Focus groups in nursing research: methodological perspectives

Focus groups have been increasingly used as a data collection method in nursing research. The key feature of focus groups is the active interaction among participants to explore their views and opinions. In this respect, focus groups are distinct from other methods such as Delphi groups, nominal groups, brainstorming, and consensus panels, which seek to determine a consensus between participants. Compared with other data collection methods, it can be concluded that the real strength of focus groups is not simply in exploring what participants have to say, but in providing insights into the sources of complex behaviors and motivations. The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the focus group as a research tool in nursing research, particularly in nursing education.