Unit 6 Assignment 1 Qualitative Research

Focus Groups

A focus group is a small, but demographically diverse group

of people whose reactions are studied especially in market
research or political analysis in guided or open discussions
about a new product or something else to determine the
reactions that can be expected from a larger population. It is
a form of qualitative research consisting of interviews in
which a group of people are asked about their perceptions,
opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service,
concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Questions are
asked in an interactive group setting where participants are
free to talk with other group members. During this process,
the researcher either takes notes or records the vital points he or she is getting from the group.
Researchers should select members of the focus group carefully for effective and authoritative
responses.

Questionnaires

A questionnaire is created and distributed by an organization to

groups of people. A questionnaire contains many different
questions regarding a companys products or services and is used
to gather information and feedback. When an organization
conducts a questionnaire, it decides how it will be conducted; for
example, typically over the phone, through the mail or on the
Internet. The results are tallied by the organization, analyzed and
used to make important business decisions.

Face-to-Face Interviews

Face-to-Face interview is the most common interview one should

ace to get a new job or a promotion, this generally includes two
people the employer and the job seeker and this will be one of your
most important opportunities to make a powerful impression
because the first 5 minutes are quite important. Key terms you must
consider carefully at the moment of your preparation are:
Appearance, handshake, presence, eye contact, personality, voice,
manners.

Interviews

Interviews provide a qualitative method of gathering evidence, data or information. Responses are
not usually expressed in numerical terms, as might be the case with questionnaires.

If you are planning to carry out interviews as part of a research project, the first things to consider are
who you will interview, what kind of information you want to obtain, and the type of interview that
will help you to do that.
 Unstructured interview. The interviewer uses at
most an 'aide memoir' - notes to jog the memory
- rather than a list of questions. The interview
may be like a conversation, with the interviewer
responding to the interviewee and letting them
speak freely.
Semi-structured interview. The interviewer has a
list of questions or key points to be covered and
works through them in a methodical manner.
Similar questions are asked of each interviewee,
although supplementary questions can be asked as appropriate. The interviewee can respond
how they like and does not have to 'tick a box' with their answer.
Structured interview. The interviewer asks the interviewee a series of specific questions, to
which a fixed range of answers are possible ('ticking a box'). This is the typical form of
interview used in social survey research, and can provide quantitative data, as in a
questionnaire.