Using interview excerpts to facilitate focus group discussion.

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Interviews and focus groups are established social science methods.
• Combining these methods creatively is less discussed in literature.
• Few studies detail practical approaches for integrating interviews and focus groups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and reflect on a novel focus group elicitation strategy.
• To demonstrate using individual interview excerpts to facilitate group discussion.
• To contribute to the methods literature on innovative qualitative research techniques.

Main Methods:

• Developed a focus group elicitation strategy using individual interview excerpts.
• Applied the strategy in a study on sharing embryo images in fertility treatment.
• Reflected on the practical application and effectiveness of the method.

Main Results:

• Individual interview excerpts effectively facilitated discussion in focus group settings.
• Re-enactment of interview excerpts served as an effective audio elicitation tool.
• The strategy proved valuable for probing issues emerging from individual interviews.

Conclusions:

• The novel use of individual interview material in focus groups offers a creative methodological approach.
• Re-enacting interview excerpts is an effective audio elicitation tool for later-stage research.
• This integrated approach enhances the depth and richness of qualitative data collection.