Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research [Plastic Comb]

Richard A. Krueger (Author), Mary Anne Casey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1412969476 | ISBN-13: 978-1412969475 | Publication Date: November 30, 2008 | Edition: 4th

The Fourth Edition of the bestselling Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research offers an easy-to-ready overview of sound focus group practices. Authors Richard A. Krueger & Mary Anne Casey describe how one can set up and conduct quality and effective focus group interviews. The process depicted is unbiased, non-judgmental and is respectful of all views. It is a deliberate and systematic way of listening that is helpful to public and private organizations as they listen to stakeholders, customers, and employees. This book cuts through the theory and gives hand-on advice to those who are seeking to actually conduct a focus group. It is most helpful for conducting focus groups for research or evaluation with public, non-profit, educational, health, human service, and religious organizations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Richard Krueger and Mary Anne Casey have prepared a detailed, step-by-step roadmap of how to design, prepare for, implement, analyze, and report on focus groups. They give detailed discussions of issues to consider, tips, and warnings to help prepare for the expected and unexpected. The book informs the novice focus group user and provides insight for the seasoned focus group practitioner." 

(Judith Berkowitz )

"This book is packed with sound advice and detailed approaches, making this method a success. . . If you are even thinking about doing any kind of group interview, this is the place to start." 

(Nursing Times )

"We want people to listen to us. . . . Focus group interviewing is about listening. It is about paying attention. . . . being nonjudgmental. . . . When used appropriately, the process improves listening and the results can be used to benefit people who shared the information. And people go away feeling good about having been heard." 

(Richard A. Krueger & Mary Anne Casey From Preface ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Richard Krueger, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus and senior fellow at the University of Minnesota. He spent 25 years with the University of Minnesota Extension Service serving as evaluation leader. Now he teaches qualitative research methods and program evaluation at the University of Minnesota. Although trained as a quantitative researcher, he was drawn to qualitative research. He has spent the last 30 years learning about, practicing, and teaching focus group interviewing.

Mary Anne Casey, Ph.D., is a consultant to government agencies and nonprofit organizations. She helps them design and conduct individual and group interviews as a way of listening to their employees and customers. The information is typically used to plan and evaluate programs. She has previously worked with the Kellogg Foundation, the University of Minnesota, and the State of Minnesota. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Plastic Comb: 182 pages
• Publisher: Pine Forge Pr; 4th edition (November 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412969476
• ISBN-13: 978-1412969475
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Government     > Public Policy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb research guide!, June 20, 2000

By 

"paladin_red" (Edmonton, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research, Third Edition (Plastic Comb)

Krueger's book on focus groups has been by far the most useful guide in terms of the step-by-step approach used. Everything from concise budgeting techniques to handling those "difficult" participants are outlined neatly and in a straight-forward fashion. The appendices after each chapter are also really helpful especially for beginner researchers such as myself. I borrowed this book from the library for a summer marketing research job and it was all I needed for the focus group portion. Recommended to me by my marketing prof, I in turn highly recommend it!

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars User friendly - not research friendly, September 19, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research, Third Edition (Plastic Comb)

This book contains a great deal of information about conducting focus groups and is very easy to use; however, the format is far too simplistic. Focus groups are a research technique; this book takes the approach of "so easy even a child could do it." Although it is filled with information and guidelines about appropriate techniques and uses for data, the lighthearted format undermines the serious nature of data collection and analysis. The second edition was much better as a comprehensive guide to focus groups that maintained some research integrity.

Incidentally, I suspect that Paladin Red actually reviewed the second edition. The third edition does not contain appendices after each chapter - another unfortunate loss from the earlier edition.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from a Focus Group Moderator, July 25, 2006

By 

A Customer (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research (Hardcover)

If you're looking for practical information that you can apply quickly, I suggest picking up this book. You'll flip through it time and again. As the owner of [...], I see a lot of poorly written material. Krueger has done a good job in making this guide immediately impactful to the reader.