Bringing Socio-Narratology and Visual Methods to Focus Group Research

How to capitalize on theoretical frameworks within focus group research for the purpose of enhancing data generation and informing analysis is a topic that has received little attention within the qualitative research literature. Informed by the work of Frank (2010), in this chapter we respond to this lacuna by discussing the value of approaching focus group research from a socio-narratology perspective. Additionally, and in accord with a growing awareness of visual methods within the social sciences (Pauwels, 2011), we reflect briefly on the process of using research-informed film as a means of eliciting - at times new - stories in a focus group setting. We illustrate our discussion with empirical data drawn from two research projects that that have used focus groups to generate insight into people’s perceptions and experiences of growing older.