WASP (Write a Scientific Paper): Collecting qualitative data using focus groups

Abstract

Qualitative data is important to understand certain phenomena. While quantitative data is important to understand the prevalence of attitudes and behaviour in psychosocial medical research, qualitative data can help understand and explain the reasons behind attitudes behaviour. One of the methods of collecting qualitative data is the focus group discussion. During a focus group researchers facilitate a discussion to elicit views and lay theories about the research topic. Researchers use group facilitation skills in order to make participants feel at ease and disclose their thoughts, feelings and perceptions about a particular issue with the least bias possible. This paper discusses how the text obtained after transcribing the discussions can be analysed using thematic analysis.