Qualitative Approaches for Food Security Assessment
SG-D3S1-9. Community and Focus Group Discussions
3.1. Planning and Conducting Data Collection – Community and Focus Group Discussions
Session-at-a-glance
Content / Approximate Time (Minutes) / Instructional ActivitySummary of Day 2 / 10 / Group presentation
Introduction / 15 / Interactive lecture
Focus Group Discussion Game / 50 / Role-play exercise
Game Debriefing / 45 / Plenary discussion
Total Time / 120 minutes / 2 hours
Session Objectives
After this session, the participants will be able to:
· Describe the fundamentals of successfully using focus group and community discussions in assessments;
· Improve knowledge and skills on effective moderation and note-taking techniques;
· Moderate a focus group discussion.
Session Supplies
Power Point: D3S1-9. Planning and Conducting Data Collection-Community & Focus Group Discussions.ppt
Documents:
o Exercise 7 (D3S1-9. Exercise 7-Focus Group Discussion Role Play Game.doc). First page copied for all participants; pages 2-8 copied to three participants; page 9 copied to all but three participants; pages 10-12 copied to three participants (who will play specific roles as focus group participants) either by stapling these pages to three of the participant role guides, or by keeping the pages separately and distributing them to the three “special” participants after five minutes of distributing the other papers. NB: these copies all should be prepared/organized in folders in advance.
o Handout 10 (D3S1-9. H10-On Planning and Moderating Discussions.doc), copied to all participants.
Other:
o Flipchart and markers
Key Messages
(NB: The first three reinforce earlier messages from session 3)
The key difference between FGDs (Focus Group Discussions) and Community Discussions (CDs) is in the mix of participants and issues discussed. Community discussions generally draw a diverse group of participants to discuss a broad topic, whereas focus group discussions are organized with a group of participants who have one, or more, common characteristic to discuss an issue that concerns them in depth.
The purpose of a CG is generally to gather a large amount of information in a relatively short period of time, and/or get general feedback on specific issues.
The main advantage of focus groups is that they yield a large amount of information over a relatively short period of time. They also provide a broad range of views on a specific topic, as opposed to achieving group consensus. Focus groups are not the best method for acquiring information on personal or socially sensitive topics; one-on-one interviews are better-suited for such exercise.
Effective facilitation and note-taking is key to the success of both community and focus group discussions. Facilitators of both types of discussions should master the discussion guide developed (and pre-tested) for the event and must be able to deal effectively with different types of participants to ensure that the discussion goes as smoothly as possible.
Guidance Materials
The above key messages and notes presented in the session activities below should provide sufficient guidance to prepare for this session. However, facilitators are strongly encouraged to review TGS #8 and TGS #9 and WFP’s Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis Guidelines (http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/manual_guide_proced/wfp203208.pdf).
You may also consult several guidance materials on conducting focus group discussion available online (recommended search: “Focus Group Discussions” ~ Guidance for practitioners).
Session and Facilitator Guidance
Make sure to thoroughly review this discussion guidance note. Exercise 7 is based on the assumption that participants will have sufficient familiarity with car purchases and vehicle quality attributes. You can nonetheless adapt the subject to make it more congruent with participants’ knowledge and discussion preferences. If you change the topic of discussion, it is strongly advised not to select a food security related topic [briefly explain why].
Room Setup
Arrange for an area for small group preparation for Exercise 10. Also arrange for a round table or open circular seating for the focus group discussion.
Session Activities
Summary of Day 2
10 minutes
Invite the assigned group to deliver its presentation on the summary of the previous day (no more than 10 minutes). Take two-three minutes to stress the key messages from the previous day.
Introduction
15 minutes
Provide a general overview of Day 3 and present the title and objectives of the session (slides 1-2). Highlight that this session is a natural follow up of yesterday’s sessions, especially since discussions are key methods used in participatory appraisals. All of the tools discussed yesterday are often used in focus group or community discussions.
Ask participants to recall the strengths of focus group and community discussions versus in depth interviews. Present the comparison (slide 3). Note that the richness of focus groups data emerges from the group dynamic.
Generally many different viewpoints will be expressed as each participant has its own experience and views. While this is completely true in community discussions due to the diversity of the participants involved, it is also true –albeit to a lesser extent- for focus group discussions. The homogeneity of people in a focus group does not always preclude differences in age, ethnicity and access to resources, among others. These differences affect people’s perception of certain issues that affect food security.
Ask participants why many focus group and community discussions do not meet expectations? (slide 4) Participants will likely suggest: Facilitator not being prepared; ineffective note-taking; weak facilitation; wrong choice and attitude of participants; lack of information and misinformation, etc… Write participants’ answers on the flip chart and transition to the next slide by highlighting that there are three key fundamental features of successful focus group and community discussions: Planning, effective moderation, and effective note-taking.
Present the focus group and community discussions success fundamentals (slide 5 -8). For each slide ask participants to reflect on why planning, moderating, and note-taking (as appropriate) are important. As you facilitate the discussion, stress the following points:
· (Slide 5) Effective logistical planning involves:
o Carefully identifying the purpose and expected outcomes of the discussion, and confirming that this is the right method to collect the data needed.
o Developing detailed guidelines for moderating the discussion. These guidelines should be tested and translated as needed. The guidelines should include the participant selection criteria and participant profiles, the list of key questions and a form for note-taking and briefing.
o Identifying an appropriate venue. It should afford privacy and quietness to the extent possible. Group discussions often go wrong because of onlookers or uninvited individuals who decide to join.
o Planning for the appropriate length, i.e. about 90-120 minutes.
o Selecting the right participants is one of the key. Community discussions should be organized with a group that represents the community (for example, heads of different clans, CBOs, local leaders, women representatives, etc..). Focus groups should be organized with a relatively homogenous group of individuals. It is important to ensure that participants can speak and exchange ideas freely. Potential obstacles such as hierarchy, gender and power structures have to be considered when selecting FG participants.
o Planning what you will ask, how, and why: Focus group and community discussions should be guided by an outline flexible enough to allow additional themes to emerge. Participatory techniques (mapping, ranking, listing) are frequently used during both types of discussion to ensure that all participants are involved.
o Using a team of two facilitators: one facilitator is responsible for moderation and the other for note-taking. However, both should be thoroughly familiar with the subject discussed and the focus group guidelines, and be able to switch responsibilities if need be.
· (Slides 6&7) Effective moderation of focus group and community discussions:
o Requires the moderator to keep the discussion moving along, with as many people participating as possible. Moderators do not lead the discussion.
o Requires a skilled moderator: A moderator should be able to create a discussion in which he or she participates very little. He should stress the value of participants’ contributions to the assessment and emphasize his own role as a learner rather than a teacher. Hence, he should speak as little as possible and encourage those who are silent to speak up. This should be done as early as possible to mitigate the risk of having one or only few of the participants from “holding the floor”.
o Ensures that participants are able to express themselves and answer the discussion questions. Moderators should direct the discussion at a pace that allows all questions in the guide to be addressed thoroughly. This depends on the moderator’s familiarity with the discussion guide, flexibility, ability to monitor and gauge the tone of the discussion and to make quick judgments about when and how to interject.
· (Slide 8) Note-taking is equally important. Note-takers must ensure that their notes reflect and summarize what is being said. A note-taker should first thoroughly review the discussion guide and prepare a note-taking form, which should include the basic information (date, site, start and finish time, name of the moderator and note-taker, seating chart and identifiers, number of participants by sex). Note-takers should also be careful observers of verbal and nonverbal behaviors and be discreet about note-taking as they operate the recording equipment. They should be able to synthesize their observations to serve as the basis for discussion after each focus group session. Proficiency rests on preparation for the focus group and developing effective note-taking techniques. Note-takers should expand their notes on the same day in which the discussion is held.
Focus Group Discussion Game (Exercise 7)
50 minutes
Use Slide 9 to guide the instructions.
Assign three participants the role of focus group facilitation team. Tell this group that they will facilitate a discussion on a topic you prepared. Hand out the role guides to the team of facilitators (pages 1-8 of Exercise 8). They have 15 minutes to prepare. They should do so outside the conference room. Remind them that one of them is expected to facilitate, one will take notes and the last one observe the discussion.
Hand out the Focus Group Participant Role Guide (page 9 of Exercise 8) to the rest of the participants. Give them a general overview of the focus group discussion about to take place, but do not give any details on the objectives. Ask them not to share their role guides with each other. Instruct them to take notes on what is being said and to observe group dynamics. Give participants time to read their role guide and prepare themselves.
Distribute pages 10-12 of the Participant Role Guide to three participants who you believe can play the envisaged roles effectively (i.e. try to pre-select these participants and avoid participants who are shy or excessively quiet).
Ask your colleague facilitator to join the assessment team to make suggestions and brief responses to any questions the group may have. Once the focus group begins, watch for the following and be ready to give feedback afterwards:
· Introduction: How did the team members introduce themselves to the participants? Did the moderator introduce his/her colleagues? Did the introduction include information on the purpose of the discussion? Did the moderator manage to get the attention of the participants? Was the note-taker sitting in a place that allows him/her to listen and observe?
· Moderation: Did the moderator seem to be confident about his/her ability to moderate? Was he/she comfortable with the discussion guide? Did the moderator probe effectively? Did the moderator miss asking important follow-up questions? Were questions easily understood by the participants? Did the moderator deal properly with the aggressive, talkative and the interruptive participants?
· Note-Taking: Did the note-taker and observer seem to be taking their role seriously? Did they seem to be following what was going on?
Invite participants to take their seats to begin the debriefing.
Game Debriefing (slide 10)
45 minutes
1. Ask the assessment team if they believe they accomplished their aims. Did they get the information they needed? Why do they think they succeeded? Make sure to prompt each of the three team members to reflect on these questions, and try to pick up on any differences of opinion between them.
· Draw participants’ attention to the note-taker’s key role in identifying areas where improvements can be made in questions, probes, and follow-up questions. This usually takes place in a debriefing session after the focus group (on the same day preferably) when everyone has had some time to write up their conclusions.
· The debriefing session draws on the notes taken by the moderator and note-taker and the expanded focus group report. These allow the assessment team to formulate and refine its findings on an ongoing basis, while improving the data collection by identifying questions for follow-up. Indeed, answers to some questions lead naturally to others. This continual adjustment of the questions is part of the iterative nature of qualitative assessments.
2. Then move to the participants Group: Ask them if they thought the moderation team was effective? Did the teams learn what was really going on? Was the moderator able to pick up on group dynamics and personalities? Was he/she able to effectively deal with these individuals? What are the lessons learned?
In facilitating the debriefing, refer to principles enunciated earlier and insist on the following:
· The moderator’s efforts to cultivate a positive atmosphere can foster a productive and rewarding discussion. Ideally, participants will express a wide range of perspectives and some points of disagreement rather than consensus. Of course, participants may all agree on a given issue, but make sure that this is the case by encouraging all members to contribute.
· A crucial skill for moderating a productive focus group is the ability to build rapport with and among participants from the outset. A positive, relaxed and mutually respectful group dynamic needs to be established form the start. If participants do not feel comfortable expressing personal opinions and experiences, the focus group will not achieve its objectives.
· Every focus group is a unique experience: what the participants say will be different each time and the group dynamics vary according to the personalities and people’s mood. Some groups will have a gregarious tone, others a serious or quiet tone. If someone dominates the discussion, express a negative attitude, or has an emotional outburst, you need to know how to reduce the impact on the group and steer the discussion in a more productive direction.