Focus group interviews

Focus group interviews were used by the researcher as guided open-ended discussions with small homogeneous groups. The general aim was to use the social dynamics of the group to encourage the participants to reveal more of their opinions, emotions and behaviour that could not easily be elicited through brief survey questions (Mutombo & Mwenda 2010:1). The researcher also used a focus group interview guide that comprised the basic or core-research questions (Appendix 10). Some probing research questions were added to the list of the formulated questions to assist the researcher to get in-depth information. Powell and Single (1996, in White 2005:164; Desai & Potter 2006: 150-153), state that a focus group interview entails interviewing a group of individuals selected and assembled for discussion on a selected topic. Kreuger (1988: 26; Masadeh 2012:63-67) suggests that the purpose of a focus group interview in qualitative research is to get data from a predetermined and a limited number of participants that cannot be obtained in other ways (Cunningham 1993:93). Kreuger (1988: 18; Arthur et al. 2012: 186; Bernard & Ryan 2010: 29; Masadeh 2012:64) provide a theoretical claim that a focus group interview is a carefully planned discussion designed to obtain perceptions and opinions in a defined area of interest and in a permissive as well as a non- threatening environment.

The researcher agrees with Glesne and Peshkin (1992: 365) who note that interviewing one person at a time is useful, but some people need company to talk to and they also feel that some topics are easier discussed by a smaller group of people who are familiar with each other. With regard to this study, plausible interpretations were given by the group interviews and were treated as being reliable (Merton, Fiske & Kendall 1990: xxi). It was believed that focus group interviews were advantageous in that responses articulated tended to be more comprehensive and less inhibited than with other types of interviews (Patton 2002: 386). Both Wimmer and Dominick (2000:126) and Thomas and Nelson (2001:336) believe that focus group interviews rely on the interactions between the researcher and the individual participants who are assembled in a group discussing the topic.

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Historically speaking, focus group interviews were started in the late 1930s by social scientists that seemingly had difficulties with the accuracy of traditional data gathering ways (Kreuger 1988: 18). Today, focus group interviews take on many different forms as researchers modify procedures to suit their own needs, preferences and contexts. In this study, focus group interviews entailed assembled groups in the two studied basic schools that were small enough to permit earnest discussions among all its members (Stewart & Shamdasani 1990:10). The focus group interviews were useful because they were relatively easy to undertake and the research results were obtained more quickly. In addition, the social interaction produced less restrained and more complex responses. The researcher probed for clarification and solicited greater details.

The size of the focus group was also considered in this study. Most focus group interviews consist of 6 to 12 participants. The researcher assembled only six research participants for each focus group interview consisting of class teachers. Merton et al. (1990:137) give a theoretical description of a focus group interview and suggest that the size of the group should not be so large as to be unwieldy or to preclude adequate participation by most members, nor be so small that it fails to provide greater coverage than individual interviews. In the same vein, Krueger (1988:94) proffers that smaller groups of four to six are preferable with participants who might have lots of information to share or have had intense or lengthy experiences of the topic.

Sustaining the above theoretical argumentation, Morgan (1988:42) remarks that some studies may require several groups and that one important determinant of the number of groups is the number of different subgroups required. For this study, six subject or class teachers in each of the two studied basic schools in the Mongu Township were assembled separately for focus group interviews as already mentioned above.

Freedom of participation to express their personal opinions and views, reactions and feelings were allowed. The research participants were accommodated in rooms that were free from disturbances and distractions. The viewpoints were exhausted through a critical discussion of the reality that was prevalent in the basic schools. The research questions posed were meant to elicit the description of the subject teachers’ extensive experience in the schools, their competencies and activities within the framework of institutional routine. According to a focus group research expert (Kruger 1994, as cited by Patton 2002: 386), the theoretical advantages of focus group interviews are as follows:

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... data collection is cost-effective in terms of time and money, interactions among participants enhance data quality because participants tend to provide checks and balances regarding the discussions, and these weed out false or extreme views, and focus group interviews are often enjoyed by participants because they build on the gregarious nature of human beings, are useful when the topic to be explored is general, and the purpose is to stimulate talk from multiple perspectives by the group participants so that the researcher can learn what the range of views is about the study.

In this study, focus group interviews also provided the researcher with ideas about what to pursue in individual interviews. Focus group interviews enabled additional comments by participants beyond their own original responses (Patton 2002: 386). The researcher used focus group interviews to enable participants to share common feelings about the topic under discussion. Also, focus group interviews had credible uses in this research for obtaining general background information about a topic of interest (Stewart & Shamdasani 1990:15; White 2005:164; Desai & Potter 2006: 150-153). In addition, focus group interviews were applied in this study for stimulating new ideas and creative concepts, and “for diagnosing the potential for problems with a new programme” (Shamdasani 1990:15). The next paragraph looks at field observations.