Focus Group Discussion in Educational Qualitative Research: From Principles to Effective Implementation
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Abstract
Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is a qualitative data collection method with strong potential to capture the complex dynamics of educational contexts. Its strength lies in utilizing group dynamics to generate shared perspectives and co-constructed meanings, yielding insight into shared views and the range of agreement and disagreement within a group, which complements rather than replaces the in-depth personal perspectives obtained through individual interviews. This academic article synthesizes methodological texts and research on FGD, with examples of application in research on educational administration and leadership. It covers fundamental concepts and objectives, essential attributes, strengths and limitations, research instruments, systematic procedures across three phases (pre-, during, and post-discussion), techniques for content and interaction analysis, and ethical considerations. The synthesis yields a framework that links principles to practice in every phase and shows that data quality depends on three key factors: managing institutional power relations, selecting homogeneous participant groups, and ensuring moderator competency. This article therefore offers both theoretical and practical guidelines for researchers to conduct rigorous, trustworthy, and meaningful FGDs that contribute to sustainable educational development.
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แนวคิดและข้อเสนอแนะที่นำเสนอในบทความของวารสารการบริหารและความเป็นผู้นำทางการศึกษา มหาวิทยาลัยรามคำแหง เป็นแนวคิดที่มาจากผู้เขียน หากมีความผิดพลาดใด ๆ ผู้เขียนเป็นผู้รับผิดชอบแต่เพียงผู้เดียว
ทั้งนี้ บรรณาธิการ กองบรรณาธิการ และคณะกรรมการหน่วยจัดทำวารสารฯ จะไม่ก้าวก่ายความมั่นคงในหลักการตามความคิดของผู้เขียน
ดังนั้น บรรณาธิการ กองบรรณาธิการ คณะกรรมการหน่วยจัดทำวารสาร และมหาวิทยาลัย จะไม่รับผิดชอบใด ๆ จากผลที่เกิดขึ้นจากการนำเสนอแนวคิด และข้อเสนอแนะของผู้แต่งที่เผยแพร่ในวารสารฯ
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