Immunization and child health materials development guide pdf

3. Identify Patterns. As the facilitator moderates, it is absolutely critical that s/he look for
similarities or patterns surrounding key issues. These patterns should be identified and confirmed
during a discussion to make sure they are accurate interpretations of what participants are
saying—or leaving out. The facilitator should also ask questions to try to identify the underlying
causes for these patterns. If patterns are not spotted until after the session—by listening to the
tapes and reviewing the notes, for example—the facilitator should add questions to the
discussion guide to explore the pattern in future groups and interviews.
Remember that probing questions yield useful messages. The responses they reveal are the
key pieces of information that are needed to ensure your messages are on target.
IS THERE A PATTERN HERE?
Toward the end of a group discussion on immunization in India, a facilitator started to recognize
a pattern she had not expected to find. She asked participants: “During our discussion one of
you said that getting your child immunized might make your child sick by giving her or him a
fever. Later someone else said that after her child’s immunization, the baby didn’t want to play
as much for several days and wasn’t as active as she usually is. Someone also said that her baby
didn’t eat very much for several days after her immunizations.”
The facilitator then followed up with probing questions to better understand how participants felt
about the fear of illness as a side effect of vaccination:
• How would you describe the effect immunization has on your child?
• Do I understand correctly that you feel your child might be made “sick” by an immunization?
• How do your feelings that immunization might make your child sick in the short term affect
your willingness to get your child immunized?
• Do you feel it is worth getting your child immunized, even if you think it makes them a little sick
temporarily?
By recognizing the pattern and underlying issues, the researchers were able to design messages
to encourage parents to immunize their babies, even if it makes them a little sick at first, because
it may save their lives in the long term.
4. In Focus Groups, Let Everyone Speak. Give each participant opportunities to speak
during the focus group. As participants introduce themselves, the facilitator and note-taker
should each create a seating diagram (see Figure 16) of the participants to make it easier to
refer to them by name during the discussion and in the notes.
It is useful during the beginning of a focus group to place a checkmark on the participant
seating chart next to each participant’s name when s/he speaks. This will help the facilitator
keep track of who may be dominating the conversation and who may not be expressing their
opinion often enough. The facilitator can then encourage the quieter participants through
nonverbal signals, such as looking at them or turning toward them when asking a question, or
gently encouraging them to speak by using their name, “Do you have anything else you would
like to add to the discussion, Maria?”
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