What are the steps in conducting a focus group in a needs assessment?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANS: Steps for conducting a Needs Assessment Focus Group are as following:
1. Determine that focus group interviews are appropriate for collecting the data needed for the needs assessment. Considerations include whether information that is needed can be collected from individuals in a group setting and if the validity of the information may be improved through group interactions.
2. Select individuals for the focus group interview. Considerations include identifying types of individuals who have first-hand information on the problem or existing attempts to ameliorate the problem and selecting a relatively homogeneous group for each focus group while achieving diversity through conducting multiple focus groups.
3. Attend to the logistical details and arrangements for making the focus group successful. Considerations include inviting participants sufficiently in advance, selecting a convenient time and place, providing comfortable seating that encourages interactions, and identifying a moderator prepared to lead the group and another individual to take notes and assist the moderator.
4. Prepare questions for the focus group. Considerations include phrasing questions about the problem, its causes, consequences, barriers to ameliorating it, and perspectives on current attempts to reduce it, which can be answered in an open-ended manner by participants.
5. Conduct the focus group. Considerations include familiarity of the moderator with the topics, specific questions and moving through the questions in the allotted time, probing for additional depth and clarity, keeping all participants engaged, summarizing what has been heard to ensure clarity, and actively assessing the extent of agreement among the responses.
6. Analyze and report the findings. Considerations include identifying the main ideas within and across the focus groups, determining the themes that arose in the responses, and organizing communication of the themes to stakeholders.