Feature
TWINNING FOR YOUTH Longitudinal studies follow people over an extended period to collect data that shape our understanding of life trajectories. The collection and analysis of these data is a research specialism of academics based in Southampton’s ESRC National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) and Centre for Population Change (CPC). Insights into the transition from youth to adulthood can lead to better support and outcomes for young adults. A new twinning programme between Southampton and three other European universities is working to shape the design of a study that will enable this understanding of young people in Estonia. YouthLife is a three-year twinning project led by Tallinn University that will bring in the expertise of sociologists from the University of Southampton, the University of Bamberg in Germany, and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute. Together, they will shape the design of a new Estonian Longitudinal Study of Youth to better understand the critical transition from teen to adult. The study will track young people’s education and employment trajectories, following them from school through to creating families, and monitoring their health behaviours. It will bridge qualitative and quantitative approaches to life course research. The Southampton research team comprises Ros Edwards, Professor of Sociology, Ann Berrington, Professor of Demography and Social Statistics, and Susie Weller, Senior Research Fellow. 26
Ros explained: “It’s not a one-way project, that’s the exciting part. We’re all learning from each other. At Southampton, we have expertise in qualitative and quantitative longitudinal research methods, and how to design a longitudinal survey, as well as how to mix quantitative and qualitative together. “Mine and Susie’s expertise is in the qualitative aspect – studying young people over time through a whole range of methods such as interviews and documents and visual methods, and how to analyse that data. Ann is an expert on life course research using quantitative longitudinal methods.” Academics at Bamberg are world-renowned for their demographic methods, and the team in the Netherlands specialises in population and demographic trends. Sharing expertise YouthLife, funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, kicked off in 2020 with an online seminar series in which project partners shared elements of their work. In 2022, the Southampton team will be delivering a qualitative longitudinal research package and a mixed methods workshop. Ros said: “We will be sharing our expertise in interviewing in person and online, in creative
