Periodic Reporting for period 1 - YouthLife (Life course perspectives in studying youth transitions to adulthood: bridging qualitative and quantitative approaches)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-01-01 al 2022-03-31
The "Life course perspectives in studying youth transitions to adulthood: bridging qualitative and quantitative approaches" (YouthLife) project, funded by the European Union´s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 952083, is a three-year twinning programme to tackle the methodological divide between quantitative and qualitative approaches in life course research and advance the use of mixed method research designs.
The overall objective of the YouthLife project is to enhance scientific excellence and research potential in life course research on youth transitions through multifaceted capacity building for the Centre of Interdisciplinary Life Course Studies (CILCS) at Tallinn University (TLU) in cooperation with three internationally-leading research institutions with complementary methodological expertise and experience: University of Bamberg (UNI BA), University of Southampton (SOUTHAMPTON), and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (KNAW-NIDI).
Strengthening the excellence of research on youth transitions and facilitating the capacity building at TLU is achieved through a series of Twinning activities aiming at methodological advancement in life course research and deeper integration into leading youth transitions research communities. The three-year program includes knowledge transfer, experience exchange and mutual learning delivered through intensive training courses, practical workshops, networking events, expert and study visits, and peer-to-peer interactions as part of preparation of joint research proposals and publications. The research potential of CILCS at TLU is enhanced by training early stage researchers (ESRs), widening cooperation networks, fostering the research management and administration (RMA) skills of both academic and support staff, and developing a scientifically excellent research design for the planned Estonian Longitudinal Study of Youth (ELSY) to fill the gap in empirical data on young people´s transitions into adulthood in Estonia.
The overall objective of the YouthLife project is to enhance scientific excellence and research potential in life course research on youth transitions through multifaceted capacity building for the Centre of Interdisciplinary Life Course Studies (CILCS) at Tallinn University (TLU) in cooperation with three internationally-leading research institutions with complementary methodological expertise and experience: University of Bamberg (UNI BA), University of Southampton (SOUTHAMPTON), and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (KNAW-NIDI).
Strengthening the excellence of research on youth transitions and facilitating the capacity building at TLU is achieved through a series of Twinning activities aiming at methodological advancement in life course research and deeper integration into leading youth transitions research communities. The three-year program includes knowledge transfer, experience exchange and mutual learning delivered through intensive training courses, practical workshops, networking events, expert and study visits, and peer-to-peer interactions as part of preparation of joint research proposals and publications. The research potential of CILCS at TLU is enhanced by training early stage researchers (ESRs), widening cooperation networks, fostering the research management and administration (RMA) skills of both academic and support staff, and developing a scientifically excellent research design for the planned Estonian Longitudinal Study of Youth (ELSY) to fill the gap in empirical data on young people´s transitions into adulthood in Estonia.
During the first reporting period, YouthLife has contributed to the achievement of its general aims through a series of Twinning activities including knowledge transfer, experience exchange and mutual learning during three intensive training courses, six practical workshops, two-day long workshop organised for presenting research results and networking, eight discussion seminars and three consortium meetings.
Three advanced training courses in quantitative methods of longitudinal data collection and analysis have been carried out followed by an interactive workshop where the researchers and ESRs from all partner institutions, as well as researchers from other institutions prominent in life course research on youth transitions, presented their recent research results for discussion.
Although the activities planned for advancement in qualitative approaches in life course research and mixed methods usage will take place during the second part of YouthLife, preparatory work on expanding the research capacities and methodological skills in a range of qualitative longitudinal data collection and analysis also started. A dedicated website: Qualimix (https://www.euqualimix.ncrm.ac.uk/) was developed and launched, which will serve as a resource hub for qualitative and mixed methods approaches during the project and beyond, benefiting researchers more widely also after the project ends.
Through active involvement of ESRs from TLU and other partner institutions in training and networking activities carried out so far, YouthLife has strengthened the research potential and contributed to the sustainability of life course research at TLU and other partner institutions. In addition, a series of workshops on academic writing and publishing especially designed for ESRs was held successfully from September 2021 to February 2022.
In addition, the project has contributed to the advancement of the research management and administration (RMA) skills and improvement of the RMA support system within TLU thereby raising its capability to compete successfully for national and international research funding and efficiently manage collaborative research projects. Two tailor-made, on-line workshops were organised: A three-day Workshop on Improving Research Funding Targeting and Application Skills and a two-day Workshop on Research Management and Administrative Skills.
As an early mitigation measure to the restrictions on travel and in-person meetings put in place due to the COVID 19 pandemic, a series of online discussion seminars has been organised fromthe inception of YouthLife. These seminars aim to initiate discussion on youth transitions to adulthood from a life course perspective by bringing together researchers with different methodological backgrounds. The seminars have provided an opportunity for YouthLife to involve researchers and ESRs from all four partner institutions despite the circumstances and to become familiar with each others’ research topics and interests.
Three advanced training courses in quantitative methods of longitudinal data collection and analysis have been carried out followed by an interactive workshop where the researchers and ESRs from all partner institutions, as well as researchers from other institutions prominent in life course research on youth transitions, presented their recent research results for discussion.
Although the activities planned for advancement in qualitative approaches in life course research and mixed methods usage will take place during the second part of YouthLife, preparatory work on expanding the research capacities and methodological skills in a range of qualitative longitudinal data collection and analysis also started. A dedicated website: Qualimix (https://www.euqualimix.ncrm.ac.uk/) was developed and launched, which will serve as a resource hub for qualitative and mixed methods approaches during the project and beyond, benefiting researchers more widely also after the project ends.
Through active involvement of ESRs from TLU and other partner institutions in training and networking activities carried out so far, YouthLife has strengthened the research potential and contributed to the sustainability of life course research at TLU and other partner institutions. In addition, a series of workshops on academic writing and publishing especially designed for ESRs was held successfully from September 2021 to February 2022.
In addition, the project has contributed to the advancement of the research management and administration (RMA) skills and improvement of the RMA support system within TLU thereby raising its capability to compete successfully for national and international research funding and efficiently manage collaborative research projects. Two tailor-made, on-line workshops were organised: A three-day Workshop on Improving Research Funding Targeting and Application Skills and a two-day Workshop on Research Management and Administrative Skills.
As an early mitigation measure to the restrictions on travel and in-person meetings put in place due to the COVID 19 pandemic, a series of online discussion seminars has been organised fromthe inception of YouthLife. These seminars aim to initiate discussion on youth transitions to adulthood from a life course perspective by bringing together researchers with different methodological backgrounds. The seminars have provided an opportunity for YouthLife to involve researchers and ESRs from all four partner institutions despite the circumstances and to become familiar with each others’ research topics and interests.
YouthLife has strengthened the scientific excellence and research potential in life course research on youth transitions, increasing the research, networking and cooperation capacities of researchers and ESRs at TLU through carrying out the planned training events as well as the additional discussion seminars.
The project has also enhanced research excellence at the well-established partner institutions by bridging quantitative and qualitative methodologies in life course research and advancing the use of mixed methods. YouthLife activities carried out during the first reporting period have allowed mutual learning and synergy facilitation between UNI BA, KNAW-NIDI and SOUTHAMPTON through creating the cooperation groundwork for leading research universities in the field of life course research. In addition to the respective WP leader responsible for organising the activities, other partners have contributed to the events and ESRs from their institutions have participated in the courses and workshops. Similarly the discussion seminars have benefitted all the partners, while also providing a chance for their ESRs to gain experience in presenting their research results.
Cooperation between complementary methodological competences potentially will open up new directions for empirical data analysis and new perspectives for comparative studies, which will be realised during the next reporting period in joint publications in the format of working papers, conference presentations and articles published in peer-reviewed academic journal and books, but also as part of the elaboration of research design for the planned Estonian Longitudinal Study of Youth (ELSY).
The project has also enhanced research excellence at the well-established partner institutions by bridging quantitative and qualitative methodologies in life course research and advancing the use of mixed methods. YouthLife activities carried out during the first reporting period have allowed mutual learning and synergy facilitation between UNI BA, KNAW-NIDI and SOUTHAMPTON through creating the cooperation groundwork for leading research universities in the field of life course research. In addition to the respective WP leader responsible for organising the activities, other partners have contributed to the events and ESRs from their institutions have participated in the courses and workshops. Similarly the discussion seminars have benefitted all the partners, while also providing a chance for their ESRs to gain experience in presenting their research results.
Cooperation between complementary methodological competences potentially will open up new directions for empirical data analysis and new perspectives for comparative studies, which will be realised during the next reporting period in joint publications in the format of working papers, conference presentations and articles published in peer-reviewed academic journal and books, but also as part of the elaboration of research design for the planned Estonian Longitudinal Study of Youth (ELSY).