Focus groups: From collecting data to critical pedagogical practice

Abstract

This paper presents the positivist and constructivist theory and practice of focus groups. We pointed out to the paradigmatic differences in notional attributes of focus groups, as well as to the historic circumstances of their appearance. We analyzed the practice of focus groups in positivist and constructivist paradigm, through the combination of two interpretative frameworks. The fist level of analysis is Foucault’s genealogy which enables to observe the research as a social technology of disciplining and producing the discourse of subjectivity. Goffman’s metaphor of social interaction as a "scene" where the rituals of its maintenance and disturbance constantly take place is the second level of analysis of practice of focus groups. These two levels of analysis are the tool for understanding the complex relation between the way in which social practice of research is constituted and the knowledge it produces.

U radu su predstavljene pozitivistička i konstruktivistička teorija i praksa fokus grupa. Ukazali smo na paradigmatske razlike u pojmovnim određenjima fokus grupa, kao i na istorijske uslove njihovog pojavljivanja. Analizirali smo praksu fokus grupa u pozitivističkoj i konstruktivističkoj paradigmi kroz kombinaciju dva interpretativna okvira. Prvi nivo analize predstavlja Fukoova genealogija, koja omogućuje da se istraživanje posmatra kao socijalna tehnologija disciplinovanja i proizvođenja diskursa subjektivnosti. Gofmanova metafora socijalne interakcije kao "scene", na kojoj se neprekidno odvijaju rituali njenog održavanja i narušavanja, predstavlja drugi nivo analize prakse fokus grupa. Ova dva nivoa analize predstavljaju oruđe za razumevanje složenog odnosa između načina na koji se ustrojava socijalna praksa istraživanja i znanja koje ona proizvodi.