Nurturing dialogic hermeneutics and the deliberative capacities of communities in focus groups

Dialogue is a central feature of focus groups. It is also a primary component of philosophical hermeneutic theories of understanding. Using a focus group with parents on the topic of state standardized testing in New York State, the author explores the process of creating focus group settings that nurture their relational and hermeneutic qualities and actively engage participants in the coconstruction of meaning and understanding. Central to this discussion is the use of alternative elicitation strategies such as using poetic displays of previous focus group transcripts to engage the participants.