A focus group:

• is a guided discussion used to gather qualitative data on people’s thoughts, feelings, opinions, and experiences
• can involve students, teachers, staff, parents, or carers
• typically includes 4 to 8 participants, though groups may range from 2 to 10.

Focus groups enable:

• the collection of diverse perspectives from stakeholders on a specific topic or evaluation focus
• the gathering of rich, detailed data, often including stories and context
• the exploration of complex issues or follow-up related to an evaluation question or area of inquiry.

A focus group is useful to:

• hear participants describe their perspectives, opinions, and experiences in their own words
• gain contextual information about the ‘what, how, and why,’ providing deeper insight into quantitative data sources (for example explaining staff attendance at curriculum implementation professional learning, or engagement with procedural documents such as school-based assessment processes for review before implementation)
• follow up on survey data, allowing further exploration of emerging themes or patterns from survey analysis.

• Interviews and focus groups are often integrated with other approaches, such as surveys, to avoid drawing general conclusions from a small sample.
• Focus groups rely on participants’ memory and willingness to share their views; reassuring participants about confidentiality and explaining how their responses will be used helps reduce social desirability bias.
• It is recommended to use other forms of data to confirm or refute findings from a focus group as they typically yield self-reported data.
• Focus groups can be time-consuming; planning key questions aligned to the evaluation focus and setting clear processes for recording and analysing responses is critical during the planning phase.
• The facilitator plays an important role and should:
  • make participants feel comfortable
  • outline confidentiality and how the data will be used
  • listen carefully for meaning
  • maintain neutrality and avoid leading participants or influencing responses
  • avoid generalising based on the views of a small sample.