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Chapter 9. “It doesn’t make sense, but it actually does”

Interactional dynamics in focus group interaction

Abstract

The focus group is typically defined as a form of research interview involving a group of people, facilitated by a moderator with prepared questions (Puchta and Potter 2004). The purpose of focus groups is to elicit participants’ descriptions of feelings, opinions, perceptions, and attitudes concerning the topic. As in other interviews, focus groups lend findings that rely largely on the interactional contingencies and dynamics that occur within, and yet less work has focused on their interactional features. Using conversation analysis (CA), this chapter aims to respecify focus group interaction as a locus for participants’ locally, collaboratively and sometimes incongruently accomplished actions, specifically focusing on the contingency of participants’ discussion sequences. With data examples from focus groups that were conducted with Korean teachers of English (EFL) within a teacher development program evaluation context, this chapter outlines how participants make use of diverse interactional resources in collaboratively constructing responses. This analysis helps to illuminate the major findings of the focus groups.

Abstract

The focus group is typically defined as a form of research interview involving a group of people, facilitated by a moderator with prepared questions (Puchta and Potter 2004). The purpose of focus groups is to elicit participants’ descriptions of feelings, opinions, perceptions, and attitudes concerning the topic. As in other interviews, focus groups lend findings that rely largely on the interactional contingencies and dynamics that occur within, and yet less work has focused on their interactional features. Using conversation analysis (CA), this chapter aims to respecify focus group interaction as a locus for participants’ locally, collaboratively and sometimes incongruently accomplished actions, specifically focusing on the contingency of participants’ discussion sequences. With data examples from focus groups that were conducted with Korean teachers of English (EFL) within a teacher development program evaluation context, this chapter outlines how participants make use of diverse interactional resources in collaboratively constructing responses. This analysis helps to illuminate the major findings of the focus groups.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Contributors xi
  5. Transcription conventions xv
  6. Preface xvii
  7. Part I. Introduction
  8. Chapter 1. Introduction 3
  9. Part II. Exploring the interactional details of interviewer-interviewee identities and knowledge production in research interviews
  10. Introduction to Part II. Exploring the interactional details of interviewer-interviewee identities and knowledge production in research interviews 31
  11. Chapter 2. “Like us you mean?” 37
  12. Chapter 3. Research interviewers as ‘knowers’ and ‘unknowers’ 59
  13. Chapter 4. On doing ‘being feminist’ and ‘being researcher’ 79
  14. Chapter 5. “What does it mean?” 103
  15. Chapter 6. Epistemic shifts 125
  16. Part III. Exploring conversational resources and social actions produced in interviews
  17. Introduction to Part III. Exploring conversational resources and social actions produced in interviews 143
  18. Chapter 7. “That’s a stupid question!” 147
  19. Chapter 8. “But you’re gonna ask me questions, right?” 181
  20. Chapter 9. “It doesn’t make sense, but it actually does” 201
  21. Chapter 10. Continuers in research interviews 219
  22. Chapter 11. Discourse strategies of mitigation in an oral corpus of narratives of life experience collected in interviews 239
  23. Part IV. Summing up
  24. Chapter 12. The way(s) of interviewing 271
  25. References 283
  26. Author index 319
  27. Subject index 325
Interactional Studies of Qualitative Research Interviews
This chapter is in the book Interactional Studies of Qualitative Research Interviews
https://doi.org/10.1075/z.220.09jun

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Contributors xi
  5. Transcription conventions xv
  6. Preface xvii
  7. Part I. Introduction
  8. Chapter 1. Introduction 3
  9. Part II. Exploring the interactional details of interviewer-interviewee identities and knowledge production in research interviews
  10. Introduction to Part II. Exploring the interactional details of interviewer-interviewee identities and knowledge production in research interviews 31
  11. Chapter 2. “Like us you mean?” 37
  12. Chapter 3. Research interviewers as ‘knowers’ and ‘unknowers’ 59
  13. Chapter 4. On doing ‘being feminist’ and ‘being researcher’ 79
  14. Chapter 5. “What does it mean?” 103
  15. Chapter 6. Epistemic shifts 125
  16. Part III. Exploring conversational resources and social actions produced in interviews
  17. Introduction to Part III. Exploring conversational resources and social actions produced in interviews 143
  18. Chapter 7. “That’s a stupid question!” 147
  19. Chapter 8. “But you’re gonna ask me questions, right?” 181
  20. Chapter 9. “It doesn’t make sense, but it actually does” 201
  21. Chapter 10. Continuers in research interviews 219
  22. Chapter 11. Discourse strategies of mitigation in an oral corpus of narratives of life experience collected in interviews 239
  23. Part IV. Summing up
  24. Chapter 12. The way(s) of interviewing 271
  25. References 283
  26. Author index 319
  27. Subject index 325
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