Using Focus Group Research to Support Teaching and Learning

Using qualitative research methodologies for pedagogic research can provide informative insights into student experiences of the teaching and learning environment in Higher Education. This paper considers the practicalities of undertaking a pedagogic study using focus groups by outlining strategies for effective focus group organization, highlighting good practice from the social sciences and pedagogic literature and providing a critique of a recent geographical study, in which focus groups were used as the sole research method. Furthermore, the paper illustrates how a pedagogic research study can be used to enhance teaching and learning and to inform curriculum planning and course management.