Using a Narrative Approach to Analyze Longitudinal Mixed Methods Data

TY - JOUR

T1 - Using a Narrative Approach to Analyze Longitudinal Mixed Methods Data

AU - Waller, Maureen R.

AU - Nepomnyaschy, Lenna

AU - Miller, Daniel P.

AU - Mingo, Meaghan

N1 - Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by generous funding from the William T. Grant Foundation. Funding Information: We are grateful to Alexandra Haralampoudis for her assistance with the analyses, to the Public Policy Institute of California who funded the qualitative study, and to the FFCWS for use of the restricted data. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by generous funding from the William T. Grant Foundation. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2020.

PY - 2021/4

Y1 - 2021/4

N2 - Despite growing interest in longitudinal mixed methods research designs, more strategies for analyzing and integrating these data are needed. This article contributes to the field of mixed methods research by presenting a novel narrative approach to data analysis in longitudinal studies. Our approach involves the transformation of longitudinal survey data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study into narrative case histories. We use qualitative interviews from participants in an embedded study to select survey variables for data transformation and to explain unexpected survey outcomes. Our analysis shows how multiple factors converge to enable or constrain fathers’ involvement with children in five different fathering trajectories, and how the narrative frames of some disadvantaged fathers may facilitate their sustained involvement.

AB - Despite growing interest in longitudinal mixed methods research designs, more strategies for analyzing and integrating these data are needed. This article contributes to the field of mixed methods research by presenting a novel narrative approach to data analysis in longitudinal studies. Our approach involves the transformation of longitudinal survey data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study into narrative case histories. We use qualitative interviews from participants in an embedded study to select survey variables for data transformation and to explain unexpected survey outcomes. Our analysis shows how multiple factors converge to enable or constrain fathers’ involvement with children in five different fathering trajectories, and how the narrative frames of some disadvantaged fathers may facilitate their sustained involvement.

KW - Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study

KW - data transformation

KW - fathering trajectories

KW - longitudinal studies

KW - narrative analysis

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090986484&partnerID=8YFLogxK

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U2 - https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689820953237

DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689820953237

M3 - Article

SN - 1558-6898

VL - 15

SP - 261

EP - 283

JO - Journal of Mixed Methods Research

JF - Journal of Mixed Methods Research

IS - 2

ER -