Student Participation in Educational Research: experimenting with a focus group

Abstract Although much has been written about the contribution of focus groups to educational research in North America, this is not the case elsewhere. In this article the experience of using a focus group to facilitate the participation of first‐year undergraduates in an educational research project carried out within the School of Business and Management at Sheffield Hallam University is evaluated with a view to identifying the issues and highlighting the prerequisites for the successful adoption of this approach to quantitative research. Specifically, consideration is given to the recruitment, commitment, roles, contribution and briefing of focus group members; the provision of incentives to secure the services of a sufficient number of volunteers; the timing and conduct of meetings; and the role of facilitator.