The design and content of the ‘Social participation’ study: A qualitative sub-study conducted as part of the age 50 (2008) sweep of the National Child Development Study.

Abstract

The research uniquely combines qualitative biographical information with quantitative longitudinal data collected over 50 years in a British cohort study. The central objectives of the substudy were to investigate the association between individuals? social mobility experiences and the patterns of social participation, and to provide a resource for other researchers wishing to use this data set. The paper reflects on the methodological advantages and disadvantages posed by conducting qualitative biographical interviews with a sub-sample of members of an existing longitudinal quantitative study. It focuses on the development of the topic guide, sampling strategy and the characteristics of the 170 in the final sample.