Extension Agents How this easily adaptable tool can be used for needs analysis pretesting and evaluation Paul Monaghan FFL In S ervice Training May 21 2014 What is a focus group Group interview guided by a moderator Usually 68 people who may be randomly chosen to participate or sel ID: 694782
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Slide1
Focus group research for Extension Agents
How this easily adaptable tool can be used for needs analysis, pre-testing and evaluation
Paul Monaghan
FFL In-
S
ervice Training
May 21, 2014Slide2
What is a focus group?
Group interview guided by a moderator. Usually 6-8 people who may be randomly chosen to participate or selectively chosen because they all share some experience or opinion of interest to the researcher. Slide3
Why Conduct a Focus Group?
A valuable information collection tool for initial understanding of a topic or program
A very useful tool for collecting information on the human dimensions of natural resource issues
Allows you to gather information on diverse stakeholder perspectives
Commonly used in the business/marketing world to understand audiences
Used to pre-test messages, materials and products
Often used in survey designSlide4
I have used focus groups to…
Uncover social marketing concepts (audience analysis, barriers to change, hidden benefits of behavior change)
Assess community or organizational needs
Foster participation in a future program
Test survey questions
Pre-testing educational and marketing materials, messages, graphics, etc.Slide5
Important Distinctions of Focus Groups
Many other activities often confused with focus groups:
Discussion groups
Delphi groups
Community forums
Town meetings
Brainstorming groups
Focus Groups collect and analyze
qualitative data
on opinions, attitudes and perceptions
They use
group interaction
to stimulate discussion
They have structured discussion guides but can and should be open to wider discussion of topicsSlide6
Focus Group Basics
Minimum number to conduct
Min and max number
of participants
Who
participates
?
Not trying to generalize to a larger population
Attempt to dig deeper into why people have different attitudes, knowledge and behaviors, how they will react to something, what their interests are
Ethics and privacy Slide7
Components of Focus Groups
Questionnaire design
Planning and Recruiting
Moderating
Analysis of data
Getting feedback on results; reportingSlide8
Designing good open ended questionsExercise 1
Begin by thinking of an audience or group of stakeholders- HOA members, landscape contractors, workshop participants.
What are 3 things you would like to learn from them to understand their interests, their beliefs, why they do something you don’t understand. Slide9
Write those 3 learning objectives on a piece of paper
Now begin with an
icebreaker question.
Something like, “what’s the best thing about…”
Here are some examples from my work:
What makes this a strong community?
What is the one thing we can do to preserve large bass in the state?
What does an “environmentally friendly yard” look like to you?
Do you ever worry we won’t have enough water? What makes you say that?Slide10
Now come up with 5 conversational questions
Start out with broad or general topics
Narrow it down to a more specific topic
Decide on probing questions and follow-up questions
Make sure they are “conversational” questions
T
ell me about the time when…
If you were the boss…
In five years, what would this look like?
What haven’t we discussed here that you think is important?Slide11
Practice your questions with someone
Explain your 3 research objectives
Practice your questions out loud
Modify if they are awkward or complicated
Ask your partner to suggest probing questions or follow ups
Write down all suggestions
Finalize your icebreaker and 3-5 questions
We will debrief together and ask “Will they start a conversation?”Slide12
Can we conduct a focus group with FFL Educators about the new water savings survey?Slide13
2. Planning and Recruiting
Conceptualize, define key questions and goals
Identify target groups, number of groups
Outline costs and budget
Travel for coordinators, food/beverages, room costs, equipment and materials, staff, etc.
Arrange logistics
Venue, food, voice recording, human subjects approval, note taker(s), etc.
Develop focus group scriptSlide14
2. Planning and Recruiting
Identify target stakeholder/demographic group(s) (e.g. urban residents, environmental NGOs, local government, etc.)
Develop recruitment strategy and timeline:
Who will be recruited and how? e.g. random phone calls, local expert contacts, e-mail, hand-written letters, etc.
How many will be recruited? (Ideal number for a focus group is 6 to 8 people)
Rule of thumb: Recruit 12 to 15 in order to have 6 to 8 show up.Slide15
3. Moderating
Prepare and practice detailed focus group script that moderator uses as guide
A focus group moderator will:
Establish clear ground rules, expectations
Create a safe environment for sharing opinions
Encourage different points of view-- do not force voting or reaching consensus
Encourage group interaction, idea sharing, conversation
Use “subtle group control”, e.g. encourage quieter members to speak, politely control dominant participantsSlide16
Challenges of Moderating
Managing group dynamics and personalities
Creating a safe, neutral environment
Building trust
Gathering opinions and perspectives from everyone present
Not leading or persuading, remaining neutral
Stimulating discussion
Maintaining focus on topics in script
Being respectful of everyone while moving through discussion script efficientlySlide17
4. Analysis and reporting
Archive your notes, observations, debrief with others
If you have recorded it, transcribe it
Add demographic or descriptive features to the speakers
Read and reread
Make notes in the margins
Use different colored highlighters
Cut and pasteSlide18
Projects using focus groups to understand homeowners and conservation behavior in the landscape
Manatee County
:
Stormwater
Ponds, nutrient control and landscaping issues.
Alachua County
: Water conservation in the landscape to protect
springsheds
; GRU evaluation of soil moisture sensor pilot project.
Hillsborough County
: Tampa Community Tree Program.Slide19
Projects using focus groups to build community capacity to address other Extension issues
Escambia Coun
ty, Florida Sea Grant, developing new programming to address coastal resilience and sea level rise.
Levy County
(Cedar Key), learning from the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil
s
pill, how can Gulf communities increase resiliency for future disasters?
Lee County
(Pine Island Sound), Florida Sea Grant, how can commercial and recreational fishermen work together to protect natural resources such as
seagrass
?Slide20
How can a state conservation organization use focus groups to understand its target audience?
Black Bass Management Program is a long-term, science based and
citizen guided
plan to establish Florida as the undisputed
Bass Fishing Capital of the World
D
eveloped collaboratively by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and a Technical Assistance Group of anglers, guides, business owners, tourism industry and university researchers.Slide21
3 million acres of lakes
12,000 miles of rivers, streams and canals
Bass anglers spend 14 million days fishing a year
1.25 billion to state’s economy
Florida’s bass has been used to stock fisheries around the world
Why are Black Bass Important?Slide22
Key component is TrophyCatchSlide23
Create a statewide record keeping system to document catches of trophy bass.
Instill a stronger catch and release conservation ethic among anglers.
Educate anglers about the importance of trophy fish to our fish populations.
Allow the public to participate in the management of Florida’s unique aquatic resources.
Provide an understanding of the necessary components of a trophy fishery.
(Do focus group participants share these goals?)
The
TrophyCatch
program will:Slide24
Lunker Club (8-9.99 pounds) - $65 plus in value
TrophyCatch
Lunker
bass
Requirements: Photo documentation of ENTIRE bass (head to tail) on scale with weight clearly legible +
TrophyCatch
application + Bass must be released.
Competition: Year-round. Begins October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Reward: $50 Bass Pro Shops gift card + Customized Bass King T-shirt + Discounts for Sportsman on Canvas and other prizes + Entered into drawings for gift cards from Bass Pro Shops and Dick's Sporting Goods +
TrophyCatch
certificate + Exclusive
TrophyCatch
Lunker
Club window decal.
Trophy Club (10-12.99 pounds) - $150 plus in value
TrophyCatch
Trophy bass
Requirements: Same as
Lunker
Club requirements (above).
Competition: Year-round. Begins October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Reward: $150 worth of gift cards (Bass Pro Shops, Dick's Sporting Goods, and/or
Rapala
) + Long-sleeved Bass King shirt + Discounts for Sportsman on Canvas and other prizes + Entered into a drawing for fishing trips +
TrophyCatch
certificate + Exclusive
TrophyCatch
Trophy Club window decal.
Hall of Fame Club (13 pounds or greater) - $1,000 plus in value
TrophyCatch
Hall Of Fame bass
Requirements: Same as
Lunker
Club requirements (above).
Competition: Year-round. Begins October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Reward: Free fiberglass replica mount ($500 value) + Gift cards worth $200 (Bass Pro Shops, Dick's Sporting Goods and
Rapala
) + Bass King duffle bag with customized hoody, shirt, hat + A Glen Lau DVD + Honored at annual rewards event + Name entered into Florida Bass Hall of Fame at Florida Bass Conservation Center + Entered into drawing for fishing trip with Peter Miller (Bass2Billfish) +
TrophyCatch
certificate + Exclusive
TrophyCatch
Hall of Fame Club window decal + Additional prizing to be determined.Slide25
Focus Group Guide
What one thing should be done to increase the population of trophy bass in Florida?
What actions do you take to preserve these bass?
Are there management practices that could be more effective at preserving trophy bass?
How did you become familiar with TC?
Are you familiar with the prizes offered?
What do you think the goals of the program are?
Have you reported a fish to TC?
What was that process like for you?
Do you think anglers would participate without the prizes?
What would motivate you to participate and motivate others?Slide26
First round of coding
What is one thing that should be done to
improve the number of trophy bass
in the state
?
Why is it important
to you to support
TrophyCatch
?
How did you
become aware
of
TrophyCatch
?
What do you know about the
rewards
offered by
TrophyCatch
?
What are the
barriers
to participating in
TrophyCatch
?
What
was it like to register a fish? (
website problems
) Slide27
Second round of coding (splitting and lumping)
What
is one thing that should be done to
improve the number of trophy bass
in the
state?
Catch
and release (more trophy lakes and better enforcement).
Environmental
concerns (development, pollution runoff, weed
control)
S
lot
limits (taking smaller bass or limiting large
bass)
Tournament
limits (including a focus on improving survival (reducing
mortality)
Why
is it important to you to
support
TrophyCatch
?
Fish genetics (mentions of breeding programs, comparison with other states)
Promoting Florida fishing
Miscellaneous responses (Provide Data; Marketing-Economic Development)Slide28
Second round of coding (using Max QDA)
What do you know about the rewards offered by
TrophyCatch
?
Lack knowledge
Importance of prizes
Guide rewards
Suggestions
What are the barriers to participating in
TrophyCatch
?
Fish health
Items needed for reporting
Reaching audiences
AttitudesSlide29
Conclusions
Are you doing them yourself, hiring a contractor or working on a team?
Minimum numbers
Practice the questions, modify them, get feedback
If the first one goes badly or takes you in new directions, regroup and modify
Ethics and privacy
RecruitingSlide30
Sources
NOAA Social Science Tools for Coastal Programs: Introduction to Conducting Focus Groups (
http://csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/sites/default/files/files/1366308805/focus_groups.pdf
)
Morgan and Krueger The Focus Group Kit. Sage Press.
Richard Krueger, Designing and Conducting Focus Group Interviews (
http://www.eiu.edu/~ihec/Krueger-FocusGroupInterviews.pdf
)