Focus groups are an ever popular method for collecting qualitative data in the social sciences. Doing Focus Groups provides practical advice on planning and organizing successful groups. Rose Barbour discusses the advantages and limitations of using group discussion and demonstrates effective methods for collecting and analysing data.

Author Biography

Rosaline (Rose) S. Barbour is an Emerita Professor at the Open University, UK. A medical medial sociologist by discipline, she has carried out research on a variety of topics including reproductive/maternal health, HIV/AIDS, obesity, and cancer. Significantly, all of these projects are located at the intersection of the social and the clinical, thus affording a vantage point for developing and interrogating disciplinary and theoretical frameworks. Rose has published widely on qualitative research, particularly in relation to focus groups and the issue of rigour. Her most recent publications include Introducing Qualitative Research A Student's Guide, 2nd ed. (SAGE, 2014); Doing Focus Groups, 2nd ed. (SAGE, 2018); and A New Era of Focus Group Research: Challenges, Innovation and Practice (coedited with David L. Morgan; Palgrave, 2017).