Learning accumulation from unfamiliar environments: informal focus groups

Abstract

Informal and accidental focus groups emerged in which academic personnel of the same higher education institutions (HEIs) who travel together in small vehicles, stimulated the interest to embark on this writing. The people traveling together have to interact with one another even where they initially did not know each other, due to close proximity. These opportunities took place in various settings of South Africa, such as years and places. The authors realised that especially when these trips are too long, dialogues that take place there can include informative life lessons. They then formerly decided to ‘collect’ data through observations, sometimes taking field notes such as in anthropological research approaches. The findings from very few focus groups produced a variety of lessons for the authors, but it was more pleasing that the lessons learned by the focus group members on those platforms were massive. The study found the proximity and separation of different departments as lost opportunities. It then recommends the introduction of interactions of an informal nature for experts of different fields, including those who do not even know one another.  

Keywords: {'name': 'Career choice, different departments, multidisciplinary research'}

Authors & affiliations

Sechene Stanley Gololo
Affiliation not supplied

Solly Matshonisa Seeletse
Affiliation not supplied

Deposited references

Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.

Ahsan, S. (2024). Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Enhancing Creativity and Problem-Solving in the Workplace. Kashf Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 1(05), 12-23.

DOI: 10.1525/collabra.71316

DOI: 10.3102/0034654312468619

DOI: 10.1051/bioconf/20248306001

DOI: 10.1080/13569317.2022.2096301

DOI: 10.1177/10497323231210260

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02266

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17124566

DOI: 10.1037/pspp0000107

Clemens, E. S. (2024). What is political sociology?. John Wiley & Sons.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-47335-7_2

Dehling, K. L. (2023). Child abuse from the clinical forensic aspect. Doctoral dissertation, University of Rijeka. Faculty of Medicine. https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:184:312690

Dempster, N., Lovett, S., & Fluckiger, B. (2016). Leadership learning for unfamiliar cultural contexts. Leading and Managing, 22(2), 34-46.

DOI: 10.1108/JBIM-05-2023-0294

DOI: 10.1007/s10648-020-09534-0

DOI: 10.4324/9780367814748

DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2023.2241676

Freeman, L., October, L., & Edwards, L. (2022). Policing and non-nationals: External police oversight, accountability and xenophobic violence in South Africa. African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum [APCOF].

DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-10-2020-0668

DOI: 10.1177/00187208221148610

Hastuti, H., Maulana, H. F., Tompo, A. P. H., & Ferizka, Z. Z. (2023). Analysis of Social Media Opinion on the Representation of the 2024 Presidential Election on Twitter: A Social Network Analysis. Jurnal Studi Ilmu Pemerintahan, 4(1), 117-128. https://doi.org/10.35326/jsip.v4i1.3140

Hayes, J. R. (2013). A new framework for understanding cognition and affect in writing. In The science of writing (pp. 1-27). Routledge.

Hennink, M., Hutter, I., & Bailey, A. (2020). Qualitative research methods. Sage.

DOI: 10.32674/jis.v14i3.5543

DOI: 10.4018/IJABIM.340775

DOI: 10.3390/youth4010006

DOI: 10.1108/GKMC-02-2022-0041

Johnstone, B., & Andrus, J. (2024). Discourse analysis. John Wiley & Sons.

DOI: 10.62596/je3na507

Kliushyn, V., Shevchuk, A., & Malakhova, T. (2024). Corruption and its consequences for society: analysis and prevention. Lex Humana (ISSN 2175-0947), 16(1), 20-36.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003171768-17

DOI: 10.1108/JKM-10-2022-0822

Lofland, J., Snow, D., Anderson, L., & Lofland, L. H. (2022). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis. Waveland Press.

Lok, P. W. K. (2024). Emotional capitalism: From emotional dictatorship to emotional redemption. John Hunt Publishing.

Lowe, B. (2024). Deanna Durbin in Hollywood: Her life, films and music. McFarland.

Luthans, F., Luthans, B. C., & Luthans, K. W. (2021). Organizational behavior: An evidence-based approach fourteenth edition. IAP.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003171768-20

DOI: 10.3390/engproc2023059209

Majastre, C. (2024). Constituent Politics and the Force of Law. Assessing the Role of Constitutional Discourse in the Debate around EU Legitimacy from a Historical Sociology Perspective. Historical Social Research/Historische Sozialforschung, 49(2), 224-246.

DOI: 10.1089/eco.2022.0022

DOI: 10.1177/00472875231184226

DOI: 10.1177/00472875231184226

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-82087-9_5

DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.120.020357

DOI: 10.1108/IJCHM-03-2022-0326

DOI: 10.56025/IJARESM.2023.1201242970

Natarajan, N. (2023). Organisational behaviour, OB Lecture Notes, Pondicherry University, Chennai, India.

DOI: 10.4324/9781003301424-18

Pearlson, K. E., Saunders, C. S., & Galletta, D. F. (2024). Managing and using information systems: A strategic approach. John Wiley & Sons.

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-9201-8_1

DOI: 10.1108/BIJ-02-2023-0086

Sehgal, N. (2023). Organizational behaviour: Theory and practice. Academic Guru Publishing House.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-15273-3_24

Sheninger, E. C., & Murray, T. C. (2017). Learning transformed: 8 keys to designing tomorrow’s schools, today. ASCD.

DOI: 10.1177/01650254231202438

DOI: 10.1177/1521025115575914

DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2018.07.007

Spracklen, K. (2024). The Laws of Metal: A Sociological Perspective. The Law of the Metal Scene: An Interdisciplinary Discussion, 29.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102274

DOI: 10.1111/cfs.13049

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-96725-7_2

DOI: 10.58578/ijhess.v2i1.2547

DOI: 10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7

DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2024.2323775

Zhang, Z., Zhou, H., Imani, M., Lee, T., & Lan, T. (2024). Collaborative ai teaming in unknown environments via active goal deduction. arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.15341. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2403.15341

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1359626