1

Focus Group Design and Group Dynamics: Lessons from deaf and hard of hearing

participants

Student's Name

University

Course

Professor

Date
 2

Focus Group Design and Group Dynamics: Lessons from deaf and hard of hearing

participants

Due to the invisible nature and prevalence of hearing disabilities and deafness,

individuals in these categories may appear in focus groups as evaluators deliberately seek them.

According to a study conducted by the United States Department of Health and Human Services,

approximately 24 million people in the state have difficulties in proper hearing. On the other

hand, group work may be identified as an activity to achieve a specific goal conducted by

various individuals. Focus groups are strategically well-suited to describe and identify deeper

issues commonly misunderstood or not well known by researchers; participants are usually

experts on the topic. Group process with regards to the hearing impaired or individuals with

hearing difficulties is impacted by emotional and communication support and the physical

environment of group communication; it is essential to maximize visual contact for proper

reading of signs and body language. Productivity may be increased in focus groups when

everybody else is sensitized about the difficulties of invisible communication.

Article Review

Evaluation utilizes focus groups as an essential tool for proper and accurate outcomes;

deaf and people with difficulties in the hearing were organized in focus groups to identify the

measures which could be taken to increase communication with all the individuals within the

focus groups. The individuals with hearing disabilities were identified as highly productive on

various topics across ethnic and socioeconomic issues when the mode of communication and

interest is standard (Balch & Mertens, 2016). The physical environment present in the group

communication is essential for proper group process and consideration for group work within

this group. Moderators and observers are required to be highly vigilant during group work with
 3

the hearing impaired. The research also highlighted the importance of patience and adequate time

when working in groups with the hearing impaired. An outsider to the cultures of the group is

essential for group moderation and feedback from the participants; participants gave input on

how they suggest an improvement in communication.

Critique

The various group attributes such as openness, peer support, spontaneity, and group

interaction contributed to the success of the research in identifying and understanding the unmet

communication needs among individuals with hearing difficulties or suffering from deafness.

Based on the fact that there were five focus groups, each with a unique character, the researchers

successfully demonstrated different facets of the deaf and the hearing impaired, which proved

against the popular myth of homogeneity for all the hearing impaired (Gupta, 2017). The

research was also successful in its revelation of group dynamics and design regarding the hearing

impaired; various essential aspects such as the physical environment in group communication

when dealing with the hearing impaired were highlighted.

Conclusion

More planning is required when conducting focus groups with the hearing impaired or

the deaf as it is regarded as challenging work both logistically and intellectually. Patience, time,

and increased cooperation among the more different individuals are essential and more breaks

and feedback. Group dynamics are relevant in all types of groups; in this case, the groups were

composed of the hard of hearing or deaf individuals organized into five focus groups. The groups

were assigned to experienced moderators; based on the social identity theory, the group members

may have obtained self-esteem based on their membership in these groups and opened up to their

experiences.
4
 5

References

Balch, G. I., & Mertens, D. M. (2016). Focus group design and group dynamics: Lessons from

deaf and hard of hearing participants. American Journal of Evaluation, 20(2),

265-277.

Gupta, M. (2017). Consensus building process in group decision making—An adaptive

procedure based on group dynamics. IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems, 26(4),

1923-1933.