Everyday talk: self-directed peer focus groups with diverse youth

ABSTRACT

This article reviews the use of self-directed peer focus groups – a qualitative participatory strategy developed to reduce the influence of an adult researcher and enhance diverse young people’s everyday talk. While similar to youth peer-led interview methodologies, this strategy differed as it did not appoint peer interviewers, but instead encouraged self-directed group discussions, lightly structured through task-based activities and question prompts. This strategy considerably reduced the role and power of the researcher by enabling participants to engage in everyday discussions about potentially sensitive issues with familiar peers. The informality of peer discussions also captured dynamic, emergent understandings about complex ideas and concepts. The strategy, however, did not entirely remove aspects of power within peer relationships that resulted in some participants being silenced while others dominated conversations. The article critically reflects on the potential this strategy holds to open up dialogic space for diverse groups to consider complex topics.

KEYWORDS:

• Everyday talk
• peer interviewers
• youth
• diversity
• participatory methodologies

Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to the students who participated in this study and the funding provided by the New Zealand Royal Society Marsden Fund.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. This ‘bio card’ asked participants for their name, age, birthplace, countries lived in, ethnicity (open-ended), languages spoken, number of years in NZ and religion. This information allowed identification of those born outside NZ and when they had moved here as a child etc.

2. Palagi (pronounced Palangi) is the Samoan word for people of European origin.

3. Note, it was not possible to distinguish between these six similar female voices to attribute quotes when transcribing.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the New Zealand Royal Society Marsden Fund under Grant 16-VUW-030.

Notes on contributors

Bronwyn E. Wood

Bronwyn E. Wood (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her research interests centre on issues relating to youth participation, citizenship and social studies curricula and education policy. Her recent research focuses on experiences of belonging and citizenship for young people growing up in some of New Zealand’s most culturally diverse communities.

Brian Ristow

Brian Ristow is a doctoral graduate from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. His doctorate explored how secondary schools in Aotearoa supported the teaching of indigenous Māori worldviews. He has an interest in culturally responsive pedagogy and qualitative research methodologies.