Rosaline Barbour - Developing Focus Group Research

Developing Focus Group Research

Politics, Theory and Practice

edited by

Rosaline S. Barbour and Jenny Kitzinger

Jenny Kitzinger and Rosaline S. Barbour 1999

Judith Green and Laura Hart 1999

Lynn Michell 1999

Clare Farquhar (with Rita Das) 1999

Sue Wilkinson 1999

Rachel Baker and Rachel Hinton 1999

Lai-Fong Chiu and Deborah Knight 1999

Rosaline S. Barbour 1999

Claire Waterton and Brian Wynne 1999

Jane Frankland and Michael Bloor 1999

Jenny Kitzinger and Clare Farquhar 1999

Greg Myers and Phil Macnaghten 1999

Sarah Cunningham-Burley, Anne Kerr and Stephen Pavis 1999

First published 1999

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Publishers.

Britisb Library Cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 0 7619 5567 4

ISBN 0 7619 5568 2 (pbk)

Library of Congress catalog card number 98-61656

Typeset by Mayhew Typesetting, Rhayader, Powys

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Athenaeum Press, Gateshead

To Mike and Alasdair, with grateful thanks for their encouragement and tolerance [RB]

To my parents, Sheila and Uwe, and my sisters, Celia, Tess, Nell and Polly, with thanks for providing me with a childhood training in group discussion at every family meal! [JK]

Rosaline S. Barbour and Jenny Kitzinger

Rachel Baker works with the DFID team in the Department of Social Anthropology at Edinburgh University, where she also teaches on methodology and childhood. Prior to this she was based in the Department of Anthropology at Durham University, where she wrote her doctoral thesis on the well-being, lifestyles and careers of homeless street children in Nepal. While at Durham she also taught a course in applied medical anthropology.

Rosaline Barbour has just taken up appointment as Senior Lecturer in Primary Care in the Department of General Practice at Glasgow University. Prior to this she was Senior Lecturer in Health Services Research in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Hull. Her research career spans both health and social services research and includes an appointment as a researcher with the London Borough of Lambeth, in addition to research posts in the Public Health Research Unit at Glasgow University and the MRC Medical Sociology Unit (both in Glasgow and Aberdeen). She has maintained an interest in professionals responses to change, having studied the process of training for social work, midwives perceptions of their roles and responsibilities, reactions to various new service developments (including methadone prescribing in general practice), and the demands of HIV/AIDS work. She is co-editor (with Guro Huby) of Meddling with Mythology: AIDS and the Social Construction of Knowledge (Routledge, 1998) and has published in a range of social science and medical journals.

Michael Bloor is Professor of Medical Sociology in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University. His recent publications include The Sociology of HIV Transmission (Sage, 1995) and a selection of his past papers Selected Writings in Medical Sociological Research (Ashgate, 1997).

Lai-Fong Chiu is a project manager with Wakefield and Pontefract Community Health Trust. Before starting her career in the NHS she worked as English as second language tutor, interpreter, patients advocate and community project co-ordinator. This experience, particularly with minority women, motivated her subsequent research interest. She was the principal researcher on two participatory action research (PAR) projects. She has shared her practical and research experiences through a range of publications including training packs developed from the two PAR projects. She is currently completing her PhD at the University of Leeds.

Sarah Cunningham-Burley is Senior Lecturer in Medical Sociology at the Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical School, University of Edinburgh. Her research interests span medical and family sociology, with a particular emphasis on lay knowledge and experience. She has used a range of qualitative methods, including focus group interviews. Her current research includes The Social and Cultural Impact of the New Genetics (funded under the ESRC Risk and Human Behaviour Programme); Life as a Disabled Child: A Qualitative Study of Young Peoples Experiences and Perspectives (funded under the ESRCs Children 516 programme), and Smoking in Transition: A Prospective Study of Young People of School Leaving Age (funded by the Scottish Office DoH). She has published widely in both social science and medical journals, and is co-editor (with Neil McKeganey) of Readings in Medical Sociology (Routledge, 1990) and Enter the Sociologist (Avebury, 1987).

Rita Das is a Scottish-born Indian dyke. She is angry and energetic, passionate and compassionate. She presently works as a doctor in London, and challenges prejudice every day by being herself boldly. Her research has included homophobia in medical education; lesbians and health; and South Asian lesbians. She has presented papers at conferences in York, London and Toronto. Her political activism has included involvement with the Zero Tolerance campaign against violence against women (Edinburgh) and the Lesbian Avengers (London). She is cycle-mad and delights in standing on her head.

Clare Farquhar has spent periods of her life as a teacher, woodworker, health promotion worker and HIV/AIDS trainer. She also worked for ten years as a research officer at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London. Her main interest is in feminist research on gender, sexuality and health. She is currently a Research Fellow at South Bank University, where she has recently completed a PhD on the construction of lesbian sexualities in sexual health discourse.

Jane Frankland is currently completing a PhD at Cardiff University on lay management of illness. She was previously a Research Associate, working with Professor Michael Bloor on an evaluation of a peer-led smoking intervention in secondary schools in Wales.