The experiential continuum : a case for longitudinal narrative research on youth transitions

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the conceptual and methodological value of integrating narrative inquiry with qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) in order to better investigate and represent the complexity, dynamics and evolving nature of youth transitions.

Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a qualitative longitudinal design combined with narrative inquiry. It draws on empirical data from a Maltese doctoral study in which 16 young people enrolled in tertiary education were interviewed on three occasions over a 4-year period. Participants’ narratives are analysed longitudinally to capture how meanings, experiences and transitions develop over time within the interplay of personal agency and social structures.

Findings – The findings show that combining narrative inquiry with QLR provides depth, contextual richness and insight into how young people actively construct meaning across time. The analysis generates a typology of four ideal types: traditionalists, opportunists, pioneers and radicals, illustrating diverse pathways through which young people negotiate tradition and modernity, continuity and change and structure and agency during the transition to adulthood.

Originality/value – The study offers an original methodological contribution by demonstrating how longitudinal narrative methods can uniquely illuminate the experiential continuum of youth transitions. It advances youth studies by introducing an innovative typology of transition trajectories and by showcasing the added theoretical, policy and practice value of situating young people’s evolving narratives within broader social contexts.