FOCUS GROUPS - A TOOL FOR CONSUMER-BASED PROGRAM-EVALUATION IN REHABILITATION AGENCY SETTINGS

Despite the fact that focus groups are widely used in market research, this technique has been under-utilized in rehabilitation program eval uation. To underscore its potential utility, this article will describ e a series of focus groups conducted in a vocational training and reha bilitation setting. A total of 70 clients participated in 8 focus grou ps intended to identify clients' perceptions of the agency's program s ervice strengths and weaknesses. The results of this focus group serie s are highlighted with particular attention given to the steps involve d in the conduct of focus groups in rehabilitation agency settings in general. Issues related to the use of this technique in rehabilitation program evaluation are then discussed.