‘Making and keeping research
relationships with a diverse
group of young people in NI,
1996-2010. The challenges and
learning from the Inventing
Adulthoods study.
New frontiers in qualitative longitudinal research
EVENT 2: The research relationship in time
Cardiff 7th Feb
Sheena McGrellis
Plan
• The Inventing Adulthoods Study (NI site)
• The ‘sample’ – recruiting and retaining
• The research relationship
• Issues re maintaining anonymity and
confidentiality over time
Timescapes
Inventing Adulthoods
ESRC funded 1996 -2011
JRF funded – 2008-2010
www.restore.ac.uk/inventingadulthoods
New frontiers in qualitative longitudinal research
EVENT 2: The research relationship in time
Cardiff 7th Feb
The constituent projects of IA
•
Youth Values ESRC 1996-99 (mixed methods, biographical interviews)
•
Inventing Adulthoods ESRC 1999-2002 (mixed, biographical interviews)
•
Youth Transitions (Families and Social Capital ESRC Research Group:
www.lsbu.ac.uk/families) 2002-2007 (mixed, biographical interviews)
•
Making the Long View I (Qualitative Data Sharing and Research Archiving
Initiative QUADS) ESRC 2004-2006 (feasibility study archiving QL project)
ESRC
•
Making the Long View II (Timescapes: www.timescapes.leeds.ac.uk )
ESRC 2007-2011) (archiving and developing longitudinal case histories)
•
Inventing Adulthoods: Growing up in Northern Ireland JRF 2008-2010
(biographical interviews, focus groups, policy orientation)
Inventing Adulthoods
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Core Team
Sheila Henderson
Janet Holland
Sheena McGrellis
Sue Sharpe
Rachel Thomson
Inventing Adulthoods
Methods
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Questionnaires (1800)
Focus groups (n= 356 , 62 groups)
Lifelines (n=104)
Memory books (n=49)
Research assignments (272)
Biographical interviews (up to 7 ints with
up to 100)
Glen
GLEN’S DATA
Interviews
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7.
Date
15/1/98 (fg)
12/08/99
23/11/00
18/05/01
17/01/03
05/11/04
28/10/10
Age
16
17
19
19
21
23
29
at school; band; m & d split
at school; band; lives betwn m & d
caravan; left sch and FE; training
unempld; evicted; stays GF flat
New Deal; lives in new gf house share
Incapacity benefit; shared house gf
Dublin; shared house gf; working
Recruitment and retention
School/ Youth Projects
Parents
Phones
Letters/ Cards/Competitions
Email
Mobiles/ Text
Luck and being on site – (stalking!??)
Employers/Friends/Newspapers/
Social Media
Northern Irish Site
• One geographical area
• 1998/9: 28 biographical interviews (40 in 1997)
• Mixed - gender, class, religious and cultural backgrounds
• Aged 11-19 years
• Recruited – mainly schools
• 2009/10: 19 biographical interviews (inc1 tel)
• Aged 25 -33 yrs
Northern Irish Site
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Historical Time
Peace process: ceasefires; collapse;
GF/B Agreement; Devolution –
suspension and restoration
Social Change: ed to work;
communities; leisure
Technological changes: internet;
mobile phones; social networking sites
Global village: travel; work
Anonymity and Confidentiality
• NI site – protecting the young people
(eg small numbers in minority ethnic and religious group)
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OU DVD
Archiving
Consent
2058
Inventing Adulthoods
Archive at restore.ac.uk
www.restore.ac.uk/inventingadulthoods