Past data releases - 2005

ESDS Qualidata made available the following datasets in 2005.

• Regionalisation and the New Politics of Waste, 2002-2004
• Grandparents and Teen Grandchildren: Exploring Intergenerational Relationships, 2003-2004
• A Cross-Generational Investigation of the Making of Heterosexual Relationships, 1912-2003
• Classroom Assistants in Primary Schools: Employment and Deployment, 1999-2001
• Penal Communication, 2001-2002
• Families, Social Mobility and Ageing, an Intergenerational Approach, 1900-1988 (100 Families)
• Homework and its Contributions to Learning, 1999-2001
• Gender Divisions and Gentrification, 1960-1992
• Meeting Basic Needs? Exploring the Survival Strategies of Forced Migrants, 2004
• Transition Out of the Parental Home in Britain, Spain and Norway, 2001-2002
• Innovative Health Technologies at Women's Midlife : Theory and Diversity Among Women and 'Experts', 2001-2003
• A Qualitative Study of Democracy and Participation in Britain, 1925-2003
• Presentation of Genetically Modified (GM) Crop Research to Non-specialists, 1997-2002 : A Case Study
• Mothers Alone : Poverty and the Fatherless Family, 1955-1966
• Understanding Health Variations and Policy Variations, 1999
• Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Research : Prospects and Limits, 1994-2003
• Family Life and Work Experience Before 1918, 1870-1973

• Regionalisation and the New Politics of Waste, 2002-2004
  Davoudi, S., Leeds Metropolitan University. Centre for Urban Development and Environmental Management.

  Date of Release: 24 November 2005

  Abstract: This research project examined how new policy agendas, institutional arrangements and political pressures have influenced the strategic planning for the management of municipal solid waste across England. Focusing on the evolution of regional institution building and particularly the role of the new Regional Technical Advisory Bodies for waste management, the study traced the level of involvement and the role of various actors and regulatory frameworks from different spatial scales in the development and implementation of subnational waste management strategies. Emphasis was placed on the variety of coalitions developing around strategic waste planning and their role in enabling or constraining different waste policy options. Placing these issues in the context of the challenges of sustainable development, the project sought to inform the wider debate on institutional change and the prospect for new ways of thinking about sustainable resource management through England's emerging regional structures.

  This research project examined how new policy agendas, institutional arrangements and political pressures have influenced the strategic planning for the management of municipal solid waste across England. Focusing on the evolution of regional institution building and particularly the role of the new Regional Technical Advisory Bodies for waste management, the study traced the level of involvement and the role of various actors and regulatory frameworks from different spatial scales in the development and implementation of subnational waste management strategies. Emphasis was placed on the variety of coalitions developing around strategic waste planning and their role in enabling or constraining different waste policy options. Placing these issues in the context of the challenges of sustainable development, the project sought to inform the wider debate on institutional change and the prospect for new ways of thinking about sustainable resource management through England's emerging regional structures.

  • semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis to provide an initial comprehensive assessment of the regional structures and emerging policy processes in all English regions
  • detailed case-study analysis on interactions between regional and local decision-making processes in three regions (Yorkshire and Humberside, North West England and Eastern England), selected on the basis of the findings from the first phase

  Main Topics: The data collection comprises 59 transcripts of semi-structured interviews conducted face-to-face and via telephone during both phases of the research. Interviews were conducted with waste planners/managers in waste planning/collection/disposal authorities and the waste industry, planners in regional assemblies, environment agency officers, individuals within voluntary sector groups, politicians, planners at Government Office Region (GOR) level, consultants, and personnel from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). The accompanying documentation includes the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) End-of-Award report for the project and interview schedules for both phases of the research.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Regionalisation and the New Politics of Waste, 2002-2004.

  
  

• Grandparents and Teen Grandchildren: Exploring Intergenerational Relationships, 2003-2004
  Hill, M., University of Glasgow. Glasgow Centre for the Child and Society.

  Date of Release: 18 November 2005

  Abstract: This research focused on the nature of grandparent-grandchild relationships, exploring the ways in which family and societal contexts are impacting on this kinship relation. The focus was on grandparent-grandchild relations when grandchildren are in their teenage years, as little research has been conducted on this phase of the grandchild-grandparent relationship, particularly on the range of help and support provided by grandparents to older grandchildren, or vice versa. Much previous research on grandparenthood has been based upon large-scale surveys, highlighting various predictors of relationship strength and quality. However, such studies are limited in their ability to shed light on how grandparent-grandchild relationships are actually experienced. Information has mainly been gathered from grandparents, parents and young adults, with few studies including the views of children and young people or containing the perspectives of related grandparents and grandchildren. This research redressed the balance by adopting a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of both grandparents and grandchildren. It considered variations in the same person's relationships with several grandchildren or grandparents, placing these in the context of each individual's family, social networks and socio-economic environments. The study emphasised the dynamic nature of grandparent-grandchild relations by examining perceived changes related to life stage and the implications of various family transitions, formations and mobility.

  Main Topics: The research adopted a qualitative approach to explore in depth the meaning and significance of grandparent-grandchild relations. Interviews and group discussions were held with respondents from both generations and included related and unrelated grandparents and grandchildren. Those with related pairs enabled comparison of views of the same relationship, while those with unrelated participants provided more general comparisons within and across generations. Altogether 148 respondents took part in the study, 75 young people and 73 older people with at least one teenage grandchild. Half the young people were aged 10-14, half aged 15-19. Grandparent respondents ranged in age from early 50s to late 80s. Respondents were chosen to provide a social spread, and were drawn from affluent and less affluent, urban and rural areas. The sampling was also intended to include participants from minority ethnic backgrounds, Scottish-Chinese and Scottish-Pakistani Muslim. The majority of the transcripts have been made available. This dataset comprises 63 of these transcripts.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Grandparents and Teen Grandchildren: Exploring Intergenerational Relationships, 2003-2004.

  
  

• A Cross-Generational Investigation of the Making of Heterosexual Relationships, 1912-2003
  Hockey, J., University of Sheffield. Department of Sociological Studies.

  Date of Release: 14 October 2005

  Abstract: This study represents the first major UK-based empirical study of the making of heterosexual relationships over the last 80 years. Making intimacy and the practices of everyday life its core focus, it asks how women and men manage and subjectively experience the institution of heterosexuality. Taking up VanEvery's (1996) argument that marriage and the family are heterosexuality's hegemonic manifestations, the study uses a life course perspective to investigate the processes through which women and men have identified and constituted themselves as 'heterosexual' at various points across the last 80 years. Drawing on interviews with 71 women and men across three generations in 22 families (all families had to have some connection with East Yorkshire), it was asked how heterosexuality as an institution is reproduced, resisted and reinvented through the practices of everyday life (consent was not given by all respondents, the deposited data consist of 54 interviews from 20 families). Key areas of focus include embodiment, emotionality and the centrality of heterosexuality as an implicit principle underpinning the organisation of both public and private space. With the focus on the extended family, also considered is the temporalities of heterosexuality, exploring the meshing of historical, familial and biographical time.

  Key heterosexual moments identified within these data include: the acquisition of sexual knowledge through talk and practice; courtship, weddings and home-making; parenthood, work and family like; separation and divorce; redundancy and retirement; death, dying and bereavement. While these data provided extensive scope for cross generational comparison, of perhaps greater significance is their contribution of an account of the transmission of heterosexual practice within the family and across generations. The study provides an account of how individuals seek to navigate the uncertainties of contemporary heterosexual life. Thus describing not only the practice of heterosexual, but also the reflections of members of different generations upon the values and experiences of older and younger family members.

  Main Topics: This dataset provides an empirical account of how the institution of heterosexuality is lived out and reproduced across different generations within the same families in urban and rural areas within East Yorkshire. It complements feminist research on heterosexuality which has developed largely at a theoretical level. In-depth qualitative interviews were used to generate emotional narratives as they are drawn on by women and men. As a cross-generational study the project's historical perspective reveals both changes and continuities within the living out of heterosexuality across the twentieth century. As such it explores the diversity of options and gendered identities which heterosexuality now encompasses.

  In particular, the data details twentieth century heterosexual social arrangements: dating, courtship, marriage, family life, divorce and widowhood. Particular emphasis is placed on the ways in which people found out about growing up and making heterosexual relationships, what their initial experiences were like, if and how they formed a permanent heterosexual relationship, when they left home and how they set up homes and families of their own. In many cases interviewees describe relationship breakdown and a sequence of subsequent partners. In all, 71 interviews were conducted within 22 families, each of them focusing on life course transitions. This means the data also show the intersection of history and biography, and the impact of macro-level cultural change upon contrasting periods of the life course. In reading these data it is important to bear in mind the methodological implications of age, class and gender-based differences and commonalities between a researcher in her early 30s and male and female participants of different ages.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at A Cross-Generational Investigation of the Making of Heterosexual Relationships, 1912-2003.

  
  

• Classroom Assistants in Primary Schools: Employment and Deployment, 1999-2001
  Swann, W., Open University. Faculty of Education and Language Studies.

  Date of Release: 12 August 2005

  Abstract: This is a mixed methods study.

  The study investigates the ways in which classroom assistants in primary schools are deployed in classrooms, and the terms and conditions under which they are employed. The number of classroom assistants in primary schools has grown considerably in recent years, but very little is known about their work. Despite this, government policy is paying increasing attention to their potential to contribute to raising standards of achievement. The study aimed to understand the range of practices which govern the employment of classroom assistants, and the range of ways in which they are deployed in classrooms. The study sought to understand the factors that determine employment practices and patterns of deployment, and the way in which these are interrelated. The study contributes to the growing debate on professional and para-professional roles in primary schools. The study uses a combination of large sample survey and small scale case study methodology. In the first phase, policy and practice in three LEAs were explored through semi-structured interviews with key informants among LEA staff and representatives of trade unions and professional associations. In the second phase, questionnaires were sent to a large sample of schools in these three LEAs for completion by the head teacher, a classroom assistant and a teacher. The returns from LEA 3 were very low and therefore not included in this phase. Finally, three schools in LEA 1 and two schools in LEA 2 were chosen for in-depth case studies, drawing data from non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews with school staff.

  Main Topics: Topics covered in the dataset include: classroom assistants, teachers, school advisers, education personnel, parents, employment, deployment, conditions of service, roles and responsibilities, career development, special needs education, statements, bilingualism, recruitment, training, diversity, school funding, budgets, local education authority, curriculum.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Classroom Assistants in Primary Schools: Employment and Deployment, 1999-2001.

  
  

• Penal Communication, 2001-2002
  Rex, S., University of Cambridge. Institute of Criminology.

  Date of Release: 28 July 2005

  Abstract: The overall aim of this mixed methods research project was to contribute to the conceptual and practical development of community penalties. This was to be achieved through the following objectives:

  • to use empirical research to inform theory about penal communication and to explore the application of those ideas to community penalties, in order to develop understandings about the contribution which community penalties make to penal aims, and thus to contribute to the development of a stronger conceptual framework for community-based options;
  • to assist the probation service in understanding how pro-social modelling can be incorporated into supervisory practices, and the contribution it makes to the effectiveness of those practices in terms both of securing cooperation and compliance with community orders and in moving offenders towards more constructive and law-abiding lives;
  • through the above two objectives, to develop understanding of the contribution which research can make to policy and practice, particularly as it applies to community penalties.
  • The penal communication research was carried out over a three year period. Its aim was to use the views of lay magistrates, probation staff, offenders and victims (the four research groups) to investigate normative questions raised by penal theorists. The study comprised the following stages:
    • stage 1: 'Exploring Punishment as Communication': first round interviews - 63 individuals were interviewed in total; 21 magistrates, 19 probation officers, 13 offenders and 10 victims;
    • stage 2: 'Adding Quantitative Weight': 771 questionnaires were completed by respondents drawn from the same four groups, but across five counties;
    • stage 3: Follow-up interviews: these were arranged with twelve individuals (three magistrates, three offenders, three victims and two probation officers) whose views reflected the range emerging from questionnaire analysis. In fact, eleven follow-up interviews were eventually conducted, as only two of the three interviews with 'victims' took place. These follow-up interviews provided an opportunity to discuss specific questions raised in earlier analysis, using hypothetical examples to probe an issue in depth.
  • evaluation of Community Service (CS) Pathfinder Projects.

  Main Topics: This mixed methods data collection includes both qualitative interview transcripts and a quantitative data file.

  Topics covered in the qualitative interviews include the meaning of punishment, purpose of sentencing and punishment, probation, community service and combination orders, prison sentences, youth justice, public perceptions of sentencing, attitudes to criminal behaviour, reparation and restorative justice. In addition, the follow-up interviewees were asked to elaborate on responses they had given in the questionnaire.

  Topics covered in the quantitative questionnaire include the meanings of punishment, purpose of sentencing, amount of punishment, and perceptions of how offenders respond to punishment.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Penal Communication, 2001-2002.

  
  

• Families, Social Mobility and Ageing, an Intergenerational Approach, 1900-1988
  Thompson, P., University of Essex. Department of Sociology.

  Date of Release: 21 July 2005

  Abstract: This is an enhanced qualitative study.

  The study sought to combine two normally separate fields of study, family life and social mobility. It examined connections between them through in-depth life story interviews. The objective of the research was to produce a sample-based investigation of ordinary families and normal processes of inter-generational influences with which to compare them.

  The study explored geographical and social mobility and the role of the family in inter-generational terms from the perspective of gender and migration. Participants were asked extensive questions relating to their own, and their family's, education, politics, family tree, marriage and relationships, housing, parents' work, and leisure.

  The fieldwork strategy selected a 'middle generation' of men and women aged 30 to 55 and married with children. Where possible an older or younger (over 16) member of the family was additionally interviewed. The middle generation informants were initially drawn from a subsample of informants interviewed for an ESRC stagflation project who had agreed to been re-interviewed. They were located in 200 polling districts in 35 parliamentary constituencies in Scotland, London, north-west, west and south-east England and the Midlands. Further polling districts were added and a stratified occupational quota was introduced to ensure an appropriate class balance. The collection consists of interviews with 170 informants. Of these, 87 were middle generation, 42 younger, and 41 were older generation informants. The families included 26 represented by a lone informant and 11 where three generations were interviewed. The interviews average 54 pages in length.

  The collection was deposited on paper. It was enhanced through scanning, proof-reading and anonymisation of the original transcripts. Usability of the transcripts was further enhanced through reformatting of the layout, the insertion of XML speaker tags and eventual conversion to searchable Word and RTF formats.

  Further information on the project is available through ESDS Qualidata Online

  Main Topics: The survey was carried out with the purpose of gathering ethnographic and dynamic information illustrative of family, ageing, and social mobility. The semi-structured interview transcripts combine accounts of family background and occupations with full life stories covering education, politics, family tree, marriage and relationships, housing, parents' work, and leisure.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Families, Social Mobility and Ageing, an Intergenerational Approach, 1900-1988.

  
  

• Homework and its Contributions to Learning, 1999-2001
  Hughes, M., University of Bristol. Graduate School of Education.

  Date of Release: 15 June 2005

  Abstract: The overall aims of the research were to examine the contribution which homework makes to student learning at Key Stages 2 and 3, and to identify some of the conditions under which this contribution is enhanced or reduced.

  The main research questions were:

  • what kind of tasks are set for homework?
  • to what extent and in what ways do students engage with homework?
  • what are the main contexts in which homework originates and is carried out, and how is homework perceived and valued within those contexts?
  • what kinds of support are provided for homework within these contexts?
  • what effects do pupil characteristics (such as age, gender and learning identity) have on the way in which homework is perceived and carried out?
  • what are the learning outcomes arising from particular homework tasks?
  • how do tasks, contexts and pupil characteristics interact with each other to enhance or reduce learning outcomes?

  The research was intended to be exploratory and hypothesis-generating. It was therefore based on the in-depth study of how homework is practised and perceived in and around a small number of primary and secondary schools.

  Main Topics: The dataset consists of semi-structured qualitative interviews about homework, deriving from a study of practices and perceptions concerning homework, in and around four secondary and four primary schools. The secondary schools served contrasting catchment areas. Two schools had a high proportion of students eligible for free school meals, with most of the students in one of these schools coming from minority ethnic groups. A third school was a city-based church school, which drew students from all over the city, while the fourth served a large rural area. The catchment areas for the primary schools were very similar to the secondary schools, as each primary school was a 'feeder' school for one of the secondary schools.

  In each secondary school, the research centred on six students (three boys, three girls; two high attainers, two medium and two low) from Year 8. (Data were actually collected on a larger number of students, as additional students were included either as back-up or in order to comply with requests from the participating schools). Each student was interviewed on a first occasion about homework in general and on a second occasion about specific homework that had been set. The teachers of the students, in English, mathematics, science, modern foreign languages and humanities, were similarly interviewed about homework in general and specific homework. The head teachers, form tutors and parents of each student were interviewed once to ascertain their views on homework.

  In the primary schools, six students were again selected for study, this time from Year 5. Data collection procedures were the same as for the secondary schools.

  The interviews covered a range of areas, including the following: tasks, practices, management and organisation, compliance, assessment, the role of parents, peer influences, feelings, and perceptions of purposes.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Homework and its Contributions to Learning, 1999-2001.

  
  

• Gender Divisions and Gentrification, 1960-1992
  Bondi, L., University of Edinburgh. Institute of Geography.

  Date of Release: 23 May 2005 (2nd Edition)

  Abstract: The aim of this project was to investigate the significance of gender as a factor in processes of gentrification, and to explore the interplay between changing gender divisions and urban change. The research was based on a comparison of three local areas in Edinburgh, one where gentrification began in the late 1960s, one where gentrification began in the early 1980s, and one modern suburb. The local case studies were developed using data from the Register of Sasines and other documentary sources, together with semi-structured interviews with consumers and producers of private sector housing. The research findings endorse the view that non-family households in general and women in particular are important agents of gentrification. However, no support was found for the widespread assumption that attitudes to gender roles and household gender divisions of labour are any more 'traditional' in suburban areas than in areas subject to gentrification. The study shows how the relationship between gender practices and location is mediated by factors including the presence or absence of children, class differences and geographical origins.

  The data were previously only available by personal visit to the School of Scottish Studies Sound Archive at the University of Edinburgh. This new edition makes the data available online through the Data Catalogue.

  Main Topics: Building design; class; community participation; domestic responsibilities; demography; employment; gender; gentrification; home buying; home ownership; home sales; home security; housing; housing finance; housework; neighbours; neighbourhoods; public transport; tenants home purchasing; shopping; urban development; urban life; urban renewal; urban traffic.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Gender Divisions and Gentrification, 1960-1992.

  
  

• Meeting Basic Needs? Exploring the Survival Strategies of Forced Migrants, 2004
  Dwyer, P., University of Leeds. School of Sociology and Social Policy.

  Date of Release: 20 May 2005

  Abstract: The aims of the project were:

  • to consider how far the basic housing and financial needs of refugees and asylum seekers are being adequately met;
  • to explore the strategies used by asylum seekers and refugees in order to meet their needs in relation to housing and social security;
  • to explore the role of the formal and informal welfare agencies and actors in meeting such needs;
  • to engage in some preliminary scoping of the appropriateness of a policy that would allow asylum seekers to engage in paid work in order to meet their needs.

  Main Topics: This data collection consists of two related sets of transcribed semi-structured qualitative interviews. The first set comprises interviews with eleven key respondents involved in the provision of welfare services to forced migrants. The second set includes interviews with 23 forced migrants, including five refugees, seven asylum seekers, six people with humanitarian protection status (leave to remain), five failed asylum seekers/'overstayers', and one migrant classified as 'other'. Users should note that some of the interviews are combined, and one is a focus group interview.

  Thirteen of the forced migrants were male and ten female. Ages ranged between 21 and 57 years. Nine countries of origin were identified: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Somalia and Zimbabwe. The countries of origin of individual respondents are not included in the interview transcripts, for confidentiality reasons.

  Topics covered include:

  • Set one (providers): background statistics; position of organisation and organisational role; key issues for welfare and housing provision to forced migrants; perceptions of the effects of formal immigration status on welfare; coping strategies of forced migrants, including welfare rights, informal provision, migrant behaviour, migrant employment; ways forward for the future improvement of migrant welfare.
  • Set two (migrants): arrival and length of stay in United Kingdom; housing provision and conditions; whether basic needs are being met by current provision; how migrants 'manage'; coping strategies; legal and illegal employment; ways forward for future improvement of provision.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Meeting Basic Needs? Exploring the Survival Strategies of Forced Migrants, 2004.

  
  

• Transition Out of the Parental Home in Britain, Spain and Norway, 2001-2002
  Holdsworth, C., University of Liverpool. Department of Geography.

  Date of Release: 18 May 2005

  Abstract: There is considerable diversity in young people's experiences of leaving home throughout Europe, with young people leaving home at much older ages in the south rather than the north. However, relatively little is known about the causes of this diversity and its implications for both young people and their families. This research project explored the relative importance of both structural factors, such as access to higher education, labour and housing market conditions and culturally-defined norms on leaving home in three European countries: Britain, Spain and Norway. Based on in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with young people and their parents in each country, the project investigated both the individual and cultural context of transitions out of the parental home.

  The research questions addressed include:

  • meanings of home and leaving home identified by young people and parents;
  • young people's expectations of residential independence and its achievement;
  • the role of parents and the state in assisting the transition out of the parental home;
  • the importance of peer groups on leaving home including experiences of young people in other European countries.

  Main Topics: This qualitative data collection includes transcripts of 92 interviews conducted with young people and parents (carried out separately).

  Topics covered include:

  • young people: living arrangements, emotional and practical issues of leaving/staying in parental home, comparisons of the experience with that of peers both in own and other countries, future expectations.
  • parents: living arrangements, emotional and practical issues of young people leaving/staying in home and parents' concerns about them, comparisons of the the young person's situation with that of peers both in own and other countries, future expectations for young person.

  58 young people in the study also completed a life history matrix, but these are not currently included in the data collection. An example of the life history matrix sheet is included in the user guide for the study.

  Users should note that the interviews conducted in Bilbao are in Spanish. No translation is currently included in the ESDS study.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Transition Out of the Parental Home in Britain, Spain and Norway, 2001-2002.

  
  

• Innovative Health Technologies at Women's Midlife : Theory and Diversity Among Women and 'Experts', 2001-2003
  Griffiths, F.E., University of Warwick. Centre for Primary Health Care Studies.

  Date of Release: 21 April 2005

  Abstract: Innovative Health Technologies (IHTs) in the context of women's midlife, have been defined as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), breast screening and osteoporosis screening. The research questions that this project aimed to answer were:

  • how are the IHTs defined, assessed and communicated by women from diverse backgrounds, community ethnic and special interest groups and experience of the use of IHTs?
  • what are the risk discourses used by women in their assessment of IHTs, their interaction with health care professionals and their decisions about IHTs, and what influences them?
  • what are the risk discourses used by health care professionals practising in diverse health care settings, in their assessment of IHTs, in their interactions with patients and in their clinical management decisions related to IHTs, and what influences them?
  • how do status, power and life situations impinge upon the development of joint accounts of risk and risk managment strategies in health care settings?

  The defined objectives of the research were as follows:

  • to provide a rich qualitative account of women's and health professionals' awareness of and views about IHTs;
  • to explore the diversity in midlife women's awareness, experience and views of these IHTs (the main strands of diversity being ethnicity, able-bodiedness, sexuality and socio-economic context);
  • to explore the diversity in health professionals' awareness of and views on specific IHTs used by midlife women;
  • to examine the attitudes and strategies used by health professionals and women in discussing the risks and benefits of these IHTs and the discourses that are drawn upon in developing joint accounts of decisions about health management strategies;
  • to generate new understanding and theory about the interaction between 'expert' and lay views, which has implications for policy, planning, professional practice and the future design and sustainability of IHTs.

  Main Topics: This data collection contains transcripts of interviews and taped consultations relating to IHTs at women's midlife. Three main categories of data are included:

  • interviews with health professionals: a range of health workers from selected research sites were interviewed, including: primary health care sites (GPs and practice nurses) and secondary health care sites - bone clinics, breast assessment clinics and HRT clinics (consultants, specialist registrars, specialist nurses, radiographers);
  • interviews with women: the interviewees were selected through the above research sites (e.g. bone clinic, GP surgery) or through community organisations (e.g. ethnic, disabled or gay and lesbian organisations, Women's Institutes and guilds;
  • taped consultations: a range of consultations with both doctors and nurses were taped in the above research sites, with health professionals responsible for activating the tape recorder. Some, but not all of the interviews with women triangulate with these recorded consultations (see List of Triangulations in user guide).

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Innovative Health Technologies at Women's Midlife : Theory and Diversity Among Women and 'Experts', 2001-2003.

  
  

• A Qualitative Study of Democracy and Participation in Britain, 1925-2003
  Devine, F., University of Manchester. Department of Sociology.

  Date of Release: 7 April 2005 (2nd Edition)
  Date of Release: 3 March 2005 (1st Edition)

  Abstract: The main aim of the study was to undertake a new empirical study of voluntary activists in Britain. More specifically, the objectives were to undertake a qualitative study to (1) generate a deeper understanding of the processes by which people become activists, (2) describe citizens' experiences of activism and (3) understand their evaluations of participation and democracy.

  A further aim of the study was to evaluate existing rival theories of civic voluntarism from the US, Europe and the UK and to contribute to theoretical explanations of why some citizens participate while others do not. The work of Robert Putnam and his concept of social capital was the particular focus of attention given its prominence in government and policy-making circles.

  A third aim of the study was to work with colleagues - Professors Seyd and Pattie at the University of Sheffield - by generating a subsample of activists from a Citizens' Audit comprising a postal survey of nearly 10,000 respondents. In this way, the quantitative and qualitative studies would be linked as they will be in subsequent analysis and publications. However, Study Number 5017 is made up of the qualitative interview transcripts only.

  A fourth aim was to contribute to current political debates on disillusionment and disengagement by highlighting the opportunities and constraints on participation and examine satisfactions and dissatisfactions with democracy in Britain. It is anticipated that an in-depth knowledge of activism could contribute to policy development seeking to enhance activism in Britain.

  The final aim of the study was to locate the project alongside European research on citizenship, involvements and democracy and thereby add a comparative dimension to our understanding of the changing relationship between citizens and government. This is feasible at a time when European and American governments are tackling the same issues around disillusionment and disengagement.

  Main Topics: The dataset is composed of 98 interview transcripts with voluntary activists selected from the Citizens' Audit (CA) (a postal questionnaire) conducted by Professors Seyd and Pattie at the University of Sheffield. The interviewees were randomly selected from 713 respondents in the CA who indicated that they had spent more than 20 hours engaged in activities, in clubs, associations, groups, networks or in supporting other people during the last month. The dataset comprises both men and women resident in cities, towns and villages in England, Wales and Scotland.

  The interviews lasted for one and a half hours on average. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with the use of an interview schedule comprising a number of topics to ensure some similarity across the sample. First, under the topic 'about yourself', the interviewees were asked some biographical questions such as marital status, family, education and job. Second, under the topic 'where you live', the interviewees were asked about their localities and the extent to which they trusted people around them.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at A Qualitative Study of Democracy and Participation in Britain, 1925-2003.

  
  

• Presentation of Genetically Modified (GM) Crop Research to Non-specialists, 1997-2002 : A Case Study
  Robbins, P.T., Cranfield University. Institute of Water and Environment.

  Date of Release: 22 February 2005

  Abstract: The study investigated the presentation of genetic modification (GM) crop research at the University of Reading to non-specialists within the university, and to users, potential students, and the general public outside. The aim was to uncover how linguistic and rhetorical choices vary with the purpose of the communication and with the communicator's perceptions of audience knowledge and views, and how these choices may persuade or antagonise their receivers.

  The objectives of the study were to determine:

  • what factors guide GM scientists when presenting research findings to outsiders;
  • whether presentation varies with scientists' perceptions of audience knowledge and views, and purpose of communication;
  • whether linguistic choices vary with scientists' perception of the formality, distribution and genre of the presentation;
  • whether linguistic choices aggravate or appease public and academic opinion about the desirability of research into GM crops.

  Main Topics: The data collection includes:

  • 17 interview transcripts with University of Reading GM scientists;
  • seven interview transcripts with University of Reading non-specialists (academics, support staff, students);
  • five interview transcripts with outside consultants (including environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and corporate executives);
  • seven University of Reading GM seminar transcripts;
  • four University of Reading press releases;
  • one set of University of Reading standing committee meeting minutes;
  • 32 University of Reading bulletin items.

  The interview transcriptions are complete, except for the interviews of the five outside commentators, where one hour (11-13 page) samples were taken

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Presentation of Genetically Modified (GM) Crop Research to Non-specialists, 1997-2002 : A Case Study.

  
  

• Mothers Alone : Poverty and the Fatherless Family, 1955-1966 (Fatherless Families)
  Marsden, D., University of Essex. Department of Sociology.

  Date of Release: 22 February 2005

  Abstract: This is an enhanced qualitative study.

  The study explores the lives and experiences of mothers living alone: unmarried, separated, divorced or widowed. The study posed two questions: what is poverty and who are the fatherless? The study asked about housing conditions, homelessness, diet and nutrition, family relations, marriage and marital breakdowns, and the levels and adequacy of community and national assistance. The interviewees were asked about detailed indicators of poverty and also the subjective, felt experience of poverty. The study examined problems families faced as a consequence of both low income and lack of fathers, the causes of their circumstances, and the adequacy of assistance provided by community and national sources.

  The study was developed from a pilot study done for a larger project, 'Poverty in the UK', by Peter Townsend.

  The collection has been enhanced in two ways. First, all interviews were converted from paper to partially searchable Adobe PDF files. Additional relevant documents are included in the user guide, such as the questionnaire, the original letter sent to participants with assurances of consent and confidentiality, notes on methodology, and extracts from an interview with the author about conducting this research. This collection will also be made available through ESDS Qualidata Online.

  Main Topics: Detailed questions were asked about living arrangements, marriage, factors that led to fatherlessness, and family structure. Also, physical conditions of housing, furniture, water supply and heating were described. Other topics covered included sources of income (work and benefits), health, food and diet and clothing. Regarding children, data were collected about their health and education.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Mothers Alone : Poverty and the Fatherless Family, 1955-1966.

  
  

• Understanding Health Variations and Policy Variations, 1999
  Exworthy, M., London School of Economics and Political Science. Department of Social Policy. Health and Social Care Research Centre.

  Date of Release: 15 February 2005

  Abstract: The aim of this study was to undertake an empirical analysis of the policy process in the NHS, in order to examine how policy towards health inequalities is formulated and how that policy is translated vertically into local policy. How and why local policies differ within health authorities and other agencies was also considered, and how these initiatives are evaluated at local level.

  The first stage of the research project was a review of legislation and national policy documents. The second stage was a short questionnaire sent to over 2000 named trusts and local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland. The third stage used case studies and interviews to examine how the policy process worked. Together, the three stages aimed to provide a balance between qualitative and quantitative data sources in assessing the interaction between stakeholders in formulating and implementing equity policies.

  Users should note that only the interview transcripts from the third stage of the research are currently held at ESDS - the questionnaire data are not included in the study

  Main Topics: Local and national policies and initiatives to overcome health inequalities, healthcare provision and local health organisation structures and hierarchies.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Understanding Health Variations and Policy Variations, 1999.

  
  

• Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Research : Prospects and Limits, 1994-2003
  Bryman, A., Loughborough University. Department of Social Sciences.

  Date of Release: 10 February 2005

  Abstract: This project drew its inspiration from what was felt to be a growth in the number of investigations combining qualitative and quantitative research. Enthusiasm for and use of multi-strategy research was running ahead of what was known about how it is employed in practice and what its benefits might be. Thus, it was felt at the start of the project that the time was ripe for an examination of multi-strategy research in practice.

  The project's objectives were to:

  • provide a comprehensive assessment of the state of the field with regard to the integration of qualitative and quantitative research;
  • proffer recommendations with regard to good practice for the integration of qualitative and quantitative research;
  • identify areas or contexts in which the integration of qualitative and quantitative research is not obviously beneficial;
  • explore an area where qualitative and quantitative research co-exist as separate strategies or traditions and analyse the prospects for linking the two sets of findings;
  • explore some of the discursive practices involved in the representation of research which integrates the two approaches.

  Main Topics: The dataset derives from a content analysis of case studies of the integration of qualitative and quantitative research across the social sciences. Whilst it is recognized that journal articles do not by any means encapsulate all possible contexts in which projects reporting multi-strategy research might be found, they are a major form of reporting findings and have the advantage that in the vast majority of cases, the peer review process provides some kind of quality control mechanism. Therefore, to construct the dataset, a content analysis of published journal articles combining qualitative and quantitative research in the following areas was conducted: sociology, social psychology, human, social and cultural geography, management and organisational behaviour, and media and cultural studies. Analysis was restricted to a ten year period, 1994-2003, and a total of 232 articles analysed. The articles were coded according to year of publication, research designs and methods used, whether qualitative/quantitative component was dominant or both methods had equal status, rationales employed for combining both types of method, actual uses of qualitative and quantitative research, country in which the research was conducted and first named author.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Research : Prospects and Limits, 1994-2003.

  
  

• Family Life and Work Experience Before 1918, 1870-1973
  Thompson, P., University of Essex. Department of Sociology.

  Date of Release: 5 April 2005 (5th Edition)
  Date of Release: 11 January 2005 (4th Edition)

  Abstract: This is a mixed methods study comprising 449 qualitative interview transcripts, in partially searchable PDF format, and a quantitative data file developed during a follow-up project to code some of the data.

  The major part of the collection comprises life-story interviews originally collected as part of the study The Edwardians: Family Life and Work Experience Before 1918. The interviews were undertaken in the early 1970s and formed the basis of the first national oral history project in the United Kingdom. A total of 454 interviews were recorded on reel-to-reel audio tape and later transcribed as typed, paper documents. The interviews were open-ended (guided by a schedule) and of between one and six hours duration.

  A total of 449 transcripts of the 454 interviews are available from ESDS in the form of PDF documents.

  A related project, Systematic Analysis of Life Histories, is also included. The aim of this was to prepare interviews collected for the `Family Life and Work Experience before 1918' study for numerical coding shortly after completion. Not all of the data have been coded in the resulting data file.

  The original study materials were initially archived, catalogued and disseminated by Qualidata. Full paper/microfiche transcripts are held at the National Social Policy and Social Change Archive at the University of Essex and the original sound recordings deposited at the British Library National Sound Archive.

  Further information on the project is available through ESDS Qualidata Online.

  Main Topics: The interview schedule covered domestic routine, including the roles of husbands and children; meals; the upbringing of children; emotional relationships and values in the family; leisure; religion; politics; school; courtship and marriage; the wider family; relationships with neighbours and perception of the community structure; experience of work and occupational history of the whole family.

  The full catalogue record for this study can be found at Family Life and Work Experience Before 1918, 1870-1973.