Young People’S Rural Quality of Life in the Colombian Andes: A Qualitative Study Using Triangulation

Abstract

This chapter aims at reflecting about the rural quality of life of young people living in the heights of the Colombian Andes. It is based upon the results of a research study entitled “Social Construction of Rural Young people in the Colombian Andean Zone”. The text centers around two main axes as a response to the methodological fundamentals of the research that gives birth to it: the quality of life , in the particular case of rural young people immersed in this context, and the research methods and techniques used in its approach. With reference to the quality of life, it aims at establishing the relationship among the rural young people’s perceptions and their socio-cultural context , their values and their position in life. The Rural Quality of Life category is assumed with its psycho-social connotations resulting from the evaluations young people have about their experiences, present situation and general life visions, which transcend the traditional concept of social welfare. With reference to the methodology, the chapter reflects on the practical importance of qualitative research methods used to approach the study of the Rural Quality of Life of the young peoples in the context of this study; besides, it emphasizes the use of triangulation as a methodological strategy whose application enriches the research process and increases the validity of the results.