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A New Era in Focus Group Research pp 59–82Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Cross-Cultural Focus Group Discussions

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Abstract

Conducting focus group discussions across cultures poses specific challenges for researchers. It requires flexibility, cultural sensitivity, maintaining methodological rigour and additional time and resources. Navigating these challenges can involve a steep cultural learning curve for researchers and requires a research team equipped to balance cultural sensitivity with methodological rigour. Using focus groups in cross-cultural research does not necessitate a new methodological approach, since the core principles remain the same. It does pose a challenge in applying the principles of focus group research while embracing the cultural norms of a given research context – which requires flexibility in the application of some methodological tasks. Cross-cultural focus group research is becoming increasingly common, with this method being used in an ever-widening range of study contexts. This chapter identifies the methodological principles that remain constant despite the study setting and research tasks where flexibility is needed. These issues are described for three stages of research: study design; data collection; and data analysis.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta Georgia, USA

    Monique M. Hennink

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  1. Monique M. Hennink
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Correspondence to Monique M. Hennink .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. WELS, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

    Rosaline S. Barbour

  2. Portland State University, Portland, USA

    David L. Morgan

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Hennink, M.M. (2017). Cross-Cultural Focus Group Discussions. In: Barbour, R., Morgan, D. (eds) A New Era in Focus Group Research. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58614-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58614-8_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-58613-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-58614-8

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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