Analyzing interactional contexts in a data-sharing focus group

In this article we describe the use of a data-sharing focus group for triangulation with face-to-face interviews. In contrast to member-checking triangulation, this focus group was undertaken to provide a different interactional context to analyze moral discourses in talk about asthma medicine taking. Using principles of discursive psychology to analyze data, participants adopted strategies to manage dilemmas of identification with research findings. Talk about medicine taking was contextualized to the demands of the interaction. Strategies included avoiding direct reference to findings; collectively aligning with medical perspectives; and using stories to carry opinions. Participants also expressed moral discourses around managing asthma in everyday life. These discursive variations strengthened assertions of the role of morality in participants’ talk and highlighted advantages in engaging with participants’ strategies in focus groups. Different viewpoints identified in this research create problems for member checking, suggesting that researchers need to be sensitive in considering methods of sharing data with participants