Good Example Of Research Paper On Focus Group Interview

A Case Study Based on Melanie Lowe's ‘Colliding Feminisms."

Abstract
Smoking is a habit that has proven to be hard to eliminate within our society, and the only option is how to mitigate the various effects that are as a result of smoking. Passive smoking is one of the major killers in the society and despite the presence of the various designated place for smoking; the issue still affects our society. The aim of this research is to determine how different individuals perceive the issue of smoking in their environment, as well as the society as a whole. The research will try to determine if the presence of the various anti-smoking campaigns has changed the issue on smoking. Do smokers really know the effects of smoking?

Abstract 2

1.0 Introduction 4
2.0 Method 4
3.0 Analysis/ Results 7
4.0 Synthesis and Evaluation 7
5.0 Conclusion 8

References 10

1.0 Introduction
The various research that have been done indicate that most of the patients admitted to different health institutions are as a result of diseases closely linked to smoking and a significant number of the patients claim that they do not smoke yet they have effects associated with smoking. The various reasons as to why people smoke are not good enough to eliminate the campaigns initiated to encourage smoking cessation. Government and non-governmental organizations have been on the streets trying all they can, to teach the general public about the effects of smoking . The initiatives are mostly aimed at an attempt to discourage smoking in totality or mitigate the various effects caused by passive smoking. The University of Miami is one institution that has joined hands to eliminate tobacco smoking and the University started by designating the various areas as ‘smoking zones' to eliminating the zones completely. The University position is to make its environment tobacco free by ensuring that smoking is completely illegal within its boundaries . The decision made the University has spark discussions on the effects of tobacco, and the beliefs and practices have come up. What are exactly the reasons why people smoke despite the effects stipulated out openly for the public to know?
2.0 Method
Change is something that anyone is afraid of due to the uncertainty nature of our human creation. When the issue of elimination of designated ‘smoking zone' reached the students of the University of Miami, many students were in support but also a significant number opposed the idea. For this reason, the research I did was focused on the real issues as to why some students opposed while others welcomed the decision. The University students who I approached to discuss this matter indeed or luckily did not disappoint me. The students that I was interested were two smokers and two non-smokers. Of the two non-smokers, I was lucky to get one who was allergic to tobacco smoke. The students agreed to meet me at the University playground at a designated corner where we could talk freely. I had come with one packet of cigarettes just to make the students who smoke, feel free to say all they thought of smoking. The use of an audio recorder would help me in keeping all the information that we talked about. Due to the privacy issues, the names that are used are not the real names of the participants in the research study.
The introduction was brief since they knew the main issue that has led the conversation. Charles started by pointing to one of the main smoking zones that he liked to use while in Campus. He explained how they used to share one cigarette between friends. Sometimes the friends were more than five when their economic status was bad. Charles up to this day admires the smoking habits that he had with his friends and did not enjoy smoking alone while at home as he used to enjoy while at school. Julie states that she has never smoked in her entire life, but she admires to do so. The reason as to why she has never smoked is due to the harsh father she has and who smokes but openly states that anyone who smokes in his house will be disowned. This statement discourages her even if most of her friends smoke. Julie has never understood why most of the people who smoke discourage others from doing it. "The people who smoke will never tell you to try it yet they state the various effects of smoking. They never make any effort to stop smoking, but they totally discourage you from doing it" said Julie.
Sam is a student is allergic to tobacco smoke and was recently admitted to hospital when he joined some of his friends to a party. The party had students, who were smoking, and he inhaled the smoke and he almost died due to the allergic effect . From that day, all his friends are chosen well since he does not want a friend who will take him to the grave. Rachel is one random smoker, and she usually did not smoke at school, but ones at his house, she takes a packet of cigarette to compensate for the day. This habit has been her practice and the belief that this works for her leads to her doing it again. "The decision as to why I smoke is because my mother smokes, and she taught me that having one cigarette is good for the vocal cords," said Rachel. From her perspective of tobacco smoking, the cigarette is good for her health which is ignorance on her part. "Smoking of tobacco will kill you not help you" shouted Sam. Rachel answers her by explaining that the type of cigarettes she used are the advanced once with less tar. Charles joins the conversation stating that the few tar cigarettes can never kill you even if you can smoke them forever. The conversation becomes interesting when Julie explains the death of her uncle who died of lung cancer and the doctors stated that it was due to smoking.
In this instance, the conversation has started to shape up with the group been divided into almost two distinct groups. The issue of Julie's uncle took the discussion with Rachel and Charles arguing that the death was due to other reasons but not due to smoking. The belief that Sam and Julie have on the issue of smoking is contrary to what Rachel and Charles have on the same matter. The presence of medical research that has introduced the effects of smoking to the public domain has not yet reached Rachel and Charles because of their perspective about smoking, in general. The beliefs and the forces that encourage Rachel and Charles to smoke are all different. Charles smokes since he wants to fit into the social class of his friends and be able to match their level. Rachel, on the other hand, smokes since there are benefits to the smoking of tobacco. All these reasons are related to their perspective of the issue of smoking. Sam and Julie state that they are both curious about how people feel when they smoke, but they lack the courage to try. The irony, in this case, is how Charles and Rachel are discouraging them stating that it is harmful to their health yet they are smoking the same tobacco. When I ask Rachel and Charles if they were given the chance to stop smoking, would they take it, they all say no. Sam and Julie now become confused on the issue of smoking, and they cannot precisely state that direction to take, to maintain the status quo or to join the Rachel and Charles in their endeavors.
3.0 Analysis/ Results
The discussion about smoking in the University and general smoking was successful since the group has managed to bring out the issues that most of the people who smoke experience and also the non-smokers. From the discussion, it is evident from both sides that smoking has an adverse impact on the health of anyone who inhales the tobacco smoke. The reasons as to why people smoke from the perspective of the four students are all subjective in nature. When Sam says that smoking will kill Rachel, he tries to discourage her from smoking. The idea of Sam desire to try out the cigarettes brings out the two sides of Sam. Sam almost died due to tobacco smoke but portrays a desire to try smoking. Julie also has had all the possible reasons to try out smoking, but his father decision to disown her, frightens her even from trying it out. Rachel has all the chance to stop smoking but she does not want yet she will not encourage anyone to join her. The ability of Rachel staying the whole day without smoking is more than enough to enable her to stop smoking. Charles can quit smoking if he can eliminate all her friends and make new friends like Sam and Julie.
4.0 Synthesis and Evaluation
The reason smoking can never be eliminated in our society today is due to the ignorance of the effects that result from smoking. Rachel and Charles can stop smoking, but they encourage themselves that this is good for their health and social class and it is contrary to what they have learnt and know about tobacco smoking. The desire expressed by Sam and Julie is of concern since they two have a first-hand experience on the effects of smoking, and yet they do not entirely rule out smoking as an option. The irony that is brought out in the discussion is the presence of information about the consequences of smoking, and yet a person is willing to follow the same route. In the discussion, I did not expect that Sam would even contemplate touching a tobacco product due to the effects it has on his health. The decision to discourage Sam and Julie from smoking should come with the decision to quit smoking by both Rachel and Charles and it brings out a concern of the strategies to use to eliminate smoking or protect the individuals who do not smoke . Sam and Julie could have already started smoking if it were not for the situations they were experiencing. Smoking cessation is a campaign that needs to be intensified globally. The discussion leaves us wondering if the information at our disposal helps us in making decisions about critical issues like smoking. One wonders what makes smoking such an attractive activity that quitting is never an option.
5.0 Conclusion
Smoking is and will never be good for the health of any human being or the environment we live in. The reasons why people smoke are all subjective, and none of the smokers can tell objectively why you should smoke. The decision to be a smoker lies within an individual, and this means that it is time for the anti-smoking campaigners to evaluate smoking from an entirely different perspective. The decision by the University of Miami to eliminate designated smoking zones is a positive step but will it eliminate smoking within the entire society? Passive smoking causes effect to those who don't smoke like Julie and Sam, and this raises serious questions of how best to eliminate tobacco smoking. The research tends to explain how people ignore tobacco smoke effects despite having full knowledge of its impact on their health. Smoking cessation strategies should be adopted and implemented even if it means having economic implications to the state.
References
Bearman, P. S., Neckerman, K. M., & Wright, L. (2011). After Tobacco: What would happen if Americans stopped smoking? New York: Columbia University Press.
Crawford, M. L. (2009). Smoking: 201 Reasons to quit. Walnut Creek, Calif: Dillon & Parker Pub.