Methodological Guidelines for Focus Groups with Children from Developing Regions

Authors

María J. Peñaherrera-Vélez, Universidad de CuencaFollow
Angélica Ochoa Avilés PhD, Universidad de CuencaFollow
Nancy Arpi, Universidad de CuencaFollow
Elisabeth Rodas, Universidad de CuencaFollow
Gabriela Zúñiga, Universidad de CuencaFollow
Elena Jerves, Universidad de CuencaFollow

Abstract

Qualitative research with children has gained recognition in recent years. Nevertheless, special considerations should be analyzed before conducting focus groups with children from developing countries where methodological guidelines are scarce. This article provides methodological guidelines for conducting focus groups with children from developing countries based on an extensive literature review and our experience in urban and rural areas in Ecuador. Peculiarities of urban and rural contexts are highlighted, and child-friendly strategies are proposed. We conclude that focus groups can be conducted successfully with urban and rural children from low-and-middle-income countries if their specific circumstances, such as language and cultural diversity, are contemplated and all the materials are tested beforehand.

Keywords

children, low-and-middle-income-countries, focus groups, qualitative research, methodological guidelines, rural settings, urban settings

Author Bio(s)

María José Peñaherrera-Vélez is a clinical psychologist and researcher in the bioscience department at the Universidad de Cuenca-Ecuador. Her primary research areas are health-related children’s behavior, executive functioning, and mental health promotion among children and adolescents. Please direct correspondence to maria.penaherrera@ucuenca.edu.ec.

Angélica Ochoa-Avilés, PhD, is a professor in the faculty of chemistry in thebioscience department at the Universidad de Cuenca-Ecuador. Her main research areas are health promotion among children and adolescents, nutrition, and physical activity epidemiology. Please direct correspondence to angelica.ochoa@ucuenca.edu.ec.

Nancy Arpi Becerra is researcher at Humsex Project (Human Sexuality Project) in Universidad de Cuenca-Ecuador. Her primary research areas are sexual education, child sexual abuse, and blended education focused on adults. Please direct correspondence to nancy.arpi@ucuenca.edu.ec.

Elisabeth Rodas is an English professor at the Institute of Languages as well as a member of the Academic Reading and Writing Program and the Academic Writing research group at Universidad de Cuenca-Ecuador. Her main research areas are academic writing, faculty writing groups, language acquisition, and qualitative research. Please direct correspondence to elisabeth.rodas@ucuenca.edu.ec.

Gabriela Zúñiga is a professor and program director at the school of nutrition and dietetics in the Universidad de Cuenca-Ecuador. Her primary research area is nutrition and alimentary behavior in children and adolescents. Please direct correspondence to gabriela.zuniga@ucuenca.edu.ec.

Elena Jerves, PhD, is a professor in the faculty of philosophy at the Universidad de Cuenca-Ecuador. Her main research areas are development of children and adolescents, adolescents’ sexuality and sex education, and qualitative research. Please direct correspondence to elena.jerves@ucuenca.edu.ec.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Vinicio Sánchez Ph.D. whose institutional management at Universidad Politécnica Salesiana made it possible to obtain the funding for this study.

Publication Date

4-14-2023

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2023.5060

Recommended APA Citation

Peñaherrera-Vélez, M. J., Ochoa Avilés, A., Arpi, N., Rodas, E., Zúñiga, G., & Jerves, E. (2023). Methodological Guidelines for Focus Groups with Children from Developing Regions. The Qualitative Report, 28(4), 1145-1165. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2023.5060

ORCID ID

0000-0001-7926-3644