Researchers’ experiences of focus group dynamics in Singapore,Australia and the Netherlands: troubling multicultural assumptions

Abstract

Increasingly, research is being undertaken with people from diverse cultures, with many countries revitalising the foundations of their cultural heritage. Cultural sensitivity is an essential skill for researchers, and researchers are challenged to carefully consider cultural contexts of all research and data collection methods. In this paper, we describe and reflect on our experiences of facilitating qualitative research, specifically focus groups, across three continents and using a postmodern approach, deconstruct focus group utility. We offer four strategies for conducting focus groups that provide practical guidance suggestions for qualitative researchers facilitating focus groups in these populations. Our reflections reinforce that understanding our own multicultural assumptions and biases, being reflexive and mindful and using the suggested strategies to facilitate focus groups in different cultures may prevent researchers from adopting essentialist cultural stereotypes.