What are the benefits and weakness of using focus groups Essay

What are the benefits and weakness of using focus groups - Essay Example Assuming these to be correct, structured group discussion is a relevant procedure to obtain people’s opinions, feelings and perceptions, although the interactions between group members have to be borne in mind. (Blankenship, Breen, G.E. and Dutka, A., 1999, 61) The information obtained can be about what each person feels and thinks, but it can also be influenced by a phenomenon such as ‘groupthink’, through which people conform to what others believe. In judging the popularity and the effectiveness of focus groups, it is important to assess the advantages of the method as well as its limitations. In adult education, focus groups perhaps offer a more concrete opportunity for participants and researchers to learn from the process (Field, 2000, 330), being a powerful way of engaging with professionals, policy makers and end-users. The benefits of using such an iterative process in which ‘people’s views and understandings are shared, debated, challenged and changed’ (Field 2000, 325) are more important than the potential disadvantages. Morgan (1999, 142) notes that the majority of the published articles about focus groups refers to the use of this method along with other methods, such as individual in-depth interviews or with surveys. In the research process, focus groups can be used at different points: at the preliminary or exploratory stage of a study; a preparation for decisions about the precise objectives and design of the study; for the collection of the main data; in the closing period of a study to interpret findings, or to generate further perspecti ves for research. Use of focus groups can be seen in applied research as a strategy for collecting data, especially when doing qualitative research to tap peoples subjective experiences (Sullivan, 2001, 23) Focus groups do not invade peoples privacy in order to come to