Building on the methodological research documented in Blog 3, this post outlines the practical implementation of data collection tools in Focus Group workshop 1, hosted on 10th November 2025. I examine how I designed the session structure, deployed specific tools, and positioned myself as a researcher-facilitator to foster meaningful student engagement with the topic.
Participants were recruited via a shared online form distributed via email to the entire year group and mentioned in a year-wide lecture. I had a total of 6 interested parties by the deadline for expression of interest. All of whom were invited to join the research project and accepted the invitation.
Focus Group Workshop 1 Agenda
The 60-minute workshop brought together six first-year students in a small seminar room, a deliberate choice to foster intimacy and psychological safety (Arao and Clemens, 2013). The session progressed through carefully sequenced activities: introduction (5 minutes), free writing (5 minutes), self-reflection on spatial experiences (10 minutes), engagement with three case study videos (20 minutes), and group discussion (20 minutes). This structure moved students from individual contemplation to shared learning and exploration, building confidence to engage with challenging subject matter.
Tool One: Free Writing as Warm-Up
Recommended by a peer during PgCert tutorial discussions, free writing served as a low-stakes entry point. Students received five minutes to capture initial thoughts about inclusive design through writing or drawing. This method, whilst not grounded in my formal reading, achieved two objectives: it created space for instinctive responses without the pressure of “correct” answers, and it provided baseline data about students’ existing knowledge. Jones et al. (2010) emphasise that such immediate capture methods can reveal assumptions that would otherwise be filtered out in more formal responses.
Tool Two: Self-Reflection Activity
Students responded in writing and/or drawings to two prompts I, the facilitator, dictated: “Describe a place you feel you belong, such as a positive experience in a public space,” and “A place you have felt excluded or experienced negatively.” I prompted them toward spatial qualities and embodied feelings, to ground them in their own lived experiences. These written and visual responses became documents for subsequent analysis, combining student-generated text with drawings that captured spatial understanding in ways words alone might not (Bowen, 2009). This activity aimed to validate their personal knowledge as legitimate data and created a foundation for empathy. Crucially, the “right to pass” on sharing ensured students retained control over disclosure, an ethical consideration central to creating brave spaces.
Tool Three: Case Study Videos
I shared three videos from Disordinary Architecture’s ‘Many More Parts’ series: ‘Exploring Deaf Space at London College of Fashion’ by Christopher Laing (5:26), ‘On Beauty’ by Mandy Redvers-Rowe (9:33), and ‘On Safety’ by Poppy Levison (3:22). Students received paper to draw, take notes, or create spider diagrams whilst watching, accommodating different learning preferences. The videos were chosen for their content, all covering various aspects of human experience in the built environment, their accessible use of language and imagery, and their length. Understanding students’ struggle to engage with complex topics for long periods, I discounted longer videos and films that would have been relevant to the topic.
Tool Four: Guided Discussion and Fieldnotes
Following the videos, I facilitated a group discussion through open-ended prompts: “What did reflecting on your own lived experience teach you?”, “In your own opinion, what does good inclusive design look like?”, “What might it mean to consider this as an architect?” I consciously removed my own opinions, instead allowing the students to dominate the conversation and offering small prompts to scaffold responses without directing content. I audio-recorded the discussion and took minimal fieldnotes to maintain presence, following Jones et al.’s (2010) guidance that excessive notetaking can disrupt conversational flow. The complete audio transcript is an appendix to this blog post.
My Role as Facilitator
I positioned myself as a brave space facilitator rather than an authority figure, asking questions and reflecting students’ ideas to them. This neutral positioning was essential for gathering authentic data about students’ developing understanding rather than their ability to echo my perspective.
Initial Reflections
All six students contributed thoughtfully, grappling with fundamental questions about why inclusive design remains separate from “normal” design. The small group size and sequenced activities created conditions for depth of engagement. However, I noted tensions: the video format raised potential accessibility concerns I did not address with my students in advance, and the 60-minute timeframe felt rushed. These observations will inform adjustments to the debate structure for Focus Group Workshop 2.
References
Arao, B. and Clemens, K. (2013) ‘From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: A New Way to Frame Dialogue Around Diversity and Social Justice’, in Landreman, L. M. (ed.) The Art of Effective Facilitation: Reflections From Social Justice Educators. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, pp. 135–150.
Bowen, G. A. (2009) ‘Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method’, Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), pp. 27–40.
Jones, H., Kriflik, G. and Zanko, M. (2010) ‘Grounded Theory: A Theoretical and Practical Application in the Australian Film Industry’, in Organisational Ethnography: Studying the Complexities of Everyday Life. London: SAGE Publications, pp. 95–113.
Laing, C. (2021) Exploring Deaf Space at London College of Fashion. Welcome Collection. Available at: https://wellcomecollection.org/stories/exploring-deaf-space-at-london-college-offashion (Accessed: 10th November 2025).
Levison, P. (no date) On safety. Disordinary Architecture, Many More Parts Video Series. Available at: https://disordinaryarchitecture.co.uk/start-learning/many-more-parts-videos (Accessed: 10th November 2025).
Redvers-Rowe, M. (no date) On Beauty. Disordinary Architecture, Many More Parts Video Series. Available at: https://disordinaryarchitecture.co.uk/start-learning/many-more-parts-videos (Accessed: 10th November 2025).