Sh¿ron F.L" Hunter - MSpace - University of Manitoba

34
'tLråì itative rrethods i= that individr-talË typical ly nespond to
pne-detenrnined qutestion= i.lhich äFe artiiicaì
and må), pnecìude
-rdditiona'ì , original thor-tghts and ne=ponses oi sr-rbjects, As r.rel I ,
these rnethods tend to reilect the preconceived biases o{ the
intenviewer thnough either oversight on ornission il.;.r.uegen, lgBB) .
A thind disadvantage is that these rnethods e:rclr-tde the
ef{ects oi gnÐuF dynarnics on the opinion= and development oi
mean ings .rmonB nespondents il':.nLregen, lggg) ås the qutest Íon ing
otrtrur.s in isol af ion . Thr-ts {or the pllr FÐsEs ¡{ f-h is neseåFch .
which is explonatony in natune, the qr-tal itative method of iocr_ts
gnoup intervier.rs seemed rnost *eppropniate.
F¡cus ËnouD Intenviews
ltet in it ion and [rescnipt ion
lr.nuegen ( 1ç88) de{ ined a {oclrs group ås å ,, . . . pì anned
d iscr-rssion designed tn obtain perrept ions on a def ined ål^Eð of
intenest in a penmissive, nonthneatening environrnent,, (p.1È) . An
impl icit assurnption underl ying iocurs gr"olrps is that individuals
with a pant icr-rl an pnobl em on a =irni
I an situat ion wi 1 I be mor.e
wil I ing to discr-rss that probl em with othe¡ individual s who sh-rne
that EärnE pnobì em on sitr-rat ion (Fel I engen, Bernhardt ,:rr
Goi dstr-rc[':en , 197?) . Thr-ts r gr oup intenact ion is a dynamic and
integnal Ín=t igaton that genenstes in-depth insights into
ind ividr-ral and gnÐup behavÍnur ¡nd thor-rghts that rnåy not be
arcessibl e or-ttside of the gnor-tp pntrtress (Mongan, lgBE) .
The penrnis=i'¡E gr-oLtp environrnent encounåçËs ind ividr-ral s to
Ê)ipnÊss thouqhts and f eei Ínqs that rlåy be rlnatt¡inable thnoltgh
other rnef-hods (li.r.uegen, 1ç88) . The pLrrpose of the f ocus Et-ÐLrp iE