Rethinking Focus Groups: Inherent Issues and How to Measure Them

Abstract

Focus Groups are often prone to adverse group effects, such as conformity and dominance bias, that negatively affect the data collection process. In this study, we introduced an alternative approach—Anchored Positional Responding—that adopts an anchoring effect to identify the adverse group effects. In the approach, participants are first required to physically position themselves within a room-sized replicated Likert Scale (as external anchors) in response to a given question prompt before responding verbally. The approach was tested with participants (N = 13) discussing their experiences with online versus in-person learning. The results support the assumption that the approach allows for the minimization of adverse group effects. The external anchors and individual seating arrangements fostered a more equitable discussion environment where participants felt more comfortable expressing opinions.