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