The DOI matches its Crossref record; 27 of the 27 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
What Influences Saturation? Estimating Sample Sizes in Focus Group Research
Open accessAbstract
Saturation is commonly used to determine sample sizes in qualitative research, yet there is little guidance on what influences saturation. We aimed to assess saturation and identify parameters to estimate sample sizes for focus group studies in advance of data collection. We used two approaches to assess saturation in data from 10 focus group discussions. Four focus groups were sufficient to identify a range of new issues (code saturation), but more groups were needed to fully understand these issues (meaning saturation). Group stratification influenced meaning saturation, whereby one focus group per stratum was needed to identify issues; two groups per stratum provided a more comprehensive understanding of issues, but more groups per stratum provided little additional benefit. We identify six parameters influencing saturation in focus group data: study purpose, type of codes, group stratification, number of groups per stratum, and type and degree of saturation.
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Cites
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How Many Interviews Are Enough?: An Experiment with Data Saturation and Variability
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Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008) · SAGE · doi:10.4135/9781452230153 · Cited by 12,136
Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization
Saunders, B., Sim, J., Kingstone, T., Baker, S., Waterfield, J., Bartlam, B., Burroughs, H., & Jinks, C. (2018) · Quality & Quantity · doi:10.1007/s11135-017-0574-8 · Cited by 12,033
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Code Saturation Versus Meaning Saturation: How Many Interviews Are Enough?
Hennink, M. M., Kaiser, B. N., & Marconi, V. C. (2017) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732316665344 · Cited by 4,597
Self-citationWhat is an adequate sample size? Operationalising data saturation for theory-based interview studies
Francis, J. J., Johnston, M., Robertson, C., Glidewell, L., Entwistle, V., Eccles, M. P., & Grimshaw, J. M. (2010) · Psychology & Health · doi:10.1080/08870440903194015 · Cited by 3,429
Cited by
Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests
Hennink, M., & Kaiser, B. N. (2022) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523 · Cited by 6,311
Self-citationBraun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021) · Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health · doi:10.1080/2159676x.2019.1704846 · Cited by 4,776
Saturation in qualitative research: an evolutionary concept analysis
Rahimi, S., & khatooni, M. (2024) · International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances · doi:10.1016/j.ijnsa.2024.100174 · Cited by 560
“The sample size is always a topic of discussion among qualitative researchers (Guest et al., 2020; Hennink & Kaiser, 2022; Hennink et al., 2017; Hennink et al., 2019; Mwita, 2022).”
BackgroundWutich, A., Beresford, M., & Bernard, H. R. (2024) · International Journal of Qualitative Methods · doi:10.1177/16094069241296206 · Cited by 416
Enworo, O. C. (2023) · Qualitative Research Journal · doi:10.1108/qrj-08-2022-0116 · Cited by 271
Metadata
- Authors
- Hennink, M. M., Kaiser, B. N., & Weber, M. B.
- Venue
- Qualitative Health Research
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2019-01-10
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1483-1496
- ISSN
- 1049-7323 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7557
- OpenAlex
- W2908594383
- Cited by
- 1,162
- References
- 27
- FWCI
- 151.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
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