Focus Group Discussion Method in Cross-National, Cross-Cultural, Multi-Lingual Research: Application Guidelines and Key Challenges

The VMU Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute invites academic community members to a methodological workshop on applying the focus group discussion (FGD) method in cross-national, cross-cultural, multi-lingual research.

• Date: 20 March 2025, 3 PM.
• Duration: 120 minutes (2.5 acad. hours).
• Language: English.
• Format: online workshop with MS Teams.
• Register for the seminar here.
• Certificates will be issued to participants after the workshop.
• Trainer: Dr. Inga Gaižauskaitė, a researcher at the VMU V. Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute.
• The seminar is free of charge.

Training description

The seminar aims to introduce researchers to the possibilities of using the focus group discussion method in cross-national, cross-cultural, multi-lingual research. The seminar will consist of three parts. In the first part, the lecturer will briefly recap the characteristics of the focus group discussion method, and when and how it is used in social science research. In the second part, participants will be acquainted with the challenges that emerge when using the method in culturally diverse settings, such as in international comparative research. In the third part, we will discuss the key decisions to be made (e.g. about the language of the discussion, the need for translation, compatibility of moderation styles) and the methodological guidelines to be followed. Based on the lecturer’s experience in conducting focus group discussions, real-life research cases and practical examples will be presented. The workshop will end with an interactive discussion with the participants and answers to questions.

Information about the trainer. Dr. Inga Gaižauskaitė is a sociologist whose research interests include the development and innovation of social research methodology. Dr. Gaižauskaitė has fifteen years of experience in teaching social research methodology to university students, conducting methodological training and consultations, and has authored and co-authored scientific publications and textbooks on social research methodology. Since 2018, she has been a member of the Board of the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee RC33 “Logic and Methodology in Sociology”.

The training will be moderated by Dr. Gintarė Pocė, Head of Project Activities at V. Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute.

For more information about the workshop, please send an email to vki[et]vdu.lt.

This workshop is one of the activities of the project “Strengthening of R&D activities of the Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Institute of Social and Humanities Sciences (SOCMTEP)”. The project is financed by the Lithuanian Science Council and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania, contract no. S-A-UEI-23-13 (12/27/2023). Funding program – “University Excellence Initiative” (No. V-940).