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Objectives Focus groups used for data collection in health research are increasingly conducted online. In two multi-center health research projects, we applied available methodological instructions for synchronous online focus groups (SOFGs). We describe necessary changes and specifications regarding the planning (recruitment, technology, ethics, appointments) and conduct (group composition, moderation, interaction, didactics) to enhance knowledge about the planning and conduct of SOFGs. Results Recruiting online proved to be challenging and necessitated direct and analogue recruiting, too. To ensure participation, less digital and more individual formats may be offered, e.g. telephone calls. Explaining verbally the specifics of data protection and anonymity in an online setting can foster participants’ confidence to actively engage in the discussion. Two moderators, one moderating, one supporting technically, are advisable in SOFGs, however, due to limited nonverbal communication, roles and tasks need to be defined beforehand. Participant interaction is central to focus groups in general, but sometimes difficult to achieve online. Hence, smaller group size, sharing of personal information and moderators increased attention to individual reactions appeared helpful. Lastly, digital tools such as surveys and breakout rooms should be used with caution, as they easily inhibit interaction.

A adolescência é um período de redefinição das identidades, incluindo a dimensão de gênero. O objetivo do presente estudo foi conhecer as concepções de adolescentes sobre o que é ser homem e ser mulher, a partir de suas próprias narrativas. Participaram 41 adolescentes, com idades entre os 14 e os 15 anos, estudantes de uma escola pública e de uma escola privada de Porto Alegre. Com eles, foram realizados 6 grupos focais on-line síncronos, através do programa de bate-papo MSN: 2 grupos compostos por adolescentes homens, 2 por adolescentes mulheres, e 2 mistos. As narrativas produzidas a partir da interação nos grupos foram analisadas mediante Análise de Conteúdo, que revelou uma predominância dos papéis tradicionais de gênero.Adolescence implicates redefinition of identity, including gender dimension. The goal of this research was to identify teenagers' conceptions about what it means to be a man and a woman through their own narratives. Forty-one teenagers, between 14 and 15 years old, who were students from a public school and from a private school both located in the city of Porto Alegre/RS, Brazil, participated in the study. Through the MSN chat software, 6 synchronous online focus groups were formed: 2 groups of male adolescents, 2 of female adolescents, and 2 of mixed genders. The narratives produced by the interaction in the groups were analyzed by Content Analysis that revealed a predominance of traditional gender roles.

A adolescência é um período de redefinição das identidades, incluindo a dimensão de gênero. O objetivo do presente estudo foi conhecer as concepções de adolescentes sobre o que é ser homem e ser mulher, a partir de suas próprias narrativas. Participaram 41 adolescentes, com idades entre os 14 e os 15 anos, estudantes de uma escola pública e de uma escola privada de Porto Alegre. Com eles, foram realizados 6 grupos focais on-line síncronos, através do programa de bate-papo MSN: 2 grupos compostos por adolescentes homens, 2 por adolescentes mulheres, e 2 mistos. As narrativas produzidas a partir da interação nos grupos foram analisadas mediante Análise de Conteúdo, que revelou uma predominância dos papéis tradicionais de gênero.

Als die COVID-19-Pandemie über die Welt hereinbrach, waren viele Menschen gezwungen, sich auf online-basierte Routinen einzustellen, darunter auch qualitative Forscher*innen, die nach alternativen Möglichkeiten zur Erhebung aussagekräftiger Daten suchten. Während Fokusgruppen traditionell Face to Face durchgeführt werden, bieten Fortschritte bei Online-Videokonferenzanwendungen neue Methoden zur Datenerhebung, die jedoch bisher nur selten untersucht wurden. In diesem Artikel berichten wir über die Erfahrungen von 12 Doktorand*innen mit der Durchführung von Fokusgruppen unter Verwendung von Zoom im Rahmen eines Kurses zu qualitativen Interviewmethoden. Wir reflektieren Chancen und Herausforderungen, die wir als Moderator*innen und Teilnehmer*innen bei der Nutzung von Zoom erlebten z.B. bei der Vorbereitung oder in Bezug auf Rapport, die Einbindung anderer digitaler Tools und von Internetverbindungen. Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass die Durchführung von Online-Fokusgruppen unter Verwendung von Zoom insgesamt eine positive Erfahrung war und mit Face-to-Face-Fokusgruppen vergleichbar ist. Möglichkeiten der Teilnehmer*innenrekrutierung, die Sicherheitsmerkmale von Zoom und die Nutzung von Zoom und allgemeiner neuen Technologien sollten auch jenseits der Pandemie weiter erforscht werden. As the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world, it forced many people to adapt to an online-based routine, including qualitative researchers looking for alternative ways to collect meaningful data. While focus groups are traditionally conducted in-person, advances with online videoconferencing applications present a new method to collect data, however, few studies have explored this. In this article we present 12 doctoral students' experiences with conducting focus groups using the videoconferencing application Zoom during a qualitative methods course on interviewing methods. Through this self-study qualitative analysis, participants reflected on the opportunities and challenges experienced as both moderators and participants using Zoom including: preparation, rapport, incorporating other digital tools, and internet connectivity. In conclusion, doing focus groups online using Zoom was a positive experience overall and comparable to in-person focus groups for collecting qualitative data, despite the introduction of technology. More research on participant recruitment, new technology, Zoom's security features, and Zoom's use outside of a pandemic should be further explored.

Owing to COVID-19 the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates mandated educational institutions to shift to remote learning. In this study the perspectives on remote learning, of both students and faculty, from the Science major, in a public university in Dubai have been explored. A qualitative research was conducted through focus group discussions using a semi-structured interview guide. All discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was carried out following coding and analyzing content using NVivo 12. Recurrent, emerging and diverging views were identified and represented under themes. Participants believed that altered human interaction was a major consideration in remote learning. Assessments were modified to reduce cheating however increasing students’ accountability and prudent use of questions was suggested as a more effective strategy. Challenges associated with technology, changes to the learning environment, wellbeing and institutional policies were highlighted. Advantages of remote learning included more inclusivity, flexibility, availability of recorded sessions and time efficiency. Also, remote learning had compelled faculty to enhance their technological skills. Including class participation as a graded component of courses, clear institutional guidelines on assessments, use of recordings and methods of communication were recommended. It was evident that students’ stances for learning were based on courses and disciplines, with a preference for synchronous lessons. Culture influenced interaction, assessments, acceptability, and accessibility of remote education. The views from this research will contribute to improving the adoption and outcomes of digital education in higher education in the field of science, while considering the sociocultural influences of the region.

The study compares traditional synchronous offline focus groups with synchronous online focus groups using chat to pretest survey questions on a sensitive topic. Despite expecting higher data quality in the online focus groups due to their private setting, the comparison of 42 focus groups (21 of each type) revealed minimal differences in data quantity and quality. Moreover, the differences observed were attributed to transcript quality, the moderators’ experience, and social skills, participant homogeneity, and familiarity among participants, rather than the focus group setting. This suggests online focus groups can provide a viable alternative or complement to offline focus groups for pretesting sensitive survey questions, especially when faced with cost constraints, epidemic, large geographical distances, or other limits on face-to-face interactions. Keywords: offline focus group, online focus group, synchronous chat, data quality, pretesting survey questions.

This study scrutinized Vietnamese university students’ perceptions of their interaction in synchronous online classes. With a mixed-methods design, the study integrated quantitative and qualitative approaches. The participants comprised 200 tertiary students at a private university in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Data were gathered through a survey questionnaire and focus group interviews. The results revealed that students obtained a moderate level of interaction in online classes, with student–content and student–interface interactions being perceived as equally the most common. This was followed by student–teacher interaction, whereas student–student interaction was cited to be the least frequent. Qualitative analysis elucidated nuanced perceptions, with discernible disparities between the two groups of participants having higher and lower interaction levels. The former expressed confidence in digital platform usage, emphasizing technological proficiency’s significance, while the latter encountered challenges and lacked confidence in platform utilization. Both groups recognized the importance of engaging with course materials but differed in their perceptions of volume and learning facilitation. Despite frequent student–teacher interactions, face-to-face learning was preferred due to perceived detachment in online learning environments. Peer interaction, particularly deficient in the lower interaction group, underscored challenges in online collaborative activities.

The question of how to best design an online course that promotes student-centred learning is an area of on-going research. This mixed-methods study focused on a section of advanced high school students, in college-level mathematics courses, that used a synchronous online environment mediated over web-conferencing software, and whether the affordance of multiple communication channels and student-centred activities affected involvement, cohesion, and satisfaction. Study participants reported that anonymous input and group work activities encouraged their involvement in learning activities, increased their satisfaction, and fostered social cohesion. Although the on-going management of technical issues limited student involvement and satisfaction, there were no differences in final grades obtained by students participating in this delivery format and their peers participating in an alternate learning environment facilitated by video-teleconferencing. This study offers supporting evidence that a student-centred learning environment mediated over web conferencing software can foster social cohesion, student involvement, and student satisfaction.

Adolescents and young adults across Europe face growing mental health challenges, yet many do not seek professional help. Online counselling chat services (OCCS) offer anonymous, accessible, and youth-friendly support, but their varied aims, formats, and resources complicate evaluation and integration into formal care systems. This study aimed to identify shared priorities for the development, evaluation, and implementation of OCCS for youth. Eight focus groups were conducted with 38 stakeholders—including researchers, counsellors, and service coordinators—from eight European countries. Through qualitative content analysis, six key thematic domains emerged: usability and engagement, service quality and effectiveness, infrastructure and integration, sustainability, ethical considerations, and future visions. Participants highlighted OCCS as valuable tools for fostering emotional safety, trust, and accessibility, while also noting persistent challenges such as limited funding, fragile infrastructure, and ethical tensions around anonymity and safeguarding. Crucially, the need for flexible evaluation frameworks that reflect service diversity and for stronger cross-model collaboration was emphasized. These findings provide a strategic foundation for advancing inclusive, sustainable, and youth-centered digital mental health support across Europe.

To explore what the student participants learned and how they felt about the use of three educational settings, namely, face-to-face workshop setting, asynchronous and synchronous online learning environments and interactions with outpatients in a real-world clinical setting in a hybrid interprofessional education course. This qualitative study used semi-structured in-depth interviews with healthcare undergraduate student participants in a course comprising workshops in three educational settings. A total of 15 healthcare undergraduate students, which included four medical, three pharmacy, five nursing and three nutrition students, completed this IPE course. All students agreed to participate in the study. We conducted four focus groups selected using convenient sampling. Focus group transcripts were analysed using the 'Steps for Coding and Theorization' qualitative data analysis method. We investigated the students' perception through the experience of three educational settings in the hybrid interprofessional education course. The students recognised that this course had three types of educational spaces, namely, real, semi-real and unreal. Then, the positive changes in the awareness of students are trained in recognition of the patient perspective, the recognition of the roles discharged by the other professions and the recognition of the functions of their own profession after experiencing the educational spaces designated for this course. The repeated experience of participants to real, semi-real and unreal educational spaces promoted changes over time in the students' awareness of interprofessional competencies with respect to patient-centred care and ameliorated their readiness to undertake interprofessional tasks.