David L Morgan - Böcker

From the First Edition:

"Continues the high quality of previously published volumes in the Sage series on qualitative research methods. . . . Useful and instructive. . . . David L. Morgan deals with a number of practical issues concerning the conduct of focus groups, such as the degree of moderator involvement and group size. . . . Provides ample illustrations . . . and thought-provoking advice for researchers and students."

--Contemporary Sociology

"David L. Morgan's book is unique among current offerings on focus groups because it is directed at academic users of focus groups rather than practitioners. His account is also unique in its critical attitude toward contemporary market research applications of focus groups. . . . The book succeeds best at providing fuel for scholarly debates about what group interviews can and cannot contribute to research."

--Journal of Marketing Research

"Provides the reader with a very clear and practical overview of the focus group as a method for field research. . . . Well-written and informative. . . . Providing the history and methodological rationale for the method. . . . Attests to the benefits or strengths of focus group research on the basis of personal opinion and testimonial evidence."

--Personnel Psychology

Only a decade ago, focus groups were virtually unknown to social scientists. Now their use in academic as well as outside settings is vast and ever growing. David L. Morgan has extensively revised and updated his best-selling Focus Groups as Qualitative Research, providing an excellent guide for researchers in every discipline. He begins his comprehensive revision with an updated introduction that offers a discussion of current social science approaches to focus groups. Expanded coverage on the comparison of focus groups to individual interviews follows, as well as more on the strengths and weaknesses of focus groups (Chapter 2). Chapter 3's section on self-contained focus groups has also been expanded to reflect the increased range of research being done in this area. The next chapter has been thoroughly reorganized both to provide an overview of what a typical set of groups looks like as well as new insights on research design. Similarly, Chapters 5 and 6 have been reorganized and broadened to include examples from social scientists who have established their own practices and methodological research on focus groups. This best-selling research guide concludes with future directions and references that take into account the explosive growth in focus groups as a research tool for all social scientists.

Reflecting the many changes that have occurred in the study of focus groups over the years, Focus Groups as Qualitative Research, Second Edition is for qualitative researchers in every academic discipline as well as those in nonacademic settings.

From the First Edition:

"Continues the high quality of previously published volumes in the Sage series on qualitative research methods. . . . Useful and instructive. . . . David L. Morgan deals with a number of practical issues concerning the conduct of focus groups, such as the degree of moderator involvement and group size. . . . Provides ample illustrations . . . and thought-provoking advice for researchers and students."

--Contemporary Sociology

"David L. Morgan's book is unique among current offerings on focus groups because it is directed at academic users of focus groups rather than practitioners. His account is also unique in its critical attitude toward contemporary market research applications of focus groups. . . . The book succeeds best at providing fuel for scholarly debates about what group interviews can and cannot contribute to research."

--Journal of Marketing Research

"Provides the reader with a very clear and practical overview of the focus group as a method for field research. . . . Well-written and informative. . . . Providing the history and methodological rationale for the method. . . . Attests to the benefits or strengths of focus group research on the basis of personal opinion and testimonial evidence."

--Personnel Psychology

Only a decade ago, focus groups were virtually unknown to social scientists. Now their use in academic as well as outside settings is vast and ever growing. David L. Morgan has extensively revised and updated his best-selling Focus Groups as Qualitative Research, providing an excellent guide for researchers in every discipline. He begins his comprehensive revision with an updated introduction that offers a discussion of current social science approaches to focus groups. Expanded coverage on the comparison of focus groups to individual interviews follows, as well as more on the strengths and weaknesses of focus groups (Chapter 2). Chapter 3's section on self-contained focus groups has also been expanded to reflect the increased range of research being done in this area. The next chapter has been thoroughly reorganized both to provide an overview of what a typical set of groups looks like as well as new insights on research design. Similarly, Chapters 5 and 6 have been reorganized and broadened to include examples from social scientists who have established their own practices and methodological research on focus groups. This best-selling research guide concludes with future directions and references that take into account the explosive growth in focus groups as a research tool for all social scientists.

Reflecting the many changes that have occurred in the study of focus groups over the years, Focus Groups as Qualitative Research, Second Edition is for qualitative researchers in every academic discipline as well as those in nonacademic settings.

Author David L. Morgan covers the wide range of practical tasks required in the course of a research project when using focus groups. Throughout, Planning Focus Groups emphasizes the clarifying purposes of the research project in order to collect data that meet the goals. The author extensively and concisely covers the basic decisions that are necessary to plan a research project using focus groups, such as who should be in the groups, the total number of groups, their size, and much more. This volume also features a detailed discussion of timelines, personnel, and budgets. Among the other topics covered are recruitment, selecting locations, and recording and managing data. Practical material includes checklists, recruitment tools, timelines, and budgets.

Providing a general introduction to focus group research, The Focus Group Guidebook includes the appropriate reasons for using focus groups and what you can expect to accomplish with them. It provides a brief history of focus groups, a discussion of when to use focus groups and why, and several brief case studies illustrating different uses of focus groups. Author David L. Morgan also extensively provides the timeline and costs associated with focus groups, including a discussion of the ethical issues involved in focus group research. Thoroughly covering all the information to help you start your focus group project, this guidebook is appropriate for anybody beginning a focus group, as well as manager or clients who will be using focus groups.

"Successful Focus Groups is a state-of-the-art text on focus group research methods. . . . Successful Focus Groups is a well-written document with clearly presented reasons why researchers should follow the guide lines presented. Additionally, this text is groundbreaking in its focus on topics that will advance knowledge of focus group research methods. . . . an improvement over prior treatises on focus groups. . . . Successful Focus Groups is clearly one of the most helpful treatises on focus group research. . . . this text will advance the quality of focus group research. I recommend Successful Focus Groups to anyone interested in learning about doing focus group research."

--Susan A. Stearns in Qualitative Studies in Education

"There is original material and the overall breadth and ease of presentation of the material make this the most comprehensive and readable book produced so far on the subject. . . . In many of the chapters, examples from actual studies are used to illustrate the basics or discuss particular issues involved in the approach. This grounding of the discussion is particularly appealing."

--Contemporary Sociology

"This book systematically addresses the issues, practice, wisdom, and problems in conducting focus groups. It is an integrated collection of articles representing the state of the art in focus group applications. It covers the basic principles of when and how to use focus groups, the applicability of focus group interviews to survey research and other methods, general issues in the use of focus groups, the specific problems of focus groups with different populations or settings, and an agenda for future development of the method."

--Bulletin de Methodologie Sociologique

"Anyone who is considering using focus group interviews as a tool in social science research or as a means to develop and validate another research methodology will find this text quite useful. This well-written and edited text offers practical advice, methodologic considerations, and actual examples of how to plan, conduct, and analyze focus group research. It offers a practical discussion on the uses and limitations of focus group interviews as a research tool."

--Journal of Nutrition Education

While various books introduce the basics of focus groups, Successful Focus Groups is the first volume to systematically address the issues, practice wisdom, and problems in conducting focus groups from the perspective of those who have done the most work using these methods in social science settings. The result is a well-integrated collection of articles that represents the state-of-the-art in focus group applications, written by a knowledgeable, interdisciplinary group of scholars. The chapters cover the basic principles of when and how to use focus groups, the applicability of focus group interviews to survey research and other methods, general issues in the use of focus groups, the specific problems of focus groups with different populations or settings, and an agenda for future development of the method. Authoritative and readable, this volume is essential reading for social scientists now using, or contemplating, focus groups in their research, and a useful, practical text for students of research methods.

This text ntroduces readers to the history, epistemology, and strategies of single-case research design. The authors offer concrete information on how to observe, measure, and interpret change in relevant outcome variables and how to design strategies that promote causal inferences.

Key Features

Intended Audience

This text is intended for students and practitioners in a variety of disciplines—including psychology, nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy—who are increasingly called upon to document the effectiveness of interventions.