Spirituality Studies 11-2 Fall 2025 27 Petra Kacafírková 3.4.3 Focus Group A 60-minute semi-structured focus group was conducted at the end of the intervention to explore participants’ subjective experiences in greater depth. They received guiding topics in advance to allow for reflection. At the start of the session, they were informed about the purpose, assured anonymity, and reminded that there were no right or wrong answers. The discussion centred on five thematic areas: 1. Overall impressions of the sessions and specific techniques. 2. Anticipated long-term relevance or retention of the practices. 3. Perceived benefits for personal well-being and daily functioning. 4. Barriers or challenges to regular practice and factors that might facilitate it. 5. Feasibility and perceived usefulness of implementing such techniques in future educational practice with pupils. The semi-structured format allowed participants to elaborate freely while ensuring that all thematic areas were covered. The discussion was audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically following the six-step approach outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006), with support from MAXQDA 24 software. The analysis was conducted by the author, who also facilitated the intervention. Although no second coder was involved, credibility was enhanced by repeated cycles of coding and reflexive consideration of the author’s dual role as facilitator and analyst. Representative quotations are presented in translation from Czech; the original wording is provided in the notes. Each quotation is labelled (e.g., P1) to indicate the participant from whom it originated. 4 Results This section reports solely on the qualitative findings from the focus group discussion conducted at the end of the pilot intervention (Stage 1 of the project). The analysis of qualitative data was guided by the main research questions outlined earlier in the paper. Based on these questions, the findings are organised into three main themes: (1) perceived impact of the intervention, (2) barriers to practice, and (3) perceived pedagogical implications. 4.1 Theme 1 – Perceived Impact of the Intervention Thematic analysis of the focus group data identified three interconnected domains in which participants reported the main beneficiary takeaways from the mindfulness and self-compassion sessions: (1) enhanced everyday awareness, (2) increased awareness of inner dialogue, and (3) valuing exposure to the techniques. 4.1.1 Enhanced Everyday Awareness Many participants described mindfulness as helping them slow down and notice daily activities more consciously. They reflected not only on a greater appreciation of the present moment but also on the emergence of new habits, such as mindful reading or eating. As one participant explained: “the experience itself probably gave me the most awareness of being present […] and a kind of slowing down. That after this experience, I was able to enjoy some food more or consciously slow down and, for example, turn off my phone.” (P8) [1] Others valued simply having time to pause and focus on themselves: “the value for me here was that I really had time for myself and could take a moment to rest and reflect on myself. But I guess I wouldn’t enjoy doing it every day.” (P2) [2] A further example shows increased concentration in reading: “I really tried to consciously focus on the words, and it actually helped me. And now I’m already reading my third book, and it’s going quite well.” (P1) [3] Overall, these accounts indicate that mindfulness practices can interrupt habitual rushing and foster new ways of engaging with everyday activities. For some, this meant greater enjoyment of simple experiences; in other cases, there were tangible results and concrete improvements in focus.
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