximately 15 students). If needed for a shorter class period, the activity could be split into two phases: preparation in one meeting and conducting and debriefing in the second meeting. For larger classes (more than 15 students), the class could work together as a group to plan the focus group and then split into smaller teams of approximately 8-12 to conduct the focus groups before coming back together for debriefing and reflection. For online or hybrid classes that include a synchronous element, a videoconferencing platform could be used to facilitate an online focus group. As with larger classes, the instructor could work with the whole class to plan the focus group, use virtual breakout rooms to allow small groups of four to six students to conduct the focus group conversations, and then bring students back together for debriefing and reflection. The activity is not well-suited to asynchronous classes. The Focus Group Introduction can be adapted to many contexts and offers a meaningful introduction to the topic of communication research methods while contributing to the development of a welcoming classroom environment.
References
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Burch, G. F., Giambatista, R., Batchelor, J. H., Burch, J. J., Hoover, J. D., & Heller, N. A. (2019). A meta-analysis of the relationship between experiential learning and learning outcomes. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 17(3), 239–273. https://doi.org/10.1111/dsji.12188
Cvancara, K. E. (2017). Optimizing how we teach research methods. Communication Teacher, 31(1), 35-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2016.1244347
Fife, E. (2005). A focus group activity for the research methods class. Communication Teacher, 19(1), 9–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/1740462042000339203
Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Sociology Press.
Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development (2nd edition). Pearson Education, Inc.
Krueger, R. A., & Casey, M. A. (2015). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (5th edition). SAGE.
Levin, A. V. (2021). What’s in a “welcome survey”? Designing a course welcome survey as introduction to research methods in Communication. Communication Teacher, 35(2), 98–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2020.1829666
Nunn, L. M. (2019). 33 simple strategies for faculty: A week-by-week resource for teaching first-year and first-generation students. Rutgers University Press.
TED-Ed. (2017, April 10). How do focus groups work? – Hector Lanz [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TwgVQIZPsw
Vartabedian, S. E. & Klinger, L. C. (2019). 4Ps: A purposeful introduction. Communication Teacher, 33(1), 16-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2018.1530795
Zakrajsek, T., & Nilson, L. B. (2023). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors (5th edition). Jossey-Bass.