Aligning Theorization and Research Design: Multiple and Multidimensional Transitions Theory and Qualitative Longitudinal Research

• In Event: The Import of Time Frame and Tempo in Qualitative Longitudinal Research on Professions Education

Abstract

Purpose: Transitions are an ongoing process of psychological, social, cultural, and educational adaptations due to changes in context, interpersonal relationships and/or identity, which can be simultaneously exciting and worrying and can require ongoing support (Jindal-Snape, 2016). However, there is a dearth of literature that studies transitions beyond two time points, such as a few months before leaving primary school and a few months after starting secondary school, without considering adaptation over time. The latter is also the case in healthcare literature (Kralik et al., 2006). Using Multiple and Multi-dimensional Transitions (MMT) theory, the purpose of this study is to highlight why clear alignment of the theorization of transitions and research design is required to advance the study of transitions.

Theoretical framework: According to the MMT theory (Jindal-Snape, 2016; 2023), an individual experiences concurrent multiple transitions and their transitions trigger multiple transitions for significant others, highlighting the multi-dimensional nature of transitions. Conversely, significant others’ will experience their own multiple transitions, which trigger and/or impact that individual’s transitions. Further, these transitions are dynamic; they are not taking place in a vacuum but in an environment that is constantly changing, along with a constant evolution of the individual and others. Using the metaphor of a waterfall – where the waterfall might seem the same but the water flowing through it is never the same – we can visualize the impact of transitions over time. This highlights the importance of not only understanding an individual’s and significant others’ multiple and multi-dimensional transitions, but also their contexts.

Methods/techniques, data sources: This study uses the case of a QLR involving seven participants before they left primary school (age 11) with the most recent data being collected at the end of their first university degree (age 22), i.e., over a period of 11 years. Data were also collected from their parent/s over the same period. Semi-structured interviews lasted approximately an hour for each individual. University of Dundee Research Ethics Committee approved the study. Given the QLR design, there was a constant checking of consent and assent.

Results: The presentation will tease out the following: a. importance of undertaking LQR to understand the multiple and multi-dimensional transitions across the various domains and changing contexts by highlighting particular transition ‘legato notes’ that might not have been apparent otherwise, b. tensions between building on the child/young people’s and parents’ perspectives in the interviews, in that moment and over time, without compromising confidentiality, and c. navigating the changing relationships between the child/young person, their family and researcher.

Scholarly significance: This study provides evidence for the importance of undertaking LQR when studying transitions, along with that of collecting data from multiple sources, domains, and contexts. It also highlights the opportunities and tensions involved in QLR, specifically balancing the objective of building upon the rich interconnected narratives of families to understand their multi-dimensional transitions and balancing it with the need for confidentiality when data are essentially ‘living’ and ‘evolving’ stories.

Author

• Divya Jindal-Snape, University of Dundee
  Presenting Author