ABSTRACT
This paper is a theoretical reflection, which aims to discuss the focus group as a valid methodological approach to research on the Theory of Social Representations - TSR. Its central argument is that the focus group is a profitable technique of data producing in studies that observe the group context and the movements of the constitution of social representations, because it can evidence this process and its socio genesis. For this purpose, we discuss the TRS, emphasizing its psychosocial character and its socio genetic basis and then, we discuss the strategy of the focus group in researches with TSR. We conclude that the scenario of communications and interactions provided by the focus group creates opportunities for access to social representations and to its elements and group processes that constitute them, which favors researches about their socio genetic characteristics, in particular.
Keywords:
Theory of Social Representations; focal group; research methods