Small is not too small: Reflections concerning the validity of very small focus groups (VSFGs)

Qualitative Social Work

Volumn 8, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 179-192

  Toner, Jean ^a  

^a CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Feminist research method; Focus groups; Validity

Indexed keywords

EID: 65949083330     PISSN: 14733250     EISSN: 17413117     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/1473325009103374     Document Type: Article

References (40)

1. Beeson, Peter (1998) 'Policy and Rural Mental Health Dilemmas and Urban Bias', Rural Community Mental Health, Anniversary Edition, National Association of Rural Mental Health, http://www.narmh.org/refletwo.htm (consulted Mar. 2001 ).
2. Berman-Rossi, Toby (1992) 'Empowering Groups Through Understanding Stages of Group Development', in James A. Garland (ed.) Group Work Reaching Out, pp. 239-56. New York: Haworth Press.
3. Beverly, John (1992) 'The Margin at the Center: On Testimonio', in Sidonie Smith and Julia Watson (eds) De/colonizing the Subject, pp. 91-114. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
4. Bird, Donna C., Dempsey, Patricia and Hartley, David (2001) Addressing Mental Health Workforce Needs in Underserved Rural Areas: Accomplishments and Challenges. Portland, ME: Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine.
5. Capital Area Rural Health Roundtable (2000) Mental Health Parity for Rural Americans, Report by George Mason University Center for Health Policy and Ethics, http://www.gmu.edu/departments/chpre/ruralhealth (consulted Mar. 2001 ).
6. Carey-Webb, Allen and Benz, Steven (1996) Teaching and Testimony. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
7. Charmez, Kathy (2000) 'Grounded Theory: Objectivist and Constructivist Methods', in Norman Denzin and Yvonne Lincoln (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2 nd edn, pp. 509-36. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
8. Chioncel, N.E., Van Der Veen, R.G.W., Wildemeersch, D. and Jarvis, P. (2003) 'The Validity and Reliability of Focus Groups as a Research Method in Adult Education', International Journal of Lifelong Education 22 (5). 495-517.
9. Conners, Nicola and Franklin, Kathy K. (2000) 'Using focus Groups to Evaluate Client Satisfaction in an Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program', Journal of Drug Abuse Treatment 18 (4). 313-20.
10. Dewees, Marty (2006) Contemporary Social Work Practice. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.
11. Friere, Paulo (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum International.
12. Greenbaum, T.L. (2000) Moderating Focus Groups. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
13. Gringrich, Paul (2003) 'Micro Approaches and Simmel', University of Regina, http://uregina.ca/ ∼gringrich/250m703/htm (consulted Jul. 2007).
14. Janesick,Valerie J. (2000) 'The Choreography of Qualitative Research Design', in Norman Denzin and Yvonne Lincoln (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2 nd edn, pp. 379-400. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
15. Johnson, Louise C. and Yanca, Stephen J. (2004) Social Work Practice: A Generalist Approach. Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon.
16. Lincoln, Yvonne and Guba, Egon (2000) 'Pragmatic Controversies, Contradictions, and Emerging Confluences', in Norman Denzin and Yvonne Lincoln Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2 nd edn, pp. 163-88. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
17. Linhorst, Donald M. (2002) 'A Review of the Use and Potential of Focus Groups in Social Work Research', Qualitative Social Work 1 (2). 208-28.
18. McCarty, Catherine (2002) 'Telehealth: Implications for Social Work Practice', Social Work 47 (2). 153-61.
19. Madriz, Esther (2000) 'Focus Groups in Feminist Research', in Norman Denzin and Yvonne Lincoln (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2 nd edn, pp. 835-50. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
20. Martinez-Brawley, Emilia (2000) Close to Home: Human Services and the Small Community. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
21. Menchu, Rigoberta (1983) I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman of Guatemala. New York: Verso.
22. O'Gorman, Aileen (2001) 'From Research Design to Execution: Maintaining Consistency and Validity While Responding to Contingencies in the Field', Addiction Research and Theory 9 (6). 575-85.
23. Oleson, Virginia L. (2000) 'Feminisms and Qualitative Research at and into the Millenium', in Norman Denzin and Yvonne Lincoln (eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research, 2 nd edn, pp. 215-56. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
24. Orman, Barbara A., Wallin, Susan and Goldenson, Susan M. (2000) Supporting the Rural Health Care Safety Net. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
25. Pollack, Shoshana (2003) 'Focus Group Methodology in Research with Incarcerated Women: Race, Power, and Collective Experience', Affilia 18 (4). 461-72.
26. Poorman, Paula B. (2002) 'Perceptions of Thriving By Women Who Have Experienced Status-related Oppression', Psychology of Women Quarterly 26 (1). 51-62.
27. Post, Patricia A. (2002) Hard to Reach: Rural Homelessness and Health Care. Nashville, TN: National Health Care for Homeless Council.
28. Ridener, L. (2001) 'The Significance of Numbers in Social Life', Pfiffer University, http://www.2.pfiffer.edu/∼ridener/DSS/Simmel/SIMMELW5.HTML (consulted Jul. 2007).
29. Roche, Susan E. and Goldberg Wood, Gale (2005) 'A Narrative Principle in Feminist Social Work with Survivors of Male Violence', Affilia 20 (4). 465-75.
30. Roseman, Michael and Van Hook, Mary P. (1998) 'Changes in Rural Communities in the Past 25 Years: Policy Implications for Rural Mental Health', Rural Community Mental Health, Anniversary Edition, National Association for Rural Mental Health, http://www.narmh.org/refletwo.htm (consulted Mar. 2001).
31. Rural Great Plains Collaborative Project (2002) A Guidebook for Conducting Rural Research Utilizing Focus Groups and Key Informant Interviews, Annie E. Casey Foundation. Omaha, NE: MSM Printing.
32. Scott, James C. (1990) Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
33. Shulman, Leonard (1999) The Skills for Helping Individuals, Families, Groups, and Communities, 4 th edn. Itasca, IL: Peacock.
34. Smith, Dorothy (2002) 'Institutional Ethnography', in Tim May (ed.) Qualitative Research in Action, pp. 17-52. London: SAGE.
35. Stoesen, Lynn (2002) 'Rural Social Workers Embrace Challenges', NASW News 10: 3.
36. Strauss, Anselm L. (1987) Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
37. Timberlake, Elizabeth M., Farber, Michaela Z. and Sabatineo, Christine A. (2002) The Generalist Method of Social Work Practice: McMahon's Generalist Perspective. Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon.
38. Turiel, E. (2003) 'Resistance and Subversion in Everyday Life', Journal of Moral Education 32 (2). 115-30. (Pubitemid 36795299)
39. Wade, A. (1997) 'Small Acts of Living: Everyday Resistance to Violence and Other Forms of Oppression', Contemporary Family Therapy 32 (2). 115-30. (Pubitemid 127061591)
40. Wilkinson, Sue (1999) 'Focus Group: A Feminist Method', Psychology of Women Quarterly 23 (3). 221-44.