Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research - Softcover

Krueger, Richard A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803931875 ISBN 13: 9780803931879

Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc, 1988

Synopsis

Focus groups are rapidly emerging as one of the preferred sources of information. They are used for assessing needs, planning programmes, evaluation and decision making. This practical guide incorporates research from both the social sciences and marketing research. The author gives advice on conducting focus group interviews, with clear descriptions of the technical aspects of successful focus groups and many common sense suggestions for application. Particular attention is placed on the uses of focus group interviewing for non-profit organizations. An overview highlights distinctions between the focus group procedure and other seemingly similar research procedures, and Krueger introduces the concepts of planning, questioning, moderating

About this title

About the Author:

Richard Krueger is professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. He is an internationally recognized authority on the use of focus group interviewing within the public environment. For 25 years he served as evaluation leader for the University of Minnesota Extension Service followed by 10 years teaching graduate courses in program evaluation and research methodology. He is a former president of the American Evaluation Association and a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.  In his spare time he repairs his motorcycle, swaps stories with friends, and shops for tools at the local hardware store. Maybe you’ve seen him there. 

Review:

"Richard Krueger and Mary Anne Casey have prepared a detailed, step-by-step roadmap of how to design, prepare for, implement, analyze, and report on focus groups. They give detailed discussions of issues to consider, tips, and warnings to help prepare for the expected and unexpected. The book informs the novice focus group user and provides insight for the seasoned focus group practitioner." 

(Judith Berkowitz)

"This book is packed with sound advice and detailed approaches, making this method a success. . . If you are even thinking about doing any kind of group interview, this is the place to start." 

(Nursing Times)

"We want people to listen to us. . . . Focus group interviewing is about listening. It is about paying attention. . . . being nonjudgmental. . . . When used appropriately, the process improves listening and the results can be used to benefit people who shared the information. And people go away feeling good about having been heard." 

(Richard A. Krueger & Mary Anne Casey From Preface)

About this edition

• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0803931875
• ISBN 13: 9780803931879
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 200