Natural Interactions in Artifical Situations: Focus Groups as an Active Social Experiment

Jakob Demant

doi:10.5772/34659

Natural Interactions in Artifical Situations: Focus Groups as an Active Social Experiment

Abstract

This chapter discuss the question of how the validity of focus group data can be reframed when approaching focus groups as social experiments in a science and technology approach. By using this frame we first of all comes to perceive the focus group discussion as an artificial situation, while the interactions going on in the group can be described as natural occurring data (cf. Silverman, 2007). Thus this approach comes to terms with some of the problems addressed within both positivistic as well as constructivist uses of focus group methods. Secondly, framing focus groups as social experiments also highlights possibilities of a more active use of groups (by intervention) that resembles the interviewing situations as an active ethnomethodological breaching. It is within this framework of “stimulated or irritated” natural occurring data that focus groups will be discussed.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	An Ethnography of Global Landscapes and Corridors
Editors	Loshini Naidoo
Place of Publication	Rijeka
Publisher	InTech
Publication date	2012
Pages	57-88
Chapter	4
ISBN (Print)	978-953-51-0254-0
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.5772/34659
Publication status	Published - 2012

Access to Document

10.5772/34659

http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/31537/InTech-Natural_interactions_in_artificial_situations_focus_groups_as_an_active_social_experiment.pdf

Cite this

@inbook{babeb53f2b914fd0bed075d5c6524a77,

title = "Natural Interactions in Artifical Situations: Focus Groups as an Active Social Experiment",

abstract = "This chapter discuss the question of how the validity of focus group data can be reframed when approaching focus groups as social experiments in a science and technology approach. By using this frame we first of all comes to perceive the focus group discussion as an artificial situation, while the interactions going on in the group can be described as natural occurring data (cf. Silverman, 2007). Thus this approach comes to terms with some of the problems addressed within both positivistic as well as constructivist uses of focus group methods. Secondly, framing focus groups as social experiments also highlights possibilities of a more active use of groups (by intervention) that resembles the interviewing situations as an active ethnomethodological breaching. It is within this framework of “stimulated or irritated” natural occurring data that focus groups will be discussed.",

author = "Jakob Demant",

year = "2012",

doi = "10.5772/34659",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-953-51-0254-0",

pages = "57--88",

editor = "Loshini Naidoo",

booktitle = "An Ethnography of Global Landscapes and Corridors",

publisher = "InTech",

address = "Croatia",

}

TY - CHAP

T1 - Natural Interactions in Artifical Situations: Focus Groups as an Active Social Experiment

AU - Demant, Jakob

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - This chapter discuss the question of how the validity of focus group data can be reframed when approaching focus groups as social experiments in a science and technology approach. By using this frame we first of all comes to perceive the focus group discussion as an artificial situation, while the interactions going on in the group can be described as natural occurring data (cf. Silverman, 2007). Thus this approach comes to terms with some of the problems addressed within both positivistic as well as constructivist uses of focus group methods. Secondly, framing focus groups as social experiments also highlights possibilities of a more active use of groups (by intervention) that resembles the interviewing situations as an active ethnomethodological breaching. It is within this framework of “stimulated or irritated” natural occurring data that focus groups will be discussed.

AB - This chapter discuss the question of how the validity of focus group data can be reframed when approaching focus groups as social experiments in a science and technology approach. By using this frame we first of all comes to perceive the focus group discussion as an artificial situation, while the interactions going on in the group can be described as natural occurring data (cf. Silverman, 2007). Thus this approach comes to terms with some of the problems addressed within both positivistic as well as constructivist uses of focus group methods. Secondly, framing focus groups as social experiments also highlights possibilities of a more active use of groups (by intervention) that resembles the interviewing situations as an active ethnomethodological breaching. It is within this framework of “stimulated or irritated” natural occurring data that focus groups will be discussed.

U2 - 10.5772/34659

DO - 10.5772/34659

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 978-953-51-0254-0

SP - 57

EP - 88

BT - An Ethnography of Global Landscapes and Corridors

A2 - Naidoo, Loshini

PB - InTech

CY - Rijeka

ER -