Qualitative Research

Qualitative Research Ch 5

Rationale for using Qualitative Research • It is not always possible, or desirable, to use fully structured or formal methods to obtain information from respondents • The people may be unable to answer questions that tap their subconscious

Qualitative Research Procedures • There are two classifications based on whether the true purpose of research is known to the respondents • The procedures are direct and indirect

Direct procedures • A type of qualitative research in which the purpose of the project is disclosed to the respondent or is obvious given the nature of the interview • Direct techniques include • Focus Groups • Depth Interviews

Focus Group Interviews • An interview conducted by a trained moderator among a small group of respondents in a unstructured and natural manner

Focus Group Interviews • Objective • The main purpose of the focus group is to gain insights by listening to a group of people from the appropriate target market talk about issues of interest to the researcher

Focus Group Interviews • Real Benefit • The value of the technique lies in the unexpected findings often obtained from a free-flowing group discussion

Focus Group Interviews • Major Characteristics • Group size 8 to 12 • Group composition homogenous • Physical setting informal atmosphere • Time duration 1 to 3 hours • Recording audio, video • Moderator highly skilled, trained and preferably experienced

Focus Group Interviews • Group size • Groups of less than 8 are less likely to generate the group dynamics necessary for a successful session • More than 12 member may get too crowded and become inconvenient for the participants

Focus Group Interviews • Group composition • Groups of should be homogenous in terms of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics • Commonality among group members avoid interactions and conflicts among group members on side issues • Respondents should be prescreened to meet selection criteria

Focus Group Interviews • Physical setting • The setting should be such that the respondents feel relaxed • The seating arrangement should take into account appropriate personal space • Usually a round table discussion setting is used where respondents can see each other without difficulty • Refreshments are also served • Lighting arrangement should be such that it does not hinder video recording

Focus Group Interviews • Time duration • Generally focus groups last between 1 to 1.5 hours

Focus Group Interviews • Recording • Focus groups are invariably audio recorded • In case video recording is to made, lighting and camera should be in place • Almost always, focus groups are observed by the researcher from an adjacent room using one-way mirror

Focus Group Interviews • Moderator • Moderator plays a key role in the success of a focus group • The moderator must establish rapport with the participants • Keep the discussion moving forward • Probe the respondents to elicit insights • Moderator may have a central role in analysis and interpretation of the data

Moderator – Key qualifications • Kindness with firmness • The moderator must be kind to the participants and yet should not digress from the group discussion objective • Permissiveness • The moderator must be permissive yet alert to signs that group’s cordiality or purpose is disintegrating

Moderator – Key qualifications • Involvement • The moderator must encourage and stimulate intense personal involvement • Incomplete understanding • The moderator must encourage respondents to b more specific about generalized comments by exhibiting incomplete understanding

Moderator – Key qualifications • Encouragement • The moderator must encourage the nonresponsive participants to participate • Flexibility • The moderator must have the required skill level to improvise and alter the planned outline during the course of the discussion

Moderator – Key qualifications • Sensitivity • The moderator must show sensitivity at an intellectual as well as emotional level to guide the discussion

Planning & Conducting Focus Groups • Specify the objectives of the qualitative research • By this stage, problem has been defined • General statement as well as specific components of the problems should be carefully studied

Planning & Conducting Focus Groups • State the questions to be answered by the focus group • A “wish list” of questions that researcher would like answered

Planning & Conducting Focus Groups • Write a screening questionnaire • Then a questionnaire to screen potential participants is prepared • Typical questions asked are bout product knowledge, usage, attitudes towards focus groups and previous participations, standard demographic characteristics

Planning & Conducting Focus Groups • Develop a moderator’s outline • A detailed guide for use during the focus group • This involves extensive discussion among the researcher, client and moderator • As the moderator is required to be able to pursue important ideas, moderator must know client’s business, focus group objectives, and how the findings will be used

Planning & Conducting Focus Groups • Conduct the focus group interviews • Establish the rapport with the group • State the rules of group interaction • Set objectives • Probe the respondents and provoke intense discussion in the relevant areas • Attempt to summarize the group’s response to determine the extent of agreement

Planning & Conducting Focus Groups • Review tapes and analyze the data • Following the group discussion, either the moderator or researcher reviews and analyzes the results • Specific comments and findings are reported • Consistent responses, new ideas, concerns suggested by facial expressions, body language are also reported

Planning & Conducting Focus Groups • Review tapes and analyze the data • Because the number of participants is small, frequencies or percentages not usually reported in a focus group summary • Instead expressions like “most participants thought” or “participants were divided on this issue” are used

Planning & Conducting Focus Groups • Summarize the findings and plan follow-up research or action • Documentation and interpretation of the results usually lays foundation for the final step: taking action. This usually means conducting additional research

Advantage of Focus Groups • Synergism • Groups discussion elicits a wider range of information as compared to individual responses • Snowballing • A bandwagon effect operates in a group discussion; that is, one person’s comment triggers a chain reaction from other respondents

Advantage of Focus Groups • Stimulation • Participants usually start to express their ideas as the discussion progresses • Security • As all participants have almost similar feelings, they feel comfortable while expressing their ideas

Advantage of Focus Groups • Spontaneity • Because the discussion is unstructured, the responses are candid expressions • Serendipity • New ideas and suggestions surface • Specialization • Highly trained and expensive moderator is required to handle focus groups

Advantage of Focus Groups • Scientific Scrutiny • Focus groups are subject to very close monitoring by the client and researcher. As most of the session is recorded, it is very well documented for analysis • Structure • The group discussion allows for flexibility in covering the topics with greater details

Advantage of Focus Groups • Speed • Data collection and analysis are relatively quicker as number of participants are grouped in one place

Disadvantage of Focus Groups • Misuse • Focus groups may be used as conclusive research technique owing to quicker results • Misjudge • Focus group results are susceptible to client and researcher biases • Moderation • Focus groups are difficult to moderate

Disadvantage of Focus Groups • Messy • The unstructured nature of the responses make coding, analysis and interpretation difficult. Focus group data tend to be messy

Applications of Focus Groups • Understanding the consumer’s perceptions, preferences, and behaviors concerning a product category • Obtaining impressions of new product concepts • Generating new ideas about older products • Developing creative concepts and copy material for advertisement

Applications of Focus Groups • Securing price impressions • Obtaining preliminary consumer reaction to specific marketing programs

Applications of Focus Groups • Defining problem more clearly • Generating alternative courses for action • Developing an approach to a problem • Obtaining information helpful in structuring consumer questionnaire • Generating hypotheses that can be tested quantitatively • Interpreting previously obtained quantitative results

Projective Techniques • An unstructured and indirect form of questioning that encourages the respondents to project their underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, or feelings regarding the issues of concern

Association Techniques • A type of projective technique in which the respondent is presented with a stimulus and asked to respond with the first thing that comes to mind • Word Association is the best known of these techniques

Word Association • In word association technique, respondents are presented with a series of words, one at a time, and asked to respond to each with the first word that comes to mind • The subject’s response to each word is recorded verbatim and responses are timed so that respondents who hesitate or reason out (defined as taking longer than three seconds to reply) can be identified • The responses are recorded by the interviewer

Word Association • Responses are analyzed by calculating • The frequency with which any word is given as a response • The amount of time that elapses before a response is given • The number of respondents who do not respond at all to a test word within a reasonable time period

Word Association • Those who do not respond at all are judged to have an emotional involvement so high that it blocks a response • It is often possible to classify the responses as favorable, unfavorable and neutral • An individual’s pattern of responses and the details of the response are used to determine the person’s underlying attitude or feelings on the topics of the interest

Completion Techniques • A projective technique that requires the respondent to compete an incomplete stimulus situation

Completion Techniques • Sentence completion • Respondents are given sentences to complete using the first word or phrase that comes to mind • This is similar to word association • The technique provide more directed stimulus • The sentence completion is not as disguised as word association

Completion Techniques • Story completion • A projective technique in which the respondents are provided with part of a story and are required to give the conclusion in their own words

Construction Techniques • A projective technique in which the respondent is required to construct a response in the form of a story, dialogue or description

Qualitative Research