مقایسهٔ روش‌ها

	گروه کانونی آنلاین	پژوهش گروه کانونی
حوزه	روش‌شناسی پیمایش	کیفی
خانواده	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
سال پیدایش	1946 (focus groups); online variant ~1990s–2000s	1940s (sociological origin); modern applied form from the 1980s–1990s
پدیدآور	Robert Merton & Patricia Kendall (focus group origins); online adaptation by scholars including Stewart & Shamdasani in the 1990s	Robert K. Merton (sociological precursor, 1940s); popularised in applied research by Richard A. Krueger
نوع	Qualitative group data collection	Qualitative data collection method
منبع بنیادین	Stewart, D. W., & Shamdasani, P. N. (2017). Online Focus Groups. Journal of Advertising, 46(1), 48–60.	Krueger, R.A. & Casey, M.A. (2014). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research (5th ed.). Sage. ISBN: 978-1483365244
نام‌های دیگر	virtual focus group, internet focus group, OFG, web-based focus group	focus group discussion, FGD, group interview, Odak Grup Araştırması
مرتبط	5	6
خلاصه	An online focus group is a moderated group discussion conducted via internet-based platforms — video conferencing, text chat, or asynchronous forums — to explore shared perceptions, attitudes, and experiences on a defined topic. It inherits the group-interaction dynamics of the traditional focus group while removing geographic barriers and enabling data collection from dispersed or hard-to-reach populations.	Focus group research is a qualitative data-collection method in which a trained moderator guides structured discussions with homogeneous groups of six to ten participants to explore ideas, attitudes, and perceptions on a defined topic. Developed from sociological roots in the 1940s and systematised for applied research by Krueger and Casey, the method leverages group interaction as a data source — revealing not just what people think, but how they negotiate and articulate views in a social setting.