How many focus groups should i do

Note too that thematic saturation will vary based on a number of factors keep watch for a future blog post and sample size should be adjusted accordingly. In those cases, a homogeneous sample would typically be single gendered. In contexts where gender might play a very minor role in response variability — say, for e. My 2 cents…. I agree with Greg. Keep an eye out for a blog post discussing how the level of sample homogeneity — and other factors — might affect thematic saturation, and therefore sample size!

Very interesting. Very useful. If I understood the conclusions correctly, it does go back to traditional rule of thumb approaches; i. The catch, or course, is that one should be carefully reviewing scripts as data is collected. I like the idea that it confirms one may make advance decisions on set targets. Thanks, Jane! Wonderful overview of the literature, thank you so much for this! However, I always take these numbers with a pinch of salt, saturation will obviously vary greatly with topic area and research question.

Yes, absolutely, Daniel! Thanks for your comment and link. Stay tuned for the next post in this series that will address some of the factors that affect saturation — to help identify whether a small or large pinch of salt should go into saturation-based qualitative sample size calculations!

Thanks for this post — really useful. One question I have is, did any of these studies consider the interviewing skills of the interviewer? Or mention what training the interviewers had in advance of doing the semi-structured interviews? Hi Mia, great questions! As an aside from the sampling discussion, interviewer training really is key to generating good qualitative data — and not just training in terms of interviewing skill, but also in making sure that everyone has a common understanding of the research objectives.

Some people have a more natural affinity for interviewing than others, but if you can provide your interviewers with pretty immediate feedback e.

May I ask if you were conducting surveys via email — what would be an acceptable number of completed surveys to aim for? Thanks for this illuminating post. I have now collected data from 2 different states were I conducted 13 interviews and 3 FGDs in the first and 8 interviews and 1 FGD in the next.

When I started collecting data from the second state, I reached data saturation much quicker and for the FGDs i was not getting much different data from the first state. I am now wondering if I have taken the right approach. Was the interviews and FGDs recommended per each round of data collection?

Hi Abisola, Yes, it sounds like you interpreted the recommendations correctly — that those sample sizes are per sub-population of interest. In your case, I would have considered the two states as two sub-populations, as you did.

Emily and Greg, this is brilliant! Just what I needed today, and described in such simplistic and fun way. Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. This blog post is the final in a series of three sampling-focused posts. Sampling to reach saturation? Okay, equation it is not But empirical guidance helps a lot!

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These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Further, the nature of the questioning can change to reflect the knowledge acquired from group to group, enabling the moderator to maximize their learning from the research process.

There is no right answer to this question. However, many moderators hold a very strong point of view that 8 to 10 people is the ideal number.

It is felt that if a group is larger than 10, then there are too many people to control and it is difficult to get meaningful interaction among the participants.

If the group is smaller than 8, the opportunity for varied inputs is reduced. Some people prefer to conduct mini-groups with 3 to 6 people, as they believe the smaller number of participants will provide for greater in-depth discussion. On this issue, opinions among market researchers and moderators vary. There is no single correct answer. The average focus group in the UK project consists of 4 to 6 groups — this will vary in other market such as the United States as there are so many regions to over.

Some smaller UK projects will hold only 2 or 3 groups, and larger projects can have as many as 10 to 15 groups. The decision is generally based on one or more of the following criteria:. For example, if you are looking for 5 Where should I hold my focus group? In most situations, focus groups are conducted in special facilities that contain a one-way mirror, with the moderator and the participants in one room and the client watching the session from the other. Occasionally, groups are held in hotel or conference suites, but this requires special provisions for observers to be able to watch the sessions.

Take your own door sign if necessary. This can be a very difficult task. Anyone can declare themselves a moderator, so you need a stringent selection process to find the right moderator that includes a review of the candidate's qualifications and experience in conducting focus group research, as well as a look at their client list.

Try to get references from other organizations who have used that moderator or go through a reputable fieldwork agency who will have good moderators on their team.