Focus groups
Unlike in social science research, focus groups in participatory research not only serve to collect data, but are also an essential part of the joint process. They have an additional function for community building and emancipatory effects on the participants. The focus of the analysis is less on the answers to the researchers' questions and more on the interaction and reflection of the participants. In many participatory projects, the focus groups are planned, implemented, documented and analyzed together with the co-researchers from the respective communities being researched.
As focus groups are a collective process, one challenge is to ensure that participants feel safe enough in the social space to interact and respond free from preconceived social expectations. By using various methods by the researchers, such as storytelling or vignette questions, the pressure of "social desirability" can be taken away from the participants.
In addition to the evaluation of the verbatim transcripts, the notes of the co-moderators are also central to the evaluation of the results in order to capture non-verbal communication and inter-group dynamics. The participatory focus group method also offers the opportunity to evaluate the results together with the participants. It is important here to determine the central aspects of the discussion and the participants' attitudes towards these topics, which may also change in the course of the focus group.
