Discussion 1: What About Focus Groups?

Focus groups can provide rich, thick descriptions ofexperiences, attitudes, and opinions shared by a group of individualswho have in common a shared experience about the phenomena you arestudying.

Review the resources in the course and onlineabout the challenges, advantages, and disadvantages of using focusgroups as part your research methods. Consider if, for your topic,whether a focus group would be a good choice for data collection.

For this Discussion, you will explore the differences between individual interviewing and focus groups.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the Learning Resources related to coding, data analysis, and focus groups.
• Review the focus group media program found in the LearningResources and consider how you might use a focus group in collectingdata for the topic of your research.

By Day 3

Post your explanation of:

1. The difference between collecting data using individual interviewsand a focus group (e.g., intent, selecting participants, conducting theinterview or focus group)
2. Given the topic you are currently using for your research, wouldyou consider using a focus group for your study? Why or why not?

Be sure to support your main post andresponse post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and otherscholarly evidence in APA style.