What can qualitative longitudinal research with children and young people add to international development? Ginny Morrow & Gina Crivello DSA, Birmingham 16 th November 2013

Structure of talk Background to Young Lives Definitions of Qualitative Longitudinal Research QLR in development studies? QLR in Young Lives - two examples: (1) policy-relevant question - transition to adulthood, and (2) QLR for a specific study linking research to policy & practice Discussion and challenges

Background: Young Lives Longitudinal study of childhood poverty - Ethiopia, Andhra Pradesh, India, Peru and Vietnam Commissioned by DFID to track progress of MDGs 12,000 children Survey every 3 years; Qualitative research with ‘nested’ sample n=200 Interdisciplinary research teams Improve the understanding of causes and consequences of childhood poverty How policies affect children

QUALITATIVE DATA 3 rounds collected from a nested sample of both cohorts in 2007, 2008 & children in each country. 4 th (final) round planned for Methods include: interviews with children, creative methods, caregivers, group discussions, interviews with teachers/other community members. Qual 1 & 2 – wellbeing, experiences of poverty, transitions Qual 3 – included social support, caregivers’ life histories. Children’s life trajectories, role of poverty in shaping life- course, decision-making and choice

WHAT IS QUALITATIVE LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH? - Multiple approaches to investigating aspects of time and change (no single definition) - Mixed methods approaches where qualitative longitudinal elements are attached to a quantitative study - Planned prospective qualitative longitudinal studies - Follow-up studies (revisiting communities) - Evaluation/tracking studies - Unit of analysis can be individuals, households, communities, schools, NGOs, CBOs

QLR in development studies? What is the status of qualitative research in development knowledge? Temporality - goals of development are change and sustainability – but approaches to research in development are cross-sectional/snapshot = disjunction? Dominance of human capital approaches, uncritical acceptance of developmental psychology - marginality of children and young people’s experiences.

QLR in Young Lives - Embedded within a larger survey study (Young Lives not originally designed as a QLR study) - Complements other data sources - Children’s and caregiver’s evaluations of what has shaped their trajectories - Identification of broad unifying research questions - Iterative – survey and qualitative protocol design - Adds depth to processes behind survey findings - Adaptable to changing research contexts, age and biographical circumstances of participants -Policy and communications - individual cases in broader context of changing communities

Example 1: ‘transitions’ to adulthood Work, school, marriage nexus and change over time in rural AP. High rates of school leaving amongst rural poor Eg - Ranadeep – in 2007 was missing school to work, but optimistic wanting to migrate, open a shop. Wanted to continue his schooling, but complained about working had failed Grade 10 - ‘I will be a waste’ Can’t ask his family for support - ‘I know they are struggling’; crop failure because of drought, indebtedness. Wants to support his mother/family.

Example 2: QL approach to Research to policy and practice Oak-funded study on risks, vulnerability and resilience for children To explore the challenges of translating research into practice in Ethiopia and India Process – iterative, consultative – Background research - analysis of Young Lives data (survey and qualitative) to identify question Interviews with stakeholders (policy, NGOs) = policy context analysis Consultation meetings to identify research priority (Orphanhood in Ethiopia, hazardous work in AP)

Continued… Qualitative research study, highlighting context- specific understandings of children’s vulnerability Results reported to stakeholders in consultative process Outcomes: in Ethiopia Opportunities to share learning: Child Research and Practice Forum Meets regularly bringing together researchers, policy-makers, practitioners Building a local network for using and engaging with research, shaping future agenda 2 nd project ongoing on evidence-based approaches to children’s work/child labour

Reflections QLR helps explain changing circumstances that led to outcomes for Ranadeep QLR is a powerful way of linking individual biographies with structural (poverty) factors Oak research emphasised the importance of creating spaces over time, networks, relationships – meetings, newsletters etc. QLR enabled ‘capacity-building’, two-way learning, trust- building between research teams others. OAK – strengthening relationships that transcends the study, and continue.

Challenges Practicalities Costly Ethics – (respondent fatigue, maintaining relationships in long-term research, etc) Data management – transcribing/translation Disciplinary boundaries – development economists? Mixed methods papers? Publishing conventions in development studies? Getting beyond ‘stories’?

Data Collection RoundYearYC AgesOC Ages Round months7-8 years Round years12-13 years Qual Qual Round years14-15 years Qual Round years18-19 years Qual Round years21-22 years Data collection