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Using large-scale qualitative research to explore the experiences of jobless ethnic minority men and women: 

Using large-scale qualitative research to explore the experiences of jobless ethnic minority men and women PSI presentation to Research Methods Festival session on qualitative research across social difference Research in action Thursday 20th July 2006 Maria Hudson

Presentation structure: 

Presentation structure Background to the research project The design of the large-scale qualitative evaluation Some of the challenges the research team experienced in qualitative research across social difference

Background to the Ethnic Minority Outreach (EMO) Initiative: 

Background to the Ethnic Minority Outreach (EMO) Initiative The White-ethnic minority employment gap (Strategy unit report) Ethnic minority (women and men’s) under representation in mainstream employment support services EMO pilot part of the New Deal Next Phase – a major initiative for ethnic minority jobless

The design of the EMO pilot: 

The design of the EMO pilot 5 urban areas of ethnic minority population concentration 43 community based projects (BME voluntary and private sector) taking one of three approaches or combinations of these Approach 1: outreach based provision Approach 2: employer focused provision Approach 3: positive action training

Examples of EMO provision: 

Examples of EMO provision

Key design principals at proposal writing stage : 

Key design principals at proposal writing stage Sample projects to capture diversity with a range of approaches covering a mix of ethnic minority groups, men and women, ages and initial distance from the labour market Capture breadth & depth within area depth of coverage (multiple stakeholders) across area breadth of coverage (20 projects, 5 areas) A longitudinal dimension Cohort and follow-up interviews to explore change over time

The layers of the research design: 

The layers of the research design Project worker interviews Programme Participant interviews Jobcentre staff interviews Referral and other Agencies Employers

A methodologically challenging evaluation : 

A methodologically challenging evaluation It required a huge number of interviews, to be carried out in a variety of languages and involved several waves of longitudinal interview. Moreover… across a diverse range of community based projects!

The volume of interviews: 

The volume of interviews

The longitudinal nature of the research: 

The longitudinal nature of the research Follow-up interviews with project workers (twice in first year of pilot/evaluation, once in second) Two waves of participant interviews (phase a & b = baseline cohorts) Two subsets of participants undertook follow-up interviews (30 participants from phase a & 35 from phase b)

Participant characteristics: 

Participant characteristics

Language needs and their implications for the research: 

Language needs and their implications for the research One third of participant interviews in a minority language (felt unable to conduct interview in English) 7 minority languages (Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Cantonese, Mandarin, Turkish, Somali) Interviews largely carried out by bi-lingual freelance interviewers with qualitative research skills and experience Bilingual interviewers V interpreters – primacy of familiarity of issues relating to ethnic minority disadvantage & qualitative research training

Strategies to capture heterogeneity and minimise attrition: 

Strategies to capture heterogeneity and minimise attrition Importance of strong relationship with project workers in building up the research sample Importance of continuity of interviewer for longitudinal dimension of the research Particularly for developing trust relationship with participants Continuity and depth of knowledge of area and case

3 main analysis stages: 

3 main analysis stages First interim report: early implementation issues for providers (ways of working/client groups) Second interim report: first year of the pilot – drew out developing relationships between EMO providers and other stakeholders Final report: fuller exploration of the complete data set using a coding framework in Nvivo that captured richness of the data

Slide16: 

Experimentation with software package to manage data Time/resource intensive analysis to explore the different data layers to potential Eg... within area relationships, subsets of participants by distance from the labour market, by project, by ethnic group, by gender, by age …and combinations

Slide17: 

Summaries of themes based on node analysis eg.. Orientations to work, barriers to work, perceptions of jobcentres Mapping of participant profiles to gauge base line position, developing typologies Reversion to transcripts for more detailed analysis of narratives of subset of participants in follow-up interviews Multiple identities important in understanding experience

Exploring participant trajectories: 

Exploring participant trajectories

Ajaz – would like to re-enter textiles, a job in the mills: 

Ajaz – would like to re-enter textiles, a job in the mills

Slide20: 

Sita – would like to work in childcare

Slide21: 

Ruth – wants job in arts and self-employment

Slide22: 

For more detail on the EMO evaluation see Barnes, H. Hudson, M. Parry, J. Sahin-Dikmen, M. Taylor, R. and Wilkinson, D. (2005) Ethnic minority outreach: an evaluation. Department for Work and Pensions research report No229 www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2005-2006/rrep229.pdf Maria Hudson Policy Studies Institute Email: m.hudson@psi.org.uk Tel: 0207 911 7531

Slide23: 

Thank you