X. Evaluation Tools & Measures
H. Conducting Focus Groups & Group Interviews
An evaluator may choose to interview people individually or in groups. If the evaluator is concerned about maintaining the informants' anonymity, or simply wants to make sure that they feel free to express unpopular ideas, it is best to interview people individually. This also allows the evaluator to compare various perspectives of an event, which is particularly useful when asking about sensitive topics. In Oscar Lewis's (1961) study of a Mexican family, "The Children of Sanchez," each member of the Sanchez family was interviewed individually because he was afraid the children would not speak their minds if their domineering father was in the room.
When confidentiality is not a concern and the evaluator is interested in quickly sampling the range of opinions on a topic, a group interview is preferable. One popular technique for conducting collective interviews is the focus group, where six to eight individuals meet for an hour or two to discuss a specific topic such as local health concerns. Unlike a random sampling of the population, the participants in a focus group are generally selected because they share certain characteristics (e.g., they are diabetic, pregnant, or have other specific health concerns) which make their opinions particularly relevant to the study.
In the focus group session, participants are asked to respond to a series of predetermined questions. However, they are not expected or encouraged to work toward consensus or rethink their views, but simply to state what they believe. Many participants find the interaction stimulating and mention things they would not have thought of individually. For more information on conducting focus groups, please see the Sage Publications Series on How to Plan & Conduct Focus Groups, by David Morgan.
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