How to Conduct Qualitative Formative Research

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How-to Guide

Introduction

What is Qualitative Research?

Qualitative or formative research is an activity conducted at the start of the Social
Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) project design process. Qualitative research is
a key step in order to create program materials, tools and approaches that are culturally
appropriate given the local context. Qualitative methods collect data and answers
questions such as why and how and, although it provides rich detail, it is not meant to
generalize to an entire population or intended audience.

Why conduct Qualitative Research?

Qualitative research is used to gain insight into the health issue or behavior the project
intends to address; relevant characteristics of primary and secondary audiences;
communication access, habits and preferences; and the main factors that hinder and
drive behavior. Qualitative methods may be used when program planners need to get an
understanding of the attitudes, habits and behaviors of their audience but do not need to
estimate the proportion of the attitudes, beliefs or knowledge levels in the population.

It is critical to conduct qualitative research before implementing any SBCC program

because without it you cannot know your intended audience, their current level of
knowledge, their beliefs and attitudes, the channels through which they receive and act
on information and the barriers to adopting new health behaviors. Any program
development must begin with the audience and not be designed in isolation, removed
from the intended audience.

Who should Conduct Qualitative Research?

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Qualitative research should be developed by the research staff in close collaboration with
program staff and any government or NGO counterparts who are designing the program
and have clear knowledge of the program goals and objective. Once designed, using
qualitative methods requires certain skills in interviewing or conducting group discussions
and an understanding of what the program needs to know about its audience in order to
design appropriate strategies and materials to achieve the intended results.

When should Qualitative Research be Conducted?

Qualitative research is conducted at the beginning of SBCC programs and can help
researchers and program managers discover and explore themes or processes, provide
personal narratives and uncover attitudes or ideas that are common among members of a
population. However, this method cannot be used to determine the proportion or number
of people in an intended audience who think or act in a particular way.

How is qualitative formative research conducted?

Two of the most common approaches used in formative research are focus group
discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs).

These methods are effective for gaining insight into what motivates individuals and
communities to behave a certain way and how they view the world or the community
around them. Both focus group discussions and in-depth interviews can reveal vital
information that can help shape future quantitative research or they can be used to dig
deeper or reveal additional insight into existing quantitative data, such as survey results.

FGD or IDI: Which one to use?

The reasons for using a focus group discussion or an in-depth interview are quite
different.

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Researchers will often opt for a combination of FGDs and IDIs in an effort to
comprehensively study the population and their beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Although
the pros and cons of using FGDs or IDIs are different, the process of creating, executing
and analyzing FGDs and IDIs are similar in some regards. The steps below can be
applied to the development of both methods for conducting formative research.

Learning Objectives
After completing the activities in the Qualitative Research guide, the team will:

1. Explain the process for creating a guide for a focus group discussion (FGD) and in-
depth interview (IDI)

2. Describe the rationale for an FGD and IDI

3. Describe the key elements in conducting an effective FGD and IDI

Steps

Step 1: Identify needs

When starting to plan for qualitative formative research it is necessary to answer these
key questions:

What are the main health issues to be addressed by the program?

What is already known about the issue and the audience? For example, what is
already known about the factors that drive or hinder behavior among members of
the intended audience regarding the health issue being addressed?

What other information is needed in order to create your SBCC strategy and
program?

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 How will the information gathered from this group discussion or interview be used to
define a strategy, to create materials, to set priorities, etc.?

What information is needed from participants that can inform decisions related to
the design or implementation of an intervention?

Step 2: Define objectives

Formative research can have more than one objective, but each must be a clear
statement about what you want to learn from the research. Use active words to state your
objectives, that is, what you want the research to achieve, for example:

Describe how women search for information about family planning methods.
Determine the process men and women follow to decide whether or not to use
family planning.
Identify reasons why women do not talk to their husbands about family planning.
Clarify how peer relationships affect family planning decisions among teenagers.

Determine whether each objective is:

Specific, focused, clearly described?

Relevant to the goals of the program and to the audience?
Feasible to discuss in an interview or FGD?

Drop or rewrite any that are not Specific, Relevant and Feasible.

Put the objectives into order of importance.

Which need to be answered first for program decision-making?

Which are useful to know but may not be as essential?

Step 3: Recruit the respondents

Who to recruit for FGDs or IDIs depends on the topic and, especially for FGDs, the
sameness of the participants. Some topics may be important only to a specific group of
people. For example, a study on breastfeeding practices will not be relevant to women
who have never breastfed. Family planning, on the other hand, is an issue of some
relevance to both married men and women but not to unmarried men and women. In the
breastfeeding example women who are currently breastfeeding might have different
attitudes, knowledge, and practices than women who breastfed years ago. If both
subgroups of women are part of the intended audience, then more discussion groups or
interviews may be needed to understand the differences between them.

Identifying the right respondents is key to gaining insights and information that are
relevant to your planned intervention.

Step 4: Determine the number of focus groups or in-depth discussions

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The number of FGDs or IDIs that need to be conducted depends on a number of factors
including the sameness (homogeneity) of the participants and saturation of the responses
to more completely understand the issues. When determining how many FGDs or IDIs to
conduct, consider the demographic composition of your intended audience. Develop a list
of key attributes that represent the study’s intended population. If the target group is
urban poor women, ages 15-24, then the FGDs or IDIs should consist of people who fit
those criteria. Remember to think through different demographic factors that can affect
the behaviors you are trying to influence and form the number of groups or interviews
accordingly.

When putting together FGDs, it is important to consider the size of the groups. On
average, 6-12 people participate in each FGD because fewer than six participants
produce less than a critical mass of discussion and interaction; groups larger than 8-10
people can be hard to manage and it can be difficult to give everyone a chance to voice
their opinions.

If the sample of participants is more heterogeneous (i.e., group members have different
attitudes, levels of knowledge or experience with the issue or are geographically or
demographically varied), more FGDs or IDIs will need to be conducted in order to capture
all of the different perspectives. If the sample is more homogenous similar attitudes or
demographics with regard to the health issue), fewer FGDs or IDIs will be necessary
since a more homogenous population often produces a smaller range of views and
opinions.

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Saturation refers to the point in the research process when all the viewpoints and
information about the issue have been voiced already by participants. Saturation occurs
when the last or final IDIs or FGDs do not reveal any new insights or ideas that were not
mentioned in previous interviews or discussions. Unless the research must explore the
views of many different subgroups, most formative research studies conduct no more
than 10 FGDs or IDIs before saturation is achieved. At that point, if the discussions and
interviews are still producing new insights, then more sessions may be necessary.

Step 5: Create the questions

Begin by drafting a list of questions that match the research objectives. Once the
questions have been drafted, review the purpose and objectives of your study. Narrow the
list of questions to the ones that are most relevant and important for the research, ideally
7 to 10 questions, keeping in mind that each question will be followed by additional
probing questions. You may list some probing questions to keep at hand and use
depending on the direction that the discussion or interview takes. The probing questions
go deeper into understanding the underlying causes of the issue or behavior being
discussed. Do not overload the discussion guide with too many questions. A FGD will
generally last for 1 to 2 hours and an in-depth interview is usually shorter. Remember that
the goal of qualitative research is to go deep into a few key ideas, not to cover a lot of
topics superficially.

Questions should be open-ended (i.e., they cannot be answered simply “yes” or “no”) in
order to invite ideas and stimulate conversation. Ensure that the questions are not biased
and do not have language that might encourage participants to answer in a specific
manner. Once the questions have been refined, arrange them in order so that they begin
from the more general to the specific and in a way that will be comfortable for the

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participants. The first one or two questions should be simple introductory or warm-up
questions that put the respondents at ease, help establish rapport between them and the
interviewer, and lead into the more serious questions.

Step 6: Select a facilitator/interviewers

Facilitators or moderators lead FGDs and interviewers are used for IDIs. Effective
FGD facilitation requires a special set of skills that not all facilitators have. In an FGD, the
facilitator must ensure that all participants share their opinions and interact with each
other. An additional person who can take notes on the discussion is also important so the
facilitator is free to moderate the discussion.

Effective interviewing requires its own set of skills in creating personal rapport and trust
that will enable the participant to honestly share his or her opinions and feelings. Both
facilitators and interviewers should be able to diplomatically keep the discussion on track
and ensure that every participant is heard. They must be open-minded, flexible, patient,
observant and good listeners and ensure that they do not lead or influence the
conversation. They need to be able to capture and build on trends in the conversation
and use active and reflective listening. They should also be deeply familiar with the study
topic and the larger project objectives so that he or she can help keep the conversation
centered on the purpose and needs of the study. Facilitators or interviewers may be staff
members, volunteers or third-party professionals, but in any case must have strong
interpersonal communication skills, even though their interaction with the participants
relies heavily on a script.

Step 7: Develop a script

A script is essential to FGDs or IDIs. The questions created in Step 5 will be part of, but
not all of, the script. The script should be structured as follows:

1. An opening. Create an opening statement for the facilitator, where he or she will
welcome the participants, introduce himself/herself, present the purpose of the
study, explain how the focus group or individual interview will work and ask for brief
introductions from the participants. If required by a research ethics board, this script
may also include the language needed to obtain the informed consent of the
respondents to participate in the research.
2. Questions. This part of the script consists of the questions created in Step 5.
Remember to start with the introductory questions as a way of comfortably easing
participants into a more serious and in-depth conversation.
3. Closing. When closing, the facilitator should summarize some general themes and
insight that came out of the conversation and give participants an opportunity for
any final words, thank them for their input, inform them how the data will be used
and explain how the results will be disseminated.

Step 8: Choose a Place

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Once you have the above the next consideration is finding the appropriate place to
conduct the IDAs or FGDs. There are a number of factors to be taken into consideration
when choosing the meeting place to ensure that you get the maximum input from the
respondents who should be relaxed and open to share their thoughts and opinions. Local
leaders and people will help in determining the right place for this. Ideal locations are
places that are:

Step 9: Conduct the FGDs or IDIs

When conducting in-depth interviews or focus group discussions, keep the following in
mind:

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Step 10: Transcribe the Interviews
Once the FGD or IDI is over the facilitator or interviewer should immediately write down
any impressions or observations made during the discussion or interview that might help
the analysis. The audiotape of the discussions should be carefully transcribed and, if
needed, translated. The facilitator is not required to do this, but if a third party provides
that service, the facilitator should verify the accuracy of the transcriptions before they are
subjected to analysis. The quicker an FGD or IDI is transcribed, the less likely there are to
be mistakes due to lapses in the facilitator’s memory.

Step 11: Analyze the Information

Once the FGDs or IDIs are transcribed, they should be analyzed and coded for common
themes related to the purpose and objectives of the study. Arranging or grouping the
statements by theme allows for better organization of data when pulling out results and
key findings. These findings should be put into a report that details the methods of the
study, the key results and findings of the discussions and/or interviews, and the resulting
implications as they relate to the design of the health campaign or program.

Conclusion

This qualitative formative research process and the resulting report will allow partners and
key stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the target population, especially with
regards to the health topic of interest. Once the formative research is complete, it is time
to start considering the type of intervention the target population needs as well as what
monitoring and evaluation system should be put in place in order to assess whether or
not the population’s needs and interests are being met and to ensure that the program is
on track.

Samples
Sample Focus Group Discussion and In-Depth Interview Guides

Tips & Recommendations

Some health topics may be too sensitive or inappropriate for certain populations or
groups to discuss in public. Adjust objectives or methodology accordingly. For
example, it is sometimes inappropriate to discuss contraception in a mixed group of
men and women together. Consider, instead, having separate FGDs for men and
women.

Glossary & Concepts

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 Statistically representative means that the numbers produced can be understood
to reflect the whole intended audience of an SBCC program and not just the people
who participated in the research.For example, For example, a audience survey
might find that out of 1000 young married women aged 18-24 who were
interviewed, 200 of them (20%) reported searching for health information on the
internet in the past month.If those 1000 respondents were selected in an unbiased
way (usually some kind of random sampling), then we can assume that they
represent the entire audience and we can confidently expect the same rate of health
information seeking (20%) among all young married women aged 18-24. We often
need to calculate proportions of the audience with certain attributes in order to
prioritize what the program should focus on.

Resources and References

Resources
Window of Opportunity Qualitative Research Field Staff Toolkit

Conducting In-Depth Interviews: A Guide for Designing and Conducting In-Depth

Interviews for Evaluation Input

References

CARE. Window of Opportunity Formative Research Field Staff Toolkit.

Gittelsohn, J., Steckler, A., Johnson, C. C., Pratt, C., Grieser, M., Pickrel, J., and
Staten, L. K. (2006). Formative research in school and community-based health
programs and studies: “State of the art” and the TAAG approach. Health Education
& Behavior, 33(1), 25-39.
Lehigh University. Conducting a Focus Group.
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Steps for Conducting Focus Groups
or Individual In-depth Interviews.
Overseas Development Institute. Research and Policy in Development: Focus
Group Discussion.
Pathfinder International. Conducting In-Depth Interviews: A Guide for Designing and
Conducting In-Depth Interviews for Evaluation Input.

Share

SBC How-to Guides are short guides that provide step-by-step instructions on how to
perform core social and behavior change tasks. From formative research through
monitoring and evaluation, these guides cover each step of the SBC process, offer useful
hints, and include important resources and references.

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Hopkins University.

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