dissertation

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Consensual validation was sought by showing a brief first impression of preliminary findings
to the two mentors of this dissertation, who both agreed on the significance of the
outcomes. They also received the interview transcripts that were finished at that time.
The fifth step consisted of interpreting the findings for meaning and writing down our
findings. When this was done, all interviewees and focus group participants were asked
by e-mail to give feedback on the presentation of the data concerning their own faculty.
While some details needed to be adjusted, the presentation as such was validated by
all. 14
10.1.2 Focus Groups
While we interviewed deans and teachers in person, we investigated students’ opinions
by using focus groups, 15 i.e. group interviews. Such groups typically consist of between
five to eight participants that are held under the guidance of a facilitator. Focus groups
are a direct method of obtaining rich information within a social context. 16 The most
common purpose of a focus group interview is for an in-depth exploration of a research
topic about which little is known. In our case it concerned Dutch theology students’
perceptions of leadership and leader education.
Focus groups aim “not to infer but to understand, not to generalize but to determine
the range, not to make statements about the population but to provide insights into
how people perceived a situation.” 17 A focus group encourages participants to discuss a
concept like leadership in such a way that the underlying issues (norms, beliefs, values)
might be uncovered. 18 Using a focus group – instead of, for example, questionnaires –
ensures that priority is given to the respondents’ hierarchy of importance, their language
and concepts, their frameworks for understanding the world. 19 Supporting in this is the
employment of the potential for synergetic interaction within a group. The exchange
and discussion between the participants provide incentives for individual opinions and
experiences to be made explicit and shared. The content of the discussion might also
14
Due to some changes in the structure of this thesis that we made in December 2011, we decided in January
2012 to e-mail the chapters 10-12 to the key persons of the three institutions (the Director of Education,
and the two Deans, respectively) for a final check and validation. Before the end of the month, we received
two e-mails and one telephone call in reply. The reactions were helpful to make a few small improvements
in our presentation, but no major adjustments were needed.
15
A focus group can be defined as an in-depth, open-ended group discussion of 1-2 hours’ duration that explores
a specific set of issues on a predefined and limited topic.
16
Nicola Robinson, “The Use of Focus Groups Methodology – With Selected Examples From Sexual
Health Research,” Journal of Advanced Nursing 29, no. 4 (1999), 905.
17
R.A. Krueger, as quoted in Andre Parker and Jonathan Tritter, “Focus Group Method and Methodology:
Current Practice and Recent Debate,” International Journal of Research & Method in Education 29, no. 1 (April
2006), 34.
18
Ibid.
19
Jenny Kitzinger, “The Methodology of Focus Groups: The Importance of Interaction between Research
Participants,” Sociology of Health & Illness 16, no. 1 (1994), 108.