1. 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

2. 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

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

5. The Timescapes study and archive
ESRC funded Timescapes Programme ( ) - 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Methodological Strategy
Project
Intergenerational Exchange
Following Young Fathers
Data Source
Timescapes Archive
Research Design
Qualitative Longitudinal (4 waves)
Qualitative Longitudinal (5 waves)
Time Frame
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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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)

18. 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.

19. 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?

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

24. An archaeological approach

25. The surface survey

27. The geophysical survey

30. 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

32. Leximancer output

33. Shovel test pits

34. 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

35. Deep excavations: next steps

36. 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 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.

37. Become a friend of the project by subscribing to our website:
Dr Emma Davidson, University of Edinburgh
Dr Susie Weller, University of Southampton

38. Email: a.Tarrant@leeds.ac.uk

39. 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