This updated edition of Krueger and Casey's bestselling, practical book walks readers step-by-step through the "how tos" of conducting focus group research. Using an engaging, straightforward writing style, the authors draw on their more than 50 years of hands-on experience in the field to cut through theory and offer practical guidance on every facet of the focus process, including tips for avoiding problems and pitfalls. The Fifth Edition reflects the most recent research and technological innovations and includes new coverage on planning with analysis in mind; creating conversational questions that have the potential for producing unique and valuable insights; developing questions that get answers with little or no talking; the art of hosting a focus group; common sense thinking about reporting; more efficient strategies for planning the study; and emerging areas of focus group research, such as conducting cross-cultural, international, and Internet (asynchronous) focus groups.

Richard Krueger offers a rich and valuable discussion of focus group analysis that is sure to become a major guide in future focus group efforts. Because analyzing focus group data is different from analyzing data collected through other qualitative methodologies, it presents new challenges to researchers. Analyzing and Reporting Focus Group Results offers an overview of important principles guiding focus group research and suggests a systematic and verifiable analysis strategy. Krueger is not doctrinaire, but instead offers multiple approaches and invites others to share their strategies for analysis. The book is helpful for academic audiences, focus group practitioners, and the occasional moderator. And the straightforward approach contains hundreds of helpful tips. The reader of this volume is bound to find delightful strategies that will improve analysis.

Involving Community Members in Focus Groups is a must for those who want to teach others to conduct focus group interviews, particularly non-researchers in communities. Authors Richard A. Krueger and Jean A. King draw upon years of experience working with communities and present practical strategies for working alongside non-researchers. Krueger and King argue that volunteers can often gather and present results more effectively than professionals; However, a critical element is how the volunteers are prepared and the manner in which they work together. This book offers countless tips, advice, and exercises for preparing people to conduct focus groups, whether you are preparing a team to conduct a community study or teaching one person to help in a study.

Moderating Focus Groups is indispensable for those who want to improve their focus group moderating skills. Based on years of experience in moderating and training others to moderate, Richard A. Krueger offers scores of tips and sound advice on how to become a master in leading focus groups. The book is an easy-to-read overview of critical skills needed by moderators, the various approaches that successful moderators use, and strategies for handling difficult situations. Rookie moderators will find this book is an invaluable guide, and veteran moderators will discover tips and strategies for honing their skills.

Struggling with focus groups questions? Asking the right questions is critical in focus group interviewing. Developing Questions in a Focus Group describes a practical process for identifying powerful themes and offers an easy-to-understand strategy for translating those themes into questions. Richard A. Krueger suggests ways of categorizing, phrasing, and sequencing focus group questions. Going beyond material presented in his earlier books, Krueger shares ideas for questions that get participants actively involved in the focus group interview by asking participants to make lists, create report cards, sort pictures, draw, cut and paste, or participate in a mini-debate. The results of these activities not only yield insightful information but are also interesting and fun. This book helps make the process of developing good questions doable by outlining a process and offering many examples. After reading this book, your focus groups will never be the same.