Transformational Potential of Focus Group Practice in Participatory Action Research

In Participatory Action Research (PAR), group processes are central in facilitating change and focus groups are widely used by action researchers. However, the epistemological basis upon which focus group practice is grounded has not been closely examined and its transformational role has been taken for granted. This might impede the development of the focus group as a distinctive research practice and the realization of its transformational potential. Against the background of three participatory action research projects carried out in the National Health Service of the UK, the author shares her experience of using a variety of focus group methods for facilitating change in health promotion practice. Practical examples are used to explore the relationships between focus group practice and its epistemological grounding. It is suggested that the transformational potential of the focus group lies in the equal value placed on different ways of knowing by an extended epistemological framework and the dynamic of knowing and doing embedded in the PAR process.