“They don’t need to know that.’ focus groups as a model for teacher-led research and curriculum consultation

Abstract

This is a peer-reviewed, post-print (final draft post-refereeing) version of the following in press document and is licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 license: Wire, Tracey ORCID: 0000-0001-6813-8872 (2021) "They don't need to know that.' focus groups as a model for teacher-led research and curriculum consultation. PRACTICE. pp. 1-14.

Children and Society Policy Review—A review of government consultation processes when engaging with children and young people about the statutory guidance for Relationships and Sex Education in schools in England

“…Meaningful consultation would, therefore, also involve opportunities to review the curriculum and guidance. Schools are now tasked with developing and delivering local RSE provision in response to the guidance and must decide if they will go further than the legal requirements (Wire, 2021). The DfE instructs schools to consult pupils and parents as part of their implementation of the guidance, including their review and development of curriculum provision.…”

“…There are various methods for doing so (O'Higgins & Nic Gabhainn, 2010). Wire (2021) suggests that group discussions can help generate open discussion and enable individuals to elaborate on their perspectives to a greater extent than is possible in a survey. O'Higgins and Nic Gabhainn (2010) suggest that quantitative methods are better at generating insights that are representative of populations, while qualitative methods generate understandings through the elaboration of nuance and meaning.…”