Aug 13, 2020
Focus group methodology for Doctor Who viewing behaviors
- 1Carnegie Mellon University
Protocol Citation: Hannah Gunderman 2020. Focus group methodology for Doctor Who viewing behaviors . protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.bjjykkpw
License: This is an open access protocol distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
I have used this protocol to effectively run focus groups.
Created: August 11, 2020
Last Modified: August 13, 2020
Protocol Integer ID: 40280
Keywords: Doctor Who, geography, humanities,
Abstract
This protocol is a description of how Hannah Gunderman facilitates her focus groups around Doctor Who episodes in order to better understand how viewers perceive messages of empathy, geography, and social themes in the episodes. In this example, Hannah describes her focus group protocol for the Doctor Who episode "Vincent and the Doctor" (Series 5, episode 10). This protocol is meant to demonstrate how the protocols.io platform can be used to document workflows and methods within humanities researcher, showing how the platform can be for any researcher regardless of domain area.
Guidelines
If using this methodology, remember that all of your protocols MUST be approved by your organization's Institutional Review Board.
Introduction
Introduction
Project Abstract:
Focus group methodology has been extensively used by researchers in communications, media studies, and media geographies to gauge how viewers interact with and learn from a television show. When studying concepts of empathy, landscape interpretation, and science fiction fandom, focus groups are particularly effective in testing not only individual reactions to a show but also collective responses to themes and plot points. For this study, focus groups were held in which viewers possessing various levels of Doctor Who fandom watched an episode, followed by a collective discussion between the moderator and participants on themes of landscape, empathy, and emotional geographies within the plot. The results of the focus groups shed light on not only how viewers respond to themes of empathy and landscape in a show, but also how the presence (or absence) of fandom influences the viewing experience. Geographically, this work speaks to media’s potential to project certain messages across audiences with varying levels of engagement. This is particularly significant as media increasingly engage with ideologies, mobilities, and opinions across the world.
Note: The workflow described here was used in Hannah Gunderman's dissertation for fulfillment of the Ph.D. in Geography from UT-Knoxville in 2018. The dissertation can be found in TRACE, UT-Knoxville's institutional repository, here: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/4994/. The chapter which uses this protocol is Chapter 2: Assessing Doctor Who's Influence on Empathy Towards Mental Illness and Landscape Awareness through Focus Group Methodology. All focus group participants signed IRB-approved consent forms.
Prep
Prep
20m
20m
Arrive to the viewing room at least one hour prior to the start of the focus group. Queue up the episode of choice (in this case, "Vincent and the Doctor" from Amazon Prime at the link here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B003G8Y4QO/ref=atv_dp_season_select_s5. Check the lighting, audio, captions, and other technical requirements.
Ensure there are enough pencils/pens/writing utensils, Likert Scale forms for pre- and post-viewing, and IRB consent forms for the participants who are scheduled to take part in the focus group.
20m
IRB - Consent Forms
IRB - Consent Forms
10m
10m
Once all registered participants have arrived, distribute the consent forms to each participant. Read through the consent form, and ask participants to sign if they are comfortable. If any are not comfortable, express that they can leave the study at any time without any consequence (which includes leaving the study before it starts). Collect the consent forms, and store them in a secure folder in a locked office (or however you have outlined these procedures in your IRB).
10m
Focus Group Process
Focus Group Process
2h
2h
Distribute to each participant the paper copy of the "Pre-Viewing Likert Scale" and a writing utensil, and allow them up to five minutes to fill out the form.
Figure 1: Pre-Viewing Likert Scale form for participants to fill out prior to watching the episode.
5m
Collect the Pre-Viewing Likert Scale forms, and turn on the episode. Ensure that all participants can clearly see and hear the episode. Take a seat in the back of the room, and watch the episode alongside the participants.
45m
After the episode ends, distribute the Post-Viewing Likert Scale forms (and a writing utensil, if needed) to each participant, and give participants 5 minutes to fill out the form. NOTE: this is the same form as shown in Figure 1, with the change of the text in the first column to "Questions (Post-Viewing)".
5m
Collect the Post-Viewing Likert Scale forms and start your audio recording device. Alert participants that they will now progress to the next stage of the focus group experience, which involves a group discussion of the following questions:
1. After watching the episode, what can you say about Provence, France?
2. Did you develop a bond with any of the characters?
3. Did you dislike any of the characters?
4. Was mental illness a prominent theme in the episode for you?
5. Do you feel that you could speak about Van Gogh’s life to another person?
6. Did you feel empathy toward any of the characters? If so, who and why?
7. Do you like science fiction?
These seven open-ended questions serve as starting points for discussion - based on your individual IRB protocol, you may have the flexibility to follow up on answers given in discussion. Prior to asking the questions, remind your participants of any recordings (audio or video) that will be taking place, based on the details in your IRB protocol. Devote about 10 minutes to each question, or until the discussion is exhausted or patterns and/or consensus in the discussion are reached.
1h
After all questions are finished, alert the participants that the focus group is completed and they may leave.
5m
Post-Focus Groups
Post-Focus Groups
3h
3h
Immediately backup the audio files and begin transcription, ideally in the same day as the focus group.
3h