A focus group is a method of research in which a small fraction of the total population is assembled for discussions. These group normally consists of about ten people who are to give their responses in an open or closed discussion. In a focus group, questions are normally asked in an interactive manner in which respondents are expected to give out their ideas, beliefs, and opinions towards a given issue in the society. In these discussions, researchers usually note down key points gleaned from the interviews to gain enough knowledge of the larger population ( Latham & Gross, 2013). However, members to constitute a given focus group should go through a thorough selection criterion for the research method to be successful. This is due to the fact that some individual may provide false information that cannot be replicated on the larger population. This research method is commonly used in social sciences for studying human behavior.
This research methodology has numerous strengths. A focus group is cheaper than other methods of research. This is due to the fact that it consists of a few number of people who can easily be assembled. Also, it is the fastest way of accessing information from the larger population. Responses are given in terms of discussions which makes it a faster way of gleaning information from the larger population. This research method is also accurate since data is collected directly from respondents. Finally, focus groups are flexible since the discussions can be adjusted to suit the respondents’ behavior. Also, the researcher can glean information from the respondent’s body language ( Stewart & Shamdasani, 2014) .
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The weaknesses of a focus group are attributed to its use of a multiple number of respondents in a discussion. Some participant may be influenced by the ideas of others thus, being coerced to give out false information. Focus groups consist of a few number of participants which may not give a clear picture of the larger population. Also, some dominant respondents may affect the accuracy of the information gathered.
The survey is a research method for collecting statistical data from the larger population. In this method, data can be gathered in the form of interviews and questionnaires. However, the target population can be questioned as a whole or sampled into distinctive segments. Surveys give statistical findings that can be used to understand the perspective of the whole population regarding a given issue. However, a survey method requires a proper determination of the sample size, the tools that can be used for data collection and the methodology of data processing. These are the key considerations in this mechanism of data collection.
The major strength of a survey is that it provides statistically correct data that is quantifiable ( Nardi, 2018) . Also, this method has a higher degree of accuracy since respondents are less likely to be influenced by other participants. Surveys also provide benchmarking platforms since responses can be tracked and compared. This helps to give a clear picture of the changing trends in the target group. The difficulty of determining the sample size is one major weakness of this research method. It is also difficult to glean information from some members of the public who may view the exercise as a waste of time. The research method can also be expensive in the event that a larger population sample is desired.
One major similarity of survey and focus group is that both methods are flexible. Focus groups are flexible in the sense that the discussion can either be public or private based on the respondent’s preference. However, online surveys have incorporated privacy in their design. Individuals can be asked questioned on private online platforms which makes the survey method flexible on its own. The two methods are also similar since they both rely on the responses gathered from individuals who represent the larger target population. However, surveys are costlier as compared to the focus groups ( Leung, 2015). For instance, printing of questionnaires to meet a larger population sample could be costly as compared to gathering a few members of the population for discussions. Also, a focus group is easier to conduct as compared to the survey. Focus groups do not entail much organization and strategic planning as compared to the survey. Surveys require a thorough determination of the sample size and the evaluation of the questions to be posed to respondents.
Focus groups help us to obtain a clear picture of the general target population. Carrying out a face to face discussion with a client may provide a substantial insight into how the public view a given issue in the society. Focus groups provide information that is exploratory rather than conclusive. Focus groups can also be used to gain knowledge of the direct effect that a given product or issue has on the target population. This is made possible since the researcher can freely get the information through interactive sessions with the respondent. Through this method, it easy to acquire information from the direct feedback of the client. On the other hand, quantifiable statistically correct data can be obtained from the survey method. Surveys help us to have conclusive information about a given issue in the society ( Nardi, 2018) . This information is statistically quantifiable thus enhancing the accuracy of the collected data.
The interesting concept with surveys is that questions can be restricted to “Yes” and “No” responses. This helps to reduce the marginal errors that are associated with open-ended responses. The restrictions of responses can be very effective especially when a public opinion is desired on a given political position. It is also interesting to note the interactive aspect of the focus groups. It is interesting how the researcher is able to come up with an interactive session consisting of members with diverse demographic affiliations. However, such sessions can be very enjoyable since people are able to learn new ideas from other members.
Hence, survey is the method I would prefer to utilize in my future research activities. This is because of its reliability ( Brannen, 2017) . Surveys provide statistically quantifiable data with a minimum margin of error as compared to the focus group. It is possible to come up with a large population size with surveys which helps to improve the reliability of the data collected. I will use it more often in the future because it is easy to conduct. The current use of online platforms makes the survey method cheap and flexible. Also, the survey provides an opportunity to track down the changes in the target population thus making the whole process effective. Conducting of online survey is an easy and faster method of gathering information from the target population. This is the main reason I will consider using surveys more often in my future research activities.
References
Brannen, J. (2017). Mixing methods: Qualitative and quantitative research . Routledge.
Latham, D., & Gross, M. (2013). Instructional preferences of first-year college students with below-proficient information literacy skills: A focus group study. College & Research Libraries , 74 (5), 430-449.
Leung, L. (2015). Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. Journal of family medicine and primary care , 4 (3), 324.
Nardi, P. M. (2018). Doing survey research: A guide to quantitative methods . Routledge.
Stewart, D. W., & Shamdasani, P. N. (2014). Focus groups: Theory and practice (Vol. 20). Sage publications..
