Research tasks and exercises (supplement for academic teachers)
EXERCISE 1
Type: Classroom activity
Duration: 45 minutes
Instruction:
- Introduce the activity to students.
- Give students the text about focus groups to read. You can also refer to the modules about research problems and research questions. Initiate brainstorming for ideas and ask students to name social phenomena they would like to explore. Write suggestions on physical or virtual whiteboard.
- Invite students to discuss the topics suggested and organize poll or voting (e.g., every student marks their preferred topic and marks are counted. The class chooses one topic to be addressed in a focus group consisting of the students of the class.
EXERCISE 2
Type: Classroom activity
Duration: 45 minutes
Instruction:
- Form groups of 8-10 students.
- Ask the groups to compose a plan for a focus group (8-10 questions). Every group organizes their work: who takes time, who is the leader, who takes notes etc. Each group then selects a moderator, assistant and observer.
EXERCISE 3
Type: Home assignment
Instruction:
Ask students to conduct an online focus group based on the plan and roles from the previous activity. (The transcript can be used in other exercises as well). Ask every participant to write their own reflection (200–300 words) of the experience: which questions worked well and which did not work so well, what did they notice in terms of non-verbal communication, was the discussion effectively moderated, did everyone get to say their opinion, etc.