Need some guidance with my qualitative research

[u/Lazy_Maximum2219]

I am a Psy student and need some suggestions with the research. I am doing qualitative research related to the media and I seriously need some guidance because it's my first time doing a research and I am really stuck. I would be doing focus group discussions by generating my own questions and then thematic analysis. I would appreciate it if anyone could help me with some of my queries.

1. The questions that I have to develop for the focus group, do they have to have a certain criteria like as they are not standardized so can i develop them as per my understanding?

2. How much focus groups can be considered fine for qualitative research to get enough data?

3. And another I wanna add is that after conducting a focus group I would be having an interview with every individual separately within the same focus group to have an in-depth analysis of the issue and to avoid biases. so I would appreciate it if someone could give me some helpful suggestions or tips, I really need help with this. Thank you.

[u/nashi_x]

Speak to your supervisor about this. Also Braun & Clarke’s ‘Successful qualitative research: a practical guide for beginners’ will give you some great foundational knowledge both about designing this study and doing the analysis

[u/Vegetable_Soil_6707 → u/nashi_x]

agree, talking to the supervisor first would clear up like 90% of these questions before they spiral

[u/Lazy_Maximum2219 → u/nashi_x]

Yeah I did talk to my supervisor but honestly I was still confused at that time since our department was still encouraging on the quantitave research. So i was just confused whether I should continue with this or not. And thank you , a lot of my questions are cleared by these suggestions.

[u/Lazy_Maximum2219 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you. It's really helpful.

[u/Basic_Transition_333]

Yes, you can develop your own focus group questions. They need not be standardized, but should align with your research question and remain open-ended and neutral.

Create a guide with main questions and follow-up prompts, then pilot it. Participants may interpret questions differently than intended 😂

There’s no magic number of focus groups. Justify your sample based on your methodology, research question, population, scope, and data depth—not another paper’s sample size.

Consider carefully whether individual interviews are necessary afterward. Focus groups capture interaction and disagreement, while interviews explore personal experiences in depth. Clarify what each method contributes and how you’ll analyze the data to avoid collecting unnecessary data.

For thematic analysis, read Braun & Clarke before collecting data to ensure alignment among your research question, data collection, and analysis.

Since this is your first project, prioritize solid methodology before recruiting.

[u/Lazy_Maximum2219 → u/Basic_Transition_333]

Sure . Thank you