Conducting focus groups in developing countries: skill training for local bilingual facilitators
Maynard-Tucker, G.
Qualitative Health Research 10(3): 396-410
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 1049-7323 PMID: 10947484 DOI: 10.1177/104973200129118525Document Number: 247039
Many countries of the world are characterized by the use of two or more languages, and qualitative research is usually conducted in indigenous languages; however, bilingual facilitators often do not have any experience in research studies or in conducting focus group discussions. This article presents a 4-day skill-training workshop for local facilitators in which they learn the role of moderator, recorder, and observer and acquire research skills during role playing and during a pretest of the study population. Developed over several years of field experience, this technique has proven successful in collecting reliable data in situations when time is limited, when participants speak indigenous languages, and when bilingual facilitators have no background in research and lack focus group skills. The advantages of this training are that it is low cost and fast and permits a careful translation of the data. Moreover, because facilitators are involved in the collecting and analyzing of the data, their input provides the investigator with a valuable understanding of the findings from an emic perspective.