Abstract:

Within the framework of the project, a Distance Education Research and Development Laboratory - LIDE+aD at the Universidad Estatal a Distancia de Costa Rica (UNED) is currently implementing an online group interview modality as a variation of the well-known interview technique that is usually applied in individual research processes (interviewer-interviewee). With this variation, it is sought that the technique responds to an innovative, disruptive and knowledge-building experience, with which it is intended to promote educational, digital and social transformations in the field of Distance Education Research and Development.

The proposal of this interview variant should not be understood or interpreted as a focus group because it is a technique that establishes an intentional dialogue between the group of researchers and the research subject, with the aim of obtaining data and information (Sáez, 2017, p.77).

This type of interview makes a difference; being a meeting between the interviewee with a group of researchers in which one plays the role of interviewer and the other researchers take notes to interact later, enriching the information that is intended to be collected from the previously prepared question guide in order to carry out the collective construction of the researchers.

At the conclusion of the proposed script of generating questions, an interaction space is opened that allows a dialogue to be established from the perspective of each researcher, which achieves the objective of the interview, while also promoting a more enriching analysis from different points of view. Group and online interviews offer a powerful alternative to traditional research methods, fostering collaboration, enriching data collection, and promoting knowledge construction. As research methodologies evolve, this innovative approach holds immense promise for advancing research practices and fostering transformative discoveries.

From the experience of applying the online group interview to experts, an example of its execution is the development of the interview phase that has been implemented in the project Proposal for the creation of a Distance Education Research and Development Laboratory (LIDE+aD) code: PROY0019-2022, where six interviews have been applied to experts from the national and international Costa Rican scope; where it was possible to verify the benefits described in the previous paragraphs of this summary.

From the foregoing, it is important to note the need to resort to this innovative research technique to strengthen both research processes and the research skills of the participants.

Keywords:

Distance education, Research methodology, Innovation in education, Qualitative research, Digital transformation.