Between ambition and alignment: transitions to post-compulsory education of children of migrants in Barcelona

Qualitative longitudinal research is an underused methodology in addiction research, but can provide valuable insights into transitions in the use of addictive substances, including e-cigarettes and tobacco smoking. Uncertainty concerning the efficacy of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid has resulted in an increasing number of longitudinal studies measuring transitions in e-cigarette use and smoking status over time [1-3]. However, quantitative studies are limited in being able to determine what factors prompt individuals to make or maintain changes over time [4]. For this, we need narrative accounts of changes over time in nicotine and tobacco use. The paper by Notley, Ward & Dawkins [5] published in Addiction addresses this gap in the literature by presenting the results of a qualitative longitudinal study with 37 UK e-cigarette users who were using e-cigarettes to quit smoking, interviewing them twice approximately 12 months apart. This research demonstrates the type of insights that can result from qualitative longitudinal research. One key finding was that attitudinal differences about nicotine dependence seemed to influence continued use of e-cigarettes. The study found that those who were still using e-cigarettes and not smoking at 12 months thought long-term use of e-cigarettes was acceptable if it prevented relapse to smoking. However, those who had quit smoking and e-cigarettes (abstainers), and those who had relapsed to smoking, were uncomfortable with maintaining nicotine dependence. This aligns with quantitative research showing that while many e-cigarette users intend to continue using the products as a harm reduction strategy, others see it as a smoking cessation strategy and want to quit [6-8]. In order to identify e-cigarette users at risk of relapse to smoking, it may be helpful for health-care vprofessionals to ask users for their views on long-term nicotine dependence. Notley et al. [5] state that those who wish to quit e-cigarettes will need evidence-based information about how to do this while reducing the risk of relapse to smoking. However, research to inform recommendations for quitting using e-cigarettes is currently very limited. Some e-cigarette users report reducing nicotine concentration over time to reduce nicotine dependence, with the goal of eventually ceasing e-cigarette use [9]. An interesting finding of Notley and colleagues [5] is that some participants in their study who had continued to use e-cigarettes and remain abstinent from smoking had reduced their nicotine concentrations in order to ‘test’ their dependence. The effect of reducing nicotine concentrations over time is unknown, and randomized trials are needed to assess whether this is an effective means of quitting e-cigarette use without relapsing to smoking. A small number of studies have asked e-cigarette users whether they would like support in e-cigarette quit attempts, or whether they have sought such support when making quit attempts. In one survey study, Etter [6] found that of those who intended to quit vaping, 27% thought a health professional could assist them, 33% would visit a ‘vaping cessation service’ and 23% would use nicotine medications. A US survey study [8] found that of those who had attempted to cease e-cigarette use in the last year, 25% sought support from family or friends and 11% sought counselling or self-help materials. They also found that those who had used nicotine replacement therapy or cessation medications recommended their use [8]. The research by Notley et al. [5] also reveals factors that combine to influence trajectories of e-cigarette and tobacco use. Attitudes towards nicotine dependence, feelings of satisfaction with e-cigarettes, social exposure to smoking and vaping and life stressors all influenced individual trajectories. These are the complexities and nuances of individual lives that are difficult to capture using quantitative research. The value of qualitative longitudinal research for the addiction field is that it can explore the development of ‘narrative over time’ [10], and how these narratives are linked to the use of addictive substances. This has long been recognized in the ethnographic tradition of addiction research [11]; however, most qualitative studies in the addiction field remain cross-sectional. There are barriers to conducting qualitative longitudinal research [10]. Collecting and analyzing the data is resource and time intensive. Participant retention is critical due to the smaller sample sizes involved in qualitative research, although Notley et al. [5] demonstrate that very high retention rates are possible for nicotine and tobacco research. It would be of value to continue qualitative longitudinal research over periods longer than 1 year. This could be facilitated by embedding a qualitative component in longitudinal quantitative studies, where a subset of participants are interviewed to increase the depth of the study findings. The research reported by Notley et al. [5] shows that for research on smoking and e-cigarettes, longitudinal qualitative research is feasible and high retention rates are possible. The findings increase our depth of understanding of whether and why people transition between smoking, vaping and becoming nicotine-free. None.

Background: The worldwide discussion focused on investigating the impact of institutional constraints, management capabilities, and both structural and strategic constraints on performance outcomes of small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs).Objective: This study aims to enhance and widen the analysis by investigating how institutional, strategic, and structural constraints, along with management capabilities, affect the performance measures of Black-owned SMMEs, intending to provide a more thorough and expansive analysisDesign/methodology/approach: A quantitative analysis approach was employed, using a structural equation model to examine the interconnections among various factors, including financial, informational, and human capabilities in relation to management capabilities, as well as financial and organisational development in relation to performance. A total of 544 small businesses owned by Black individuals in South Africa participated in the study.Results: The results demonstrate a negative correlation between institutional constraints and business performance (H1), along with a similar negative relationship between strategic and structural constraints and performance (H2). In contrast, the anticipated positive link between management competencies and performance (H3) was not confirmed. These findings highlight the necessity for proactive measures to transform regulatory settings and improve organisational structures.Conclusion: This study tackles a crucial void in the existing literature by exploring the connections among organisational limitations, operational and strategic challenges, management skills, and entrepreneurial success. There is an urgent need for collaborative initiatives among policymakers, business development agencies, and stakeholders to promote entrepreneurship, improve management skills, and bolster organisational frameworks. Through these interventions, Black-owned SMMEs will thrive, generate employment, inspire innovation, and aid in overall economic and social progress.Originality/value: The present research is the initial exploration into the detrimental impact of institutional, strategic, and structural limitations, along with management capacities, on the entrepreneurial performance of SMMEs within South African contexts. Keywords: black-owned smmes, business performance, institutional constraints, management competencies, structural barriers

The positive development of migrant children in China is hampered due to their unequal accessibility to quality urban education resources. This research aimed at exploring the developmental trajectories of migrant and urban children's literacy and mathematics performance, as well as the impact of family socioeconomic status (SES) and parenting styles, including the mediating effect of parenting styles, by comparing migrant children with their urban counterparts. Growth mixture modeling identified distinguishable trajectories of mathematics development for migrant children (i.e., "falling behind" and "keeping pace" groups) and urban children (i.e., "catching up" and "keeping pace" groups), as well as distinguishable trajectories of literacy development for migrant children (i.e., "jumpstarting" and "keeping pace" groups) and urban children ("falling behind" and "steadily progressing" groups). Multinomial logistic regression analyses further clarified that authoritative parenting increased the likelihood of favorable trajectories of migrant children's mathematics development and urban children's literacy and mathematics development. Family SES enhanced migrant children's mathematics development. Family SES contributed to urban children's literacy development through authoritative parenting, yet such a mediating effect was not observed for migrant children. This study highlights the importance of focusing on distinct trajectories of migrant and urban children's literacy and mathematics in improving their school achievement.

This paper investigates the preferences and decisions of first-time fathers and mothers on work and participation in the labour market during the transition to parenthood by analysing interview data on 22 Italian couples. Each partner of each couple had been interviewed separately before and after the birth of the first child, for a total of 88 interviews. We consider individuals as being dynamic and interactive, having preferences that can vary over time, with regard to structural, institutional, and economic constraints, but also in relation to the different phases of their life course and in the interaction with partners. The four interviews per couple allowed us to reconstruct expectations, preferences, and behaviour on work in three stages of mothers’ and fathers’ life course: 1) pre-pregnancy period, which is reconstructed retrospectively during the antenatal interview, 2) pregnancy, 3) and finally when the son/daughter is about one and a half years old. Keywords: parenthood, work, preferences, transitions, Italy.

This paper explores the use of theory in longitudinal qualitative research, an approach to research which explores lived experiences as they unfold. The authors illustrate how the complexity of conducting qualitative research through time drives an understanding and use of theory that differs from other research approaches. Longitudinal qualitative research considers time as fluid, subjective, and unbounded-in contrast to the more common taken-for-granted understanding of time as fixed, objective, and linear. Furthermore, longitudinal qualitative research is predicated on a premise of trust in the context of enduring research relationships. Therefore, while subject-matter theories used to investigate topics of interest to health professions educators may be useful frameworks for other types of research, longitudinal qualitative research needs theories that accommodate the myriad of changes in lived experiences through time. The authors share their decade-long, longitudinal qualitative research story, highlighting their decision points and insights. In doing so, they foreground issues such as time as fluid as an important contribution to health professions education literature.

This paper explores the ethical considerations that arise in the conduct of Qualitative Longitudinal (QL) research, drawing on work undertaken as part of the ESRC Timescapes initiative. Adding time into the mix of a qualitative study heightens the need for ethical literacy. Well established ethical principles take on new meaning and need reworking when seen with a temporal gaze – for example, those relating to consent as an ongoing process; sustaining confidentiality when the risk of disclosure is magnified over time; and the ethical representation of lives in the construction, display and re-use of research data. The challenges are magnified in relation to the tenor, flux and recurrent nature of the research process. The elongated time frames for empirical research create long term, reciprocal research relationships that need careful consideration and nurturing over time. More broadly, as QL research unfolds, a wider constituency of individuals and organisations become implicated in the process, necessitating new thinking about their varied needs and claims. QL researchers find themselves navigating through a broader ethical landscape, which this paper seeks to capture through the concept of ‘stakeholder’ ethics. A stakeholder approach allows for the varied needs of those implicated in the research to be recognised and reconciled, and for a greater appreciation of how research relationships intersect and impact on the research process as it unfolds. Adding time into the mix also enables a distinction to be drawn between pro-active and re-active ethical strategies, both of which are needed in the longer time frames of QL enquiry. The discussion focuses on the conduct of QL research, illustrating the practices of researchers in the field as a starting point for a productive iteration between ethical principles and practice. The paper concludes that time is a complicating factor but also an important resource in the ethical conduct of qualitative research.

Many of the larger towns and cities within the UK have long experienced a cosmopolitan mix of cultures, resulting in ethnically and linguistically diverse schools. However, the wider expansion of the European Union in 2004 has brought about significant changes and challenges for many schools, particularly for those in more rural areas. This article arises out of a 3-year qualitative study (January 2008–December 2010), which focused on identifying the experiences of stake-holders (children and parents of Eastern European heritage and their teachers), where migrant children enter primary schools which have previously had limited exposure to cultural and linguistic diversity. Although many migrant children settle successfully and progress within the UK education system, much can be done in terms of educational policy and practice to ensure that these learners are appropriately supported. This article examines some of the factors impacting upon migrant children's learning and well-being, and offers guidance to practitioners as how to develop inclusive and individualised learning and social contexts for these learners.

BackgroundThe longitudinal qualitative research (LQR) approach is an emerging design in nursing research which focuses on examining changes in experiences over specified timepoints. While some authors have tied this approach to a specific qualitative tradition such as phenomenology and case study, other authors have associated it with two or more qualitative methodologies. Yet, others have also argued it is untied to a specific qualitative tradition. Thus, there is palpable confusion regarding whether it is a methodology or merely a method. Additionally, its guiding paradigm or philosophical/ theoretical foundations remain poorly articulated or loosely defined within the broader qualitative research tradition.ObjectiveThis methodological discussion paper sought to examine the guiding paradigm/ philosophical underpinning, methodology, and methods unique to LQR to ground it within the broader qualitative research tradition. A secondary goal, perhaps more nuanced, is to generate further scholarly discussions regarding LQR and its application to nursing, health, and social care research.DesignMethodological discussionFindingsWhen the term “longitudinal” is applied to a qualitative methodology, the emphasis is on repeated data collection informed by that methodology’s theoretical perspective. However, when LQR is used, then it is to be considered as a methodology characterised by a focus on change, meaning, and time grounded in context, an emphasis on participants’ own reflections of their subjective experiences and the researchers understanding of them. LQR emphasises reflective, second-order perspective (the world as experienced and perceived/ understood). With the need to uncover change across time, its dynamics, and mechanisms, LQR is argued to be potentially underpinned by the critical realist theoretical/ philosophical stance. Methodologically, LQR lends itself to methodical flexibility and pluralism. Despite its strengths, some challenges are noteworthy including attrition, time and resource demands, data management, ethical considerations, researcher bias, analytical complexity, contextual changes, and issues of transferability.ConclusionsLQR is a methodology fit for uncovering meaning, dynamics, and mechanisms of change over time and bound to specific contexts albeit its conduct requires careful planning and availability of adequate resources.

Developing and maintaining connections with others, or what we refer to as the formation of social ties, may strengthen medical students' sense of belonging in medical school. Social ties play a particularly important role for women medical students as the medical field remains largely dominated by masculine norms. However, forming social ties remains challenging for women in medicine. This study used the COVID-19 pandemic to examine how women medical students navigated the spatial contexts of medical school to form social ties. Using longitudinal qualitative research and narrative inquiry, it describes how 17 women medical students formed social ties during the early stages of COVID-19. Beginning in fall 2020, during the initial two-years of medical school, the participants (1) described how personal ties were deterred from forming in early experiences of medical school; (2) shared experiences that promoted a sense of community bonding during middle and later periods; and (3) expressed limitations of access to the formation of professional ties throughout their initial 2-years. This study has important implications for understanding ways spatial contexts, access to physical connections, and the mental and emotional barriers or pathways play roles in social tie formation for women medical students and how longitudinal qualitative research can narrate these changes through time.

This volume offers a new introduction to an evolving research method in the social sciences. Qualitative Longitudinal (QL) research is conducted through time. In its qualitative dimensions it opens up the potential to 'think dynamically' in creative, flexible and innovative ways. QL enquiry is rooted in a long-established tradition of qualitative temporal research, spanning the fields of social anthropology, sociological re-studies and biographical research. But over the past two decades, a growing body of scholarship has begun to document this approach and explore its theoretical underpinnings. This in turn has fuelled a growing interest in and rapid uptake of QL methodology across the disciplines and in international context. This practical volume will be a first port of call for students and researchers wishing to use QL research in their own projects. The chapters follow a logical development, from conceptual and methodological foundations, to research practice and ethics, to the generation and analysis of data. Each chapter offers practical examples drawn from the research field to illustrate key themes and the rich possibilities for new applications.

Qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) has grown in popularity in recent years. In this article, we consider how qualitative longitudinal researchers work with data in the context of team-based studies, drawing on our own experience working together as part of a larger team on a QLR project. We focus particularly on the concept of reflexivity, arguing that while it has been central to much methodological writing on QLR, it has seemingly less influence on empirical studies and has rarely been considered in relation to team-based research contexts. To do so, we survey methodological literature, review the uptake of methods of analysis in empirical QLR studies, and provide a short reflection drawing on our experiences of working on the long-running longitudinal Life Patterns research programme. We ultimately advocate for an expansion of what is considered ‘data’ in the context of QLR and for increased attention to researcher positionality within a team.

People who have communication difficulties may benefit from using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Understanding and measuring outcomes from the use of AAC is an important part of evaluating the impact of devices and services. Outcome measurement needs to reflect the changing nature of the impact of using AAC on an individual's ability to participate in activities of daily life. There is a limited understanding of the concepts that should inform the evaluation of outcomes from AAC device provision, nor how people's expectations from AAC may change over time. To inform the development of a patient-reported outcome measure for AAC by understanding more about people's expectations from AAC and how these change over time. A longitudinal qualitative research study was designed and carried out with seven participants over a period of 2 years. Participants were recruited from a regional specialist assessment service for AAC in the south-west of the UK. Four semi-structured interviews were carried out: (1) before assessment for AAC, (2) after assessment, (3) directly after provision of an AAC device and (4) between 6 and 12 months after provision. An original analytic method was used in this study that built on the principles of longitudinal interpretative phenomenology analysis, applied with a dialogic theoretical lens. This approach enabled the inclusion of a range of multimodal and embodied data collected to this study and allowed the research team to draw out salient themes across the cohort group while attending to the influence of time and context on experience. The results confirm and extend the three core concepts that were used to guide analysis: changes; contexts; future possibilities. The contextual and temporal influences on outcomes attainable from AAC for this cohort were also identified and illustrated through cross-case comparison. Deeper, analytic, and conceptual engagement with theory, which was then applied to analysis of the data, provided methodological rigour in the study. The results enhance our understanding of people's hopes and expectations from AAC and how these change over time. This qualitative longitudinal research study provides new insights into the journeys of people who experience communication disability, and the shifting nature of their sense of identity as they engage with, and learn from using, AAC. The study is significant as it attends to the dynamic nature of experience and how contextual and experiential factors influence people's hopes and expectations from AAC. The paper presents an original application of longitudinal qualitative research methodology with people who use AAC which can be further applied and tested in the field of communication disability research. What is already known on this subject We did not know the impact that time has on the concepts that have been identified to represent important outcomes from AAC. The existing concepts used to define outcomes from AAC were not adequately conceptualized to develop a patient-reported outcome measure. This study sought to extend our knowledge about outcomes from AAC. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study adds to the methodological toolkit available for qualitative inquiry in the field of communication disability research by presenting a longitudinal qualitative research methodology. It adds depth to our understanding of the concepts that underpin outcomes from AAC and highlights the dynamic nature of contexts and how this influences desired outcomes. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? This longitudinal qualitative research study provides a broader perspective on the experience of getting AAC. It will enable clinicians to better navigate the contextual and transitionary factors that influence people's experience of acquiring AAC devices. The enhanced concepts described will also support clinical conversations that consider the wider facets of communication and what AAC can add to existing communicative tool kits beyond getting a message across.

The study focuses on the socio-cultural and religious issues faced by Pakistani migrants living in Spain. The main research objectives were to explore the initial; issues faced by migrants in Spain, the socio-cultural and religious challenges faced by Pakistani migrants in Spain and the way Pakistani migrant ensure their own cultural identity. The qualitative research design based on an interpretive school of thought was used. By using purposive sampling method, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 Pakistani migrants. With the help of thematic analysis, the data was analyzed. Some major themes derive from analysis were socioeconomic issue a prime reason of migration, language a big barrier in settling down to the community, residential issues faced by Pakistani migrants in Spain, religious bias and discrimination towards Pakistani migrants, social bias and cultural issues faced by Pakistani children at school. The study concluded that Pakistani migrants face socio-cultural and religious discrimination and were in a struggle to maintain their own cultural identity. Keywords: Migration, Europe and Spain, Pakistani Migrants, Socio-cultural and religious challenges, language barriers, Culture differences, Living style.

Using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), which was a nationally representative sample of junior high school students, this study examined the association of internal migration with depression among migrant and left-behind children, while exploring the moderating effect of gender difference and the mediating effects of social relationships. The results showed that migrant children had a significantly lower level of depression than left-behind children. Further, the difference in mental health between migrant children and left-behind children was more prominent for boys than girls. The mechanism analyses indicated that compared to left-behind children, internal migration positively predicted parent–child relationships and peer relationships of migrant children, which in turn reduced their depressive symptoms. Although migrant children suffered from a higher level of teacher discrimination than their left-behind counterparts, it had no significant relationship with depression after controlling for children’s social relationships with parents and peers. Our findings suggested that migrating with parents was helpful to reduce children’s depressive symptoms in comparison with being left behind. Therefore, actions should be implemented to reduce the occurrence of involuntary parent–child separation and the prevalence of children’s depressive disorders due to institutional constraints. In addition, necessary treatments are needed to improve the psychological wellbeing of disadvantaged children, especially among left-behind children with mental illness.

Qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) focuses on changes in perceptions, interpretations, or practices through time. Despite longstanding traditions in social science, QLR has only recently appeared in anatomical sciences education (ASE). While some existing methodology papers guide researchers, they take a narrow view of QLR and lack specificity for ASE. This discursive article aims to (1) describe what QLR is and its benefits, its philosophies, methodologies and methods, considerations, and quality indicators, and (2) critically discuss examples of QLR in ASE. Underpinned by relativist ontology and subjectivist epistemology, time can be understood as fluid/subjective or fixed/objective. QLR is a flexible, creative, and exploratory methodology, often associated with other methodologies. Sampling is typically purposive, with repeated and recursive data collection methods, and complex three-strand analyses (themes, cases, and time), enabling cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. QLR involves ethical, relationship, analytical, dissemination, and funding considerations. Key quality indicators relate to qualitative research as well as temporal aspects. Most of the nine ASE papers reviewed explored changes in anatomy learners, but few labeled their methodology as QLR. Just under half described their sampling as purposive, most employed pre-planned and standardized repeated interviews, analyzed their data cross-sectionally, and utilized qualitative data analysis software. Most cited the confirmability and transferability of their studies, but few cited credibility and dependability elements. Study timeframes and tempos were generally clear, but details of longitudinal retention/attrition were often lacking, and longitudinal data analysis was not often conducted. We therefore provide recommendations for the conduct of QLR in ASE.