The focus group in social science research: questions about group’s size, composition and location

Authors

  • Ricardo Fernandes Pátaro Programa de Pós-Graduação Interdisciplinar Sociedade e Desenvolvimento - PPGSeD - Universidade Estadual do Paraná - UNESPAR/Campus Campo Mourão
  • Geiva Carolina Calsa Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4013/csu.2020.56.1.01

Abstract

This article presents some issues about the focus groups from a doctoral research in education that used the focus group technique to study the teacher’s representations. In the scientific literature we find guidelines for organizing focus groups in social and human sciences. These guidelines include the usual recommendations that focus groups should
consist of 6 to 8 unknown participants, gathered in a neutral place. Although important, such conventions may lead to a tacit understanding that there would be an ideal way to work with focus groups. This article aiming at problematize these conventions presenting a research that used focus groups out of standards, with 20 people who known each other
in their daily work place. The results recall the importance of considering the research objectives when organizing focus group. From our experience, we conclude that conventions are more guidelines than prescriptions and we organize suggestions for conducting focus groups in human and social science research.


Keywords: Focus group. Origin and history. Qualitative research.

Author Biographies

Ricardo Fernandes Pátaro, Programa de Pós-Graduação Interdisciplinar Sociedade e Desenvolvimento - PPGSeD - Universidade Estadual do Paraná - UNESPAR/Campus Campo Mourão

Professor Adjunto B do Centro de Ciências Humanas e Educação e do Programa de Pós-Graduação Interdisciplinar Sociedade e Desenvolvimento (PPGSeD) da Universidade Estadual do Paraná (UNESPAR/Campus de Campo Mourão). Possui doutorado em Educação pela Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM (2015), mestrado em Educação pela Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP (2008) e graduação em Pedagogia pela Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP (2001).


Geiva Carolina Calsa, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM

Professora Adjunta da Universidade Estadual de Maringá (UEM) e do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da mesma universidade. Possui doutorado em Educação pela Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Unicamp (2002), mestrado em Educação pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS (1989), graduação em Pedagogia pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS (1979) e especialização em Psicopedagogia pela Centro de Estudos em Psicopedagogia- CEP/Curitiba.

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Published

2020-02-13

Issue

Vol. 56 No. 1 (2020): jan-abr

Section

Articles

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