Methodological considerations in children's focus groups

Focus groups are a well-known qualitative approach to gathering data in hea lth science research. The literature on focus groups, however, primarily di scusses adults as subjects. Unfortunately, the scant reports of studies usi ng children as participants in focus groups have not described their method s in detail. This article discusses the use of children (age 6-12) in focus groups, and highlights methodological considerations in this approach, wit h particular attention to the integration of developmental principles. Focu s groups with children can capture their perspectives, original ideas, and insights, which are often neglected in more traditional pediatric research. Focus groups can also serve as an innovative approach to understanding chi ldren's experiences from a developmental perspective. Further, focus groups free children and investigator from the data-gathering limitations placed by literacy/reading levels that plague quantitative methods using self-repo rt. By using relatively homogeneous groups, common cultural, emotional, and cognitive processes and responses are revealed that normally would not com e to light in structured data collection. Focus groups off er a rich, inter active and developmentally effective approach to planning, content and eval uation in research with children.