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Learning in focus groups

an analytical dimension for enhancing focus group research

Linköping University, Sweden, vicwi{at}tema.liu.se

Madeleine Abrandt Dahlgren

Linköping University, Sweden, madab{at}ibv.liu.se

Gunilla Öberg

University of British Columbia, Canada, goberg{at}ires.ubc.ca

The focus group is a research methodology in which a small group of participants gathers to discuss a specified issue under the guidance of a moderator. The discussions are tape-recorded, transcribed and analysed. Notably, the interaction between focus group participants has seldom been evaluated, analysed or discussed in empirical research. We argue that considering the focus group in light of current research into interaction in problem-based learning (PBL) tutorial groups would facilitate the deliberate exploitation of group processes in designing focus groups, staging data collection and analysing and interpreting data. When the analytical focus shifts from mere content analysis to an analysis of what the participants themselves are trying to learn, one can explore not only what the participants are talking about, but also how they are trying to understand and conceptualise the issue under discussion.

Key Words: co-construction of knowledge • elaboration • focus groups • interaction • problem-based learning

Qualitative Research, Vol. 7, No. 2, 249-267 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1468794107076023


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