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The CAFE project. Participants’ reflections on and perceptions of student-led focus groups. Helen Kay & Ruth Squire. The CAFE project. Course focused project exploring the assessment and feedback experience from the perspectives of both students and staff;
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The CAFE project Participants’ reflections on and perceptions of student-led focus groups Helen Kay & Ruth Squire
The CAFE project • Course focused project exploring the assessment and feedback experience from the perspectives of both students and staff; • Involves students in the research design; • Uses student-led focus groups.
Student-led focus groups • Course peer groups, L5 or 6 • From 2-9 participants • Facilitated by 2 student researchers • 60-90 minutes • Questions devised by student researchers, built around a group task
Are focus groups the best way • Do students feel able to express their views? Conversation or dialogue? • Does using student researchers make a difference? • Are there any unforeseen consequences?
What we did… • Survey and interview a random selection of focus group participants • Ask them to reflect on their experience of the focus group • Thematically analyse the interview transcripts
1. Focus groups can be a good way to get students sharing their thoughts…. …once someone else says one thing, someone else jumps on it and someone else does so you do get a variety of opinions.
It was a conversation. You had activities to do, that's a good way of all coming together to see how people felt. It was like there was no holding back at all about what we were wanting to put out there.
…if you accept that there are some limitations. … so they did the thing where they all started agreeing with each other in blocks and trying to enforce their group’s views and things.
…if you could get some of the students who don't turn up or they don't do the work on time…I think they'd definitely have different opinions to how we felt.
2. How you run a focus group really matters Make sure that it is more of a conversation than a stop/start because I know that can put people off and feel as if they're being pressured into an interview. And if it's a relaxed atmosphere you get a more in-depth response.
When we did the pyramid exercise, whenever we put something somewhere they'd ask why, so that made it very easy to talk about certain types of assessment.
I think they were both friendly enough that it didn't matter. I just assumed that they were lecturers…It was a safe environment I think.
So if someone was a little bit quiet they would actually be like, 'oh, are you okay?’, trying to get them involved as well, which was nice and it wasn't too pressuring
I think maybe looking back now because she was a student, when we talked about assessment types she seemed to understand it quite quickly…
3. It can be a really positive experience… I felt really good. Really pumped up and happy, like, oh, yeah, let's go and tell somebody else things!
…it was quite enjoyable to hear that other people were on the same stage as well as well, stressing about certain things. I feel like it was nice to hear what everyone thinks and that we share – I see why our course is structured the way it is because it works best for everyone.
…but that can raise expectations. I felt as if it was a chance for someone to listen to how I felt and the fact that someone was genuinely listening and recording and writing down. I felt as if, okay, maybe they are actually willing to act upon some issues now.
We've been more critical of our feedback from tutors and thought what good ways to be assessed would be. You're a bit more, not pushy but a bit watchful over that kind of stuff.
Some final thoughts Could student-led focus groups enhance or inform your practice? Or staff-student relations? What support would you need to make the most of this approach?
