Collaborative focus group discussion as a new initiative for the democratization of knowledge production

Abstract

During and after the Umbrella Movement occurred in 2015 in Hong Kong, the penetrability of politics has been widely experienced in society due to its impact on people’s intimate relationships. As social workers and researchers serving as the key interface between people with different backgrounds and values, we were driven by the political atmosphere to initiate a new form of methodology to better incorporate the multiplicity and complexity of people’s opinions and feelings. To build on the use of reflecting team in family clinical work, which allows clients to witness therapists’ team processes of finding routes to therapeutic goals, we conducted two collaborative focus group discussions after the Umbrella Movement to explore its impact on citizens’ and activists’ intimate relationships. After observing the focus group discussion, a team of researchers did on-the-spot analysis of the discussion while participants observed the data analysis process through a live broadcasting system. Afterwards, overall focus group analysis among the two parties was conducted. The bi-directional dialogues between researchers and participants opened a democratic space for collaborative knowledge production and demystification of research processes. Additionally, they encouraged researchers to embrace empathy for participants’ feelings and emotions and to enhance power balance between researchers and participants.