What you'll learn
- what a focus group is, and its advantages and disadvantages
- examples of focus groups in Anthropological research
- research ethics and professional ethics
- how to start a research project involving focus groups
- focus group logistics and budgeting
- recruiting participants and getting informed consent
- how to moderate a focus group
- how to create a discussion guide
- how to handle problems
- how to take notes on the discussion
- how to analyze data
- how to share results
- how to manage the data afterwards
Requirements
- software to open PDFs, if you want to complete worksheets on your computer (instead of printing them out)
- a printer, paper, and a pen or pencil, ONLY if you want to print out PDF worksheets and write on them
Description
Have you ever taken part in a focus group? This is where you and a group of other people have a discussion about something under the guidance of a moderator. Maybe you were asked to comment on a new product, or evaluate an advertisement. If you have never taken part in a focus group, or you don’t know what a focus group is exactly, that’s ok! I’ll teach you everything you need to know in this course.
Focus groups are used frequently in marketing research, but Anthropologists use them, too! In this course, you will learn about focus groups and how to conduct them. You’ll learn about everything from creating the research project to recruiting people to running the actual focus group to analyzing the data and sharing the results of your research.
In this course, you will watch a combination of talking head videos and Powerpoint lectures. At the end of each unit, there is a short activity to help you explore the course content and a short quiz with 5 questions. At the end of the course, there is a final assignment where you can be like an Anthropologist, and analyze real focus group data!
This course is part of a series of Anthropology courses, called Anthropology 4U: The 4 fields of Anthropology, For Everyone. The courses can be taken in any order, and you don't need to know anything about Anthropology to take these courses.
Enroll now, and learn about how to collect Anthropological data through focus groups! I look forward to seeing you in class!
Who this course is for:
- someone who knows nothing (or only a little) about Anthropology research methods
Instructor
- 4.6 Instructor Rating
- 103 Reviews
- 1,659 Students
- 5 Courses
Hi! I'm Keirsten and I'm an Anthropologist. I have 2 Master's degrees in Anthropology, and I've worked as a Medical Anthropologist for the Cleveland Clinic, the #2 hospital in the world. I teach online courses in all 4 fields of Anthropology through my small business, "Anthropology 4U." I am living with a progressive neuromuscular disease, and so I now use a wheelchair to get around, a feeding tube to eat and drink, and a ventilator to breathe. All this does not stop me from teaching!
About Me
I am a single mom with two adult children, a boy (age 20) and a girl (age 25). In my free time, I like to read and paint with watercolors and acrylics. I also enjoy "hiking" in my wheelchair in the Dishman Hills Natural Area near my home in Spokane Valley, Washington.
Educational Background
I earned a Master's Degree in Medical Anthropology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, which is ranked #42 in the USA. I also have a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary History & Anthropology, as well as a B.A. in Anthropology from Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington.
Professional Experience
I have worked as a professional Medical Anthropologist for the Cleveland Clinic medical center, which is ranked the #2 hospital in the world. I also have worked for Archaeological & Historical Services, a respected Archaeology research company in Washington state.
Teaching Experience
My teaching experience includes 3 years as a frequent guest lecturer at Eastern Washington University. I have taught workshops in Forensic Anthropology through the Future Connections Program in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Gear Up Education Grant in Cheney, Washington. I have also taught Archaeology workshops through the Spokane Public Schools' Tessera Program. In addition, I have 5 years of experience as a Teaching Assistant for the Departments of Anthropology at Case Western Reserve University and Eastern Washington University.
Research Experience
I have presented research at several professional conferences. For example, I studied disease and poverty in Nairobi, Kenya, and then presented my research, titled "The Intersection of Disease and Poverty in Slum Communities Around Nairobi, Kenya" at the 10th Annual Eastern Washington University Research and Creative Works Symposium in Cheney, Washington. As another example, I presented research as a contributing author on behalf of my research team at the Cleveland Clinic. The title was, "Preparing for a Genomic Future: Assessing the Educational Needs of Professionals in Clinical Genetics" and it was presented at the 13th Annual Meeting of the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG) in Bethesda, Maryland.
Professional Publishing
I have several published articles in professional journals, including the following:
2018: Contributing Author for Thematic Feature Interview Forum: Space and the Outer Limits of Archaeology. International Journal of Student Research in Archaeology 4:19-27.
2015: Access to Resources in Astrobiology: A Consideration for Astrobiology Outreach. Astrosociological Insights 4(1):19-20.
2008: The Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919: The Spokane Experience. Master's Thesis, Eastern Washington University.
2007: Contributing Author for Channeled Scabland Archaeology: Investigations at the Cattle Guard Site, Department of Geography and Anthropology, Eastern Washington University Report Series No. 6.
2005: Malaria in Africa: Is America Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem. Journal of Northwest Anthropology, 39(2): 189-194.
2005: Perceptions of Malaria among Western Populations and the Wandamba of Eastern Africa: A Cross-Cultural Comparison. Lambda Alpha Journal 35: 29-36.