The assessment gives you the opportunity to explore an area of human development through the lifespan in detail, whilst gaining important qualitative research skills.
The data for the qualitative study have already been collected (attached) and comprise essays written by school leavers living on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent in 1978. The 141 original essays were collected as part of a broader ethnographic study of life on the island, which cumulatively built a complex picture of island life at the time (Pahl, 2012). In terms of methodology, Pahl (1978) asked teachers at a comprehensive school on the Isle of Sheppey to set an essay for those students taking English lessons just before they left school. The young people were asked to imagine they were close to the end of their life, and to think back to the time when they left school, then write an essay describing their life over the next 30-40 years. Thus, the students’ essays offer a unique insight into the aspirations and hopes of young people living on the island during the late 70s. Students’ original essays were anonymised, and later transcribed into a digital format.
The aim of the study is to explore the hopes and aspirations of younger people as they progress through the lifespan.
Research question:
- “What role does biological ageing play in younger peoples’ accounts of their future lives?”
For the assignment, you will analyse the essays using a common qualitative method known as THEMATIC ANALYSIS. You must also prepare a report, which includes the following sections:
Abstract (250 words)
A concise summary of the report.
Introduction (850 words)
- Description of research problem or question
- Short review of relevant literature
- Study aims and research question
Method (400 words)
- Context, Theoretical Background & Ethics
- Participants
- Materials & Procedure
- Analytic Strategy
Findings (1,000 words)
Write up a thematic analysis of the essay transcripts (ATTACHED AS DOCUMENT ‘PACK2’)
Discussion (500 words)
Draw together the key themes and refer to relevant literature. How do your findings relate to the current literature? Include any limitations of the study.