Focus Group Discussion as a Method of Data Collection in Higher Education and Related Fields

This article sets out to report our first-hand experience with using focus groups as a method of data collection in higher education research. We were interested in shedding light on how university lecturers coped with remote teaching during the Covid pandemic and how the unusual circumstances affected their teaching. The analysis of the resulting data is still ongoing. In this study, we summarise our experiences of using the focus group methodology in our research. By discussing and evaluating our research experiences, we aim to demonstrate the usability and the potential risks of the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) in a higher education context by identifying further areas of application, such as for supporting the development of the education system. We argue that the main characteristic of FGD is its interactive nature, and we back this claim by providing a detailed presentation of the focus group methodology, as well as by describing and analysing the experiences of group discussions conducted with the involvement of university lecturers. Due to their interactive nature, focus group discussions are particularly suitable for research on educational methodology, specifically within the training system for public officials operated by the Ludovika University of Public Service (LUPS) in Budapest, Hungary since 2013. The focus group research method can be used either as a tool for quality assurance or as a tool for assessing training needs. Our study is highly relevant for those who are planning to conduct focus group research in a higher education context or in related fields such as adult education programmes, by providing practical recommendations.