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What about N? A methodological study of sample-size reporting in focus group studies
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Focus group studies are increasingly published in health related journals, but we know little about how researchers use this method, particularly how they determine the number of focus groups to conduct. The methodological literature commonly advises researchers to follow principles of data saturation, although practical advise on how to do this is lacking. Our objectives were firstly, to describe the current status of sample size in focus group studies reported in health journals. Secondly, to assess whether and how researchers explain the number of focus groups they carry out. METHODS: We searched PubMed for studies that had used focus groups and that had been published in open access journals during 2008, and extracted data on the number of focus groups and on any explanation authors gave for this number. We also did a qualitative assessment of the papers with regard to how number of groups was explained and discussed. RESULTS: We identified 220 papers published in 117 journals. In these papers insufficient reporting of sample sizes was common. The number of focus groups conducted varied greatly (mean 8.4, median 5, range 1 to 96). Thirty seven (17%) studies attempted to explain the number of groups. Six studies referred to rules of thumb in the literature, three stated that they were unable to organize more groups for practical reasons, while 28 studies stated that they had reached a point of saturation. Among those stating that they had reached a point of saturation, several appeared not to have followed principles from grounded theory where data collection and analysis is an iterative process until saturation is reached. Studies with high numbers of focus groups did not offer explanations for number of groups. Too much data as a study weakness was not an issue discussed in any of the reviewed papers. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these findings we suggest that journals adopt more stringent requirements for focus group method reporting. The often poor and inconsistent reporting seen in these studies may also reflect the lack of clear, evidence-based guidance about deciding on sample size. More empirical research is needed to develop focus group methodology.
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“More participants may be recruited in additional focus groups and/or interviews until saturation is met in line with established recommendations for focus group thematic analysis.72”
From Novel ACT-based eHealth psychoeducational intervention for students with mental distress: A study protocol for a mixed-methodology pilot trial (2019) · cites this paper as [72]
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“Fewer groups are common when combining focus groups with other data collection methods (Carlsen and Glenton, 2011) and when the research question is limited (Kitzinger, 1995; Krueger”
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BackgroundMicroaggression and the adult stuttering experience
Coalson, G. A., Crawford, A., Treleaven, S., Byrd, C. T., Davis, L., Dang, L., Edgerly, J., & Turk, A. (2021) · Journal of Communication Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106180 · Cited by 49
Nsangi, A., Semakula, D., Glenton, C., Lewin, S. A., Oxman, A. D., Oxman, M., Rosenbaum, S., Dahlgren, A., Nyirazinyoye, L., Kaseje, M., et al. (2019) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030787 · Cited by 43
“The amount of data we collected was guided by considerations of the variation in issues emerging from the data collection and the extent to which we are able to explain these variations; our time and resource constraints; and the need to avoid large volumes of data that cannot be easily managed or analysed as emphasis…”
MethodSelf-citationMugisha, M., Uwitonze, A. M., Chesire, F., Ssenyonga, R., Oxman, M., Nsangi, A., Semakula, D., Kaseje, M., Lewin, S. A., Sewankambo, N. K., et al. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0248773 · Cited by 50
“We considered our time and resource constraints and the need to avoid large volumes of data that cannot be easily managed or analysed as highlighted in the literature [35, 36].”
BackgroundPatient-Centered Outcomes Research
(2017) · doi:10.25302/67.2017.1 · Cited by 44
General practitioners’ strategies to identify alcohol problems: A focus group study
Lid, T. G., & Malterud, K. (2012) · Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care · doi:10.3109/02813432.2012.679229 · Cited by 44
Intercultural Interactions Outside the Classroom: Narratives on a US Campus
Lehto, X. Y., Cai, L. A., Fu, X., & Yi, C. (2014) · Journal of college student development · doi:10.1353/csd.2014.0083 · Cited by 44
“…data collection methods because of its advantages: (a) it is suitable for eliciting participants’ subjective interpretation of their experience (Carlsen & Glenton, 2011), (b) the interactive atmosphere is conducive to the exchange of ideas and perspectives with other individuals who had…”
MethodKerrebroeck, H. V., Willems, K., & Brengman, M. (2017) · International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management · doi:10.1108/ijrdm-09-2016-0156 · Cited by 44
“Focus Retail & Distribution Management, 45(7/8), 892-909. groups are informal discussions between participants on an a priori determined topic (Beck et al., 1986) that allow for exploring subjective experiences, attitudes and opinions (Carlsen and Glenton, 2011).”
BackgroundBanerjee, S., Semper, K., Skarparis, K., Naisby, J., Lewis, L. S., Cucato, G. G., Mills, R., Rochester, M. A., & Saxton, J. (2019) · Disability and Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09638288.2019.1651907 · Cited by 46
Mid-Adolescents’ Social Media Use: Supporting and Suppressing Autonomy
West, M., Rice, S., & Vella‐Brodrick, D. (2023) · Journal of Adolescent Research · doi:10.1177/07435584231168402 · Cited by 59
“This is a recommended size for focus groups as it provokes diverse insights, encourages contribution from each participant, whilst avoiding fragmentation, which can occur in larger groups (Carlsen & Glenton, 2011; Krueger & Casey, 2000).”
Aggarwal, N. K., Cedeño, K., Guarnaccia, P. J., Kleinman, A., & Lewis‐Fernández, R. (2016) · SpringerPlus · doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2037-4 · Cited by 42
“There is no consensus among focus group methodologists on the numbers of participants needed to achieve data saturation among methodologists (Carlsen and Glenton 2011).”
BackgroundTest result communication in primary care: clinical and office staff perspectives
Litchfield, I. J., Bentham, L., Lilford, R. J., & Greenfield, S. (2014) · Family Practice · doi:10.1093/fampra/cmu041 · Cited by 42
“The number of focus groups was limited to four, this is however within the range reported in existing literature (17) and similar experiences were repeatedly described across the four groups, suggesting that we were approaching theoretical saturation (18).”
ResultKamara, J. K., Agho, K., & Renzaho, A. M. N. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212994 · Cited by 46
Kook, R. B., & Harel‐Shalev, A. (2020) · Gender Place & Culture · doi:10.1080/0966369x.2020.1762546 · Cited by 42
van Muilekom, M. M., Teela, L., van Oers, H. A., van Goudoever, J. B., Grootenhuis, M. A., & Haverman, L. (2021) · Quality of Life Research · doi:10.1007/s11136-021-02950-x · Cited by 43
“Focus groups with patients and parents were held separately and for each focus group inclusion of three to six participants was pursued [32].”
BackgroundNitel Araştırmalarda Örneklem Büyüklüğünün Belirlenmesi: Veri Doygunluğu
Yağar, F. (2023) · Aksaray Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi · doi:10.38122/ased.1030365 · Cited by 46
The role of ICU nurses in the spiritual aspects of end‐of‐life care in the ICU: an explorative study
Noome, M., Kolmer, D. M. B. G., van Leeuwen, E., Dijkstra, B. M., & Vloet, L. C. M. (2016) · Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences · doi:10.1111/scs.12371 · Cited by 40
Tucker, T., Bouvette, M., Daly, S., & Grassau, P. A. (2017) · Evaluation and Program Planning · doi:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2017.07.006 · Cited by 40
Theorizing in Information Systems Research Using Focus Groups
Bélanger, F. (2012) · AJIS. Australasian journal of information systems/AJIS. Australian journal of information systems/Australian journal of information systems · doi:10.3127/ajis.v17i2.695 · Cited by 40
“…been accomplished in terms of knowledge elicitation in these studies since the goal in focus group research is usually saturation, where repeated focus group sessions should result in similar findings to a point where no new insight is gained from additional focus groups (Carlsen and Glenton 2011).”
BackgroundResultPatient perspectives on test result communication in primary care: a qualitative study
Litchfield, I. J., Bentham, L., Lilford, R. J., McManus, R. J., & Greenfield, S. (2015) · British Journal of General Practice · doi:10.3399/bjgp15x683929 · Cited by 39
Pohontsch, N. J., Müller, V., Brandner, S., Karlheim, C., Jünger, S., Klindtworth, K., Stamer, M., Höfling-Engels, N., Kleineke, V., Brandt, B., et al. (2017) · Das Gesundheitswesen · doi:10.1055/s-0043-104379 · Cited by 39
“Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften; 2011 [21] Glaser B, Strauss A. Grounded Theory: Strategien qualitativer Forschung.”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-management and adherence in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: what are we missing?
Harry, O., Crosby, L. E., Smith, A. W., Favier, L., Aljaberi, N., Ting, T. V., Huggins, J., & Modi, A. C. (2019) · Lupus · doi:10.1177/0961203319839478 · Cited by 39
Exchanging focus groups for individual interviews when collecting qualitative data
Baillie, L. (2019) · Nurse Researcher · doi:10.7748/nr.2019.e1633 · Cited by 42
Wong, S. D., Broader, J. C., & Shaheen, S. (2020) · Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives · doi:10.1016/j.trip.2020.100131 · Cited by 39
“While we achieved a focus group size (between 4 and 12 participants) that is consistent with literature (Carlsen and Glenton, 2011), we likely did not reach saturation of themes and topics for each specific demographic.”
BackgroundKarstens, S., Joos, S., Hill, J. C., Krug, K., Szécsényi, J., & Steinhäuser, J. (2015) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0136119 · Cited by 37
“For qualitative group approaches, Carlsen and Glenton identified recommendations ranging from two to five groups adding that the necessary number depends on the research question and the composition of the groups [39].”
MethodBuckton, C. H., Lean, M. E. J., & Combet, E. (2015) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1884-1 · Cited by 37
“There was no predefined limit to the number of focus groups planned, with the intention of reaching theoretical saturation [32].”
BackgroundDesign Considerations for Supporting Mindfulness in Virtual Reality
Kelly, R., Seabrook, E., Foley, F., Thomas, N., Nedeljkovic, M., & Wadley, G. (2022) · Frontiers in Virtual Reality · doi:10.3389/frvir.2021.672556 · Cited by 38
“Guidelines suggest that the sample size for a focus group should balance the research aims against project constraints (Tang and Davis, 1995) and that three focus groups is suf fi cient to acquire detailed feedback (Gutteling et al., 2008; Carlsen and Glenton, 2011).”
BackgroundBrooks, H. M., Paul, M. K. J., Claude, K. M., Mocanu, V., & Hawkes, M. (2017) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185290 · Cited by 38
“FGDs were continued until a point of saturation, when no new themes emerged in discussions [17].”
Tan, K. S. Y., & Chan, C. M. L. (2018) · Journal of Aging Studies · doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2018.04.002 · Cited by 36
Carswell, C., Reid, J., Walsh, I., McAneney, H., & Noble, H. R. (2019) · Pilot and Feasibility Studies · doi:10.1186/s40814-018-0389-y · Cited by 37
Moore, S. K., Guarino, H., Acosta, M. C., Aronson, I. D., Marsch, L. A., Rosenblum, A., Grabinski, M. J., & Turk, D. C. (2013) · Pain Medicine · doi:10.1111/pme.12200 · Cited by 35
Tornøe, K. A., Danbolt, L. J., Kvigne, K. J., & Sørlie, V. M. (2015) · BMC Palliative Care · doi:10.1186/s12904-015-0042-y · Cited by 43
“Carlsen B, Glenton C.”
BackgroundHerman, B. K., Safikhani, S., Hengerer, D., Atkins, N., Kim, A. J., Cassidy, D., Babcock, T., Agus, S., & Lenderking, W. R. (2014) · Postgraduate Medicine · doi:10.3810/pgm.2014.09.2800 · Cited by 39
Metadata
- Authors
- Carlsen, B., & Glenton, C.
- Affiliations
- SINTEF (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Carlsen, Benedicte
- ORCID
- Glenton, Claire
- Venue
- BMC Medical Research Methodology
- Published
- 2011-03-11
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 26-26
- ISSN
- 1471-2288 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3061958
- OpenAlex
- W2013335946
- Cited by
- 670
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 47 · 2024: 53 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 52 · 2020: 66 · 2019: 56 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 52 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 80.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- BMC Medical Research Methodology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Bergen Open Research Archive (BORA) (University of Bergen) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Universitetet i Bergen
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Delphi Technique in Research
- Keywords
- focus groups, sample size reporting, data saturation, grounded theory, qualitative research methodology, reporting guidelines, health journals, methodological quality
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Research Design, Focus Groups, Sample Size, PubMed
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