Doing Synchronous Online Focus Groups With Young People: Methodological Reflections
Open accessAbstract
Although online focus groups are emerging as a worthwhile methodological approach for qualitative researchers, reporting has been constrained in several ways. The majority of studies report asynchronous groups, whereas others employ synchronous exchanges, the efficacy of which with young people has seldom been explored. Considering the popularity of the Internet as a communication tool for young people, this missed opportunity is surprising. Based on a series of synchronous online focus groups with young people, the authors explore why this approach might be an effective way of engaging young people with appearance-related concerns in research. In this article, they discuss the process of hosting and moderating synchronous online focus groups, highlighting some of the ethical, pragmatic, and personal challenges that might face researchers using this method. Through a reflexive approach, they intend to inform and encourage qualitative researchers to consider alternative ways of engaging young people in research.
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Some studies have documented the advantages and comparability of in-person and virtual focus group data.
“Although virtual focus groups are a relatively new methodology, some studies have documented their advantages and the comparability of in-person and virtual focus group data.[24–28]”
From Perceived healthcare provider reactions to patient and caregiver use of online health communities (2014) · cites this paper as [26]
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- Authors
- Fox, F. E., Morris, M., & Rumsey, N.
- Affiliations
- University of the West of England (GB)
- Venue
- Qualitative Health Research
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2007-04
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 539-547
- ISSN
- 1049-7323 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7557
- OpenAlex
- W2099164367
- Cited by
- 248
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 13.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- Qualitative Health Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion)
- UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) (acceptedVersion)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion)
- UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Participatory Visual Research Methods
- Keywords
- youth, research ethics, reflexivity, online communication, qualitative research
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, United Kingdom, Humans, Focus Groups, Internet, Researcher-Subject Relations, Qualitative Research
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