Application of Fgd in Social Science Research on Gender Based Violence

Application of FGD in Social Science Research on Gender Based Violence (GBV)

A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is a group discussion of approximately 6 to 12 persons who are guided by a facilitator, during which group members talk freely and spontaneously concerning a certain topic. A FGD is a qualitative method which is aimed at obtaining in-depth information on concepts, perceptions and ideas of a group. The FGD usually aims to be more than a question-answer interaction.

Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a global problem that occurs across cultures and among people of different economic and educational status. It mostly affects women. Conducting an FGD on Gender Based Violence requires special considerations so that the participants may freely air their feelings and experiences fully. This is because addressing this very sensitive and personal issue may trigger adverse reactions, such as post-traumatic stress, among some of the participants.

Given the sensitive nature of the GBV topic, the participants may hesitate to air their feelings and experiences fully. There are five ways that the student may use in solving this challenge and as a result end up collecting quality information.

1. Obtain informed verbal consent from the FGD participants

She should clarify the intention of the FGD exercise and also make sure that participants understand their rights. For instance, the researcher should explain to participants that their identities will not be revealed in any publications or reports. She should also inform them that participation is voluntary and also reveal her full identity to the participants.

2. Establish a good rapport

At the start of the FGD, she should clearly outline the purpose and format of the discussion and also set the participants in the FGD at ease. In creating a rapport, she should also explain to the participants that the discussion is informal, and as a result everybody is expected to participate fully and divergent views on the topic are accepted

3. Follow the Focus Group Discussion guide

In conducting the FGD, she should initiate each topic of discussion by using carefully crafted questions. This will enable the participants to freely share their experiences in a focused and meaningful manner. In cases where participants give incomplete or irrelevant answers, she can probe further for clearer responses by using several techniques such as asking the respondents to repeat the question, pausing for the answers and also repeating the reply. In addition, she should asking "when, what, where, which and how" questions and also use neutral comments such as "anything else?"

4. Revising Focus Group Discussion question

In collecting accurate information concerning the topic, she