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Article by Associate Professor Tom Massey Is 2011's Most Downloaded for Journal of Evaluation and Program Planning

A journal article on the analysis and interpretation of focus groups in evaluation research, authored by CFS faculty member Oliver T. Massey, PhD, has been recognized as the most downloaded article in 2011 in the Journal of Evaluation and Program Planning. The Journal is published by Elsevier, which serves more than 30 million scientists, students and health and information professionals worldwide.

Massey's article, A proposed model for the analysis and interpretation of focus groups in evaluation research, reviews the methodology of the focus group – one of the most common qualitative methods of obtaining data. The article reviews the interpretation of focus group data at three levels, each offering different kinds of insights regarding individual and group experiences.

Exerpt from article:

Focus groups offer an opportunity to obtain significant insight regarding the experiences, observations and opinions of group members. If a participant articulates an attitude, belief, or opinion, makes an observation, or relates an experience as part of a focus group discussion, there is something of value in that articulation.

The evaluator has information that was not available before. And the summary of the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions of the participants, taken in the larger context with the statements of others, can provide critical new insights and lead to a greater understanding of the topics of interest.

For additional information, visit the journal website.

Click here to view listing of top downloads.

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