Strategies for Working with Combined Qualitative Longitudinal Data Sets Getting out of the swamp: a strategy for working across qualitative longitudinal data sets to develop research design Dr Anna Tarrant, University of Leeds Working across multiple qualitative longitudinal studies: lessons from a feasibility study looking at care and intimacy Susie Weller & Ros Edwards, University of Southampton Emma Davidson & Lynn Jamieson, University of Edinburgh

1. Introduction 2. Secondary Analysis Strategies Across Two Studies Men, Poverty and Lifetimes of Care Activity 1 3. Capturing Change and Continuity from Multiple Studies Working across QLR studies Activity 2 4. Closing reflections

Men, Poverty and Lifetimes of Care http://menandcare.org.uk Project websites Working across qualitative longitudinal studies http://bigqlr.ncrm.ac.uk Men, Poverty and Lifetimes of Care http://menandcare.org.uk

The Timescapes study and archive ESRC funded Timescapes Programme (2007-2012) - consortium of researchers from five universities, Conceptually, study sought to understand the significance of time in people’s lives, Specialist archive of QL data established in 2012 for the purpose of ‘scaling up’ QL data, data-sharing and re-use (Neale and Bishop, 2012), Long term strategy to build collections of thematically related QL datasets to facilitate data discovery and secondary analysis

Projects that span the lifecourse Siblings and Friends: children’s lateral relationships Young Lives and Times: teen to adulthood, The Dynamics of Motherhood: an intergenerational project Masculinities, Identities and Risk: lives of men and fathers Work and Family Lives: the changing experiences of ‘young’ families Intergenerational Exchange: grandparents, exclusion and health Sharing the inventing adulthoods project The Oldest Generation: events, relationships identities in later life, Following Young Fathers, lives of young fathers (aged 14-24) Data: Qualitative longitudinal (10+ years) multi-media data 400+ participants

Anna’s study “Men, Poverty and Lifetimes of Care” (Oct 2014-2018) Two phases: Qualitative Secondary Analysis of two existing Timescapes datasets; Following Young Fathers (FYF) and Intergenerational Exchange (IGE) Primary data collection – multiple interviews + mapping and photovoice

Methodological Strategy Stakeholder Ethics (Neale, 2013) – collaborative analysis with primary research teams Familiarisation with the datasets and determining ‘fit’ Data sharing workshops Bornat et al (2008) Irwin and Winterton (2012) 3. Qualitative Secondary Analysis Thematic and Framework

Methodological Strategy Project Intergenerational Exchange Following Young Fathers Data Source Timescapes Archive Research Design Qualitative Longitudinal (4 waves) Qualitative Longitudinal (5 waves) Time Frame 1999-2010 2010-2015 Sample 8 low-income, mid life grandparents (including 3 grandfathers) (35-55) 31 young fathers (under 25) Methods In-depth interviews, Life Histories, Relational maps, meetings with practitioners. In-depth interviews, participants observations (walking interviews), collaborative working with practitioners. Interviewers Mix; early career, female academic, senior male academic Early Career, female academic

Methodological Strategy Stakeholder Ethics (Neale, 2013) – collaborative analysis with primary research teams Familiarisation with the datasets and determining ‘fit’ 2. Data sharing workshops Bornat et al (2008) Irwin and Winterton (2012) 3. Qualitative Secondary Analysis Thematic and Framework

Value of data sharing The workshops required the time commitment of about 2.5 days by primary research teams Continued familiarisation for secondary analyst and clarification of context of data production Identification of unexpected insights through comparison New substantive insights in relation to men, care, (grand)parenting in contexts characterised by constraint, Development of themes, within and then across

Methodological Strategy Stakeholder Ethics (Neale, 2013) – collaborative analysis with primary research teams Familiarisation with the datasets and determining ‘fit’ 2. Data sharing workshops Bornat et al (2008) Irwin and Winterton (2012) 3. Qualitative Secondary Analysis Thematic and Framework

The data Subsample of 10 (of a total of 31) young fathers (aged 14-25) identified as living on a low-income in a northern city in England (FYF) Eight mid-life grandparents living on a low-income estate in the same northern city in England (IGE) – including voices of 3 grandfathers Question focused on what kinds of analysis are possible when working across two differently constituted datasets and what can we learn substantively

Framework grid: Victor Case data Theme Pre-interview Wave 1 (2008) Waves 3&4 (2008) Wave 4 (2009) Care situation Marriage and son (described as a business deal). He meets Carolyn and becomes a resident step-father to 4 children. One daughter is more demanding than the others. Biological son welcome to visit any time. Becomes informal carer for (step) grandson Two step-children still resident. 3 foster children resident. Grandson no longer resident but still visits regularly Employment Stable employment as a taxi driver. He leaves his job as a taxi driver when he re-partners because child maintenance would make his children with his new partner destitute. Foster carer

Framework grid: Jimmy Case data Theme Wave 1 (2011) Wave 2 (2011) Wave 3 (2012) Wave 4 (2013) Care situation Has a 1 month old son. He is dating the MOC but lives with his mother so has to visit his child when he can. The couple split time between their parents’ house. Only sees his son twice a week, because he has left home and has limited money to see his son. Lost access to his child and advised to see a solicitor. The judge decided he should see his son less. Employment Plans to go to college to study construction. Started college but not enjoying his course. Unemployed Unemployed but looking for work. Relationship In a relationship with MOC Separated from MOC

Framework Grid: Care situations (across cases/datasets) Study Participant Pre-interview Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4 IGE Victor Resident father, married with a son until divorce. Non-resident birth father/Step-father/grandfather Non-resident birth father/Step-father/Kinship carer for grandson, Non-resident birth father/Step-father/Kinship carer for grandson, foster carer Regular babysitting (leisure/pleasure grandparent) FYF Jimmy With MOC for 1-2 months Visits 1 month old son weekly Split time between parents’ house to see son. Sees son twice a week. Court decides he can’t see son often

Findings Care-giving is of significance to men across the life course – being ‘absent’ from one household does not absent men from care situations, Care situations and responsibilities can change very rapidly over time within and across low-income households, This happens across the life course because shifting care responsibilities in one generation often influence another generation, Care responsibilities can impact on employment choices and lack of resources can influence care situations, Separation and re-partnering are critical moments in processes relating to how care responsibilities are fulfilled and managed – management of finite resources (financial, emotional)

Activity 1 In this activity we will simulate a data-sharing workshop You have 2 extracts from transcripts from each of the studies and related meta-data. Take 5-10 minutes to read the extracts. Make notes as you go along. The key themes to think about are men and care (on a low-income) Share your initial thoughts with the group.

Some questions What do these extracts tell you about men and care? What issues emerge? Are there any commonalities or differences between the generations? What might they open up and allow by bringing them together? Any issues or problems?

framework for data re-use Key resource Qualitative Secondary Analysis and research design: reflections on a methodological framework for data re-use A Timescapes Working Paper http://hjh711zvmtv455cla15ikb71.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2015/07/Working-Paper-QSA.pdf

Working across multiple qualitative longitudinal studies: lessons from a feasibility study looking at care and intimacy Susie Weller & Ros Edwards: University of Southampton Emma Davidson & Lynn Jamieson: University of Edinburgh

Our project Project: Working across qualitative longitudinal studies: a feasibility study looking at care and intimacy Research Team: Emma Davidson, Ros Edwards, Lynn Jamieson, Susie Weller Aim: To investigate the possibilities of scaling-up complex qualitative longitudinal (QL) data, using archived QL projects as example: Timescapes: An ESRC Qualitative Longitudinal Initiative

An archaeological approach

The surface survey

The geophysical survey

Example of keyword clusters Help: Support OR Childcare OR Babysitter OR Help Finances: Money OR Paid OR Finances OR financially OR Resources OR Budget OR budgeting OR save

Leximancer output

Shovel test pits

Comparative in-depth readings 1st focus One case from each project Multiple readings 2nd focus Outputs from keyword analysis to examine data on particular topic Compared results to analysis in Nvivo

Deep excavations: next steps

Activity 2: Using different secondary analytic strategies to capture change and continuity Aim: To explore the use of different ‘geophysical survey’ tools in comparison to conventional case analysis to explore change and continuity. The data: Two sets of data from Siblings and Friends project: 1. Extracts from interviews with Alisha, talking about her relationship with her sister. 2. Outputs of analysis of interview extracts using Nvivo and Leximancer Instructions: Split into pairs. Elect one person to study the interview extracts and one the computer assisted outputs. On your own spend 15-20 minutes studying the documents and noting any significant themes, concepts or reflections on the form and nature of the data. You will then have 10 minutes to discuss your interpretations with your partner and compare what the aerial view with an in-depth reading.

Become a friend of the project by subscribing to our website: http://bigqlr.ncrm.ac.uk/ Dr Emma Davidson, University of Edinburgh e.c.davidson@ed.ac.uk Dr Susie Weller, University of Southampton s.m.weller@soton.ac.uk

Email: a.Tarrant@leeds.ac.uk

Closing reflections ‘Big’ qualitative datasets increasingly available Necessitates a combination of interpretive and investigative techniques New opportunities but an evolving methodology Epistemological and ontological challenges Which research paradigm does such data sit? What do we mean by evidence? How can we make ‘valid’ claims to knowledge? A new way of knowing?: area for further criticism and debate And more funding to explore further