In this paper we explore how interpretation is dealt with by researchers using a vignette methodology. Researchers using vignette methodology often struggle with interpretation: how to interpret the responses when participants shift between discussing the vignettes as themselves, taking the perspective of the character in the vignette and commenting on what 'ought' to happen. We argue that by foregrounding a consideration of the method with an explicitly articulated theoretical position of dialogicality, issues inherent in interpretation become a valuable addition to the research rather than an obstacle to be overcome. In the paper we discuss 'Louise' a young carer, detailing the various positions she takes in her talk about the vignette of Mary, a fictitious young carer, to illustrate how a perspective based in dialogical theory contributed to the analysis of her various moves through different identity positions.
In this paper, we explore young peoples’ normative representations of work. In particular, we are interested in the ways young people view work roles which could be considered ‘atypical’ such as young caring or language brokering. Interviewed were 46 young people (15–18 years) some who did, and some who did not engage in the ‘atypical’ work roles of language brokering or young caring. Findings indicated that young people have a strong representation of what a ‘normal’ childhood comprises and that friends, teachers and parents play a mediational role in cementing this contextually. However, respondents presented two alternative representations around engagement in ‘atypical’ roles, with some individuals holding both views at the same time. On the one hand, they felt that engagement in ‘atypical’ activities would be experienced as a loss of ‘normal’ childhood. On the other hand, a more positive representation of ‘atypical’ childhoods was also drawn on, in which engagement in ‘atypical’ activities was seen as a source of pride and a contributor of additional skills to a child’s development. This opinion was evidenced by both those who had, and those who had not engaged in ‘atypical’ work.
is an Associate Professor in the sociology of childhood (UCL). Her research focuses on unequal childhoods; migration and social reproduction; and the (perceived) commonalities and conflicts between women and children. With Sarah Crafter, she is co-leading a new ESRC-funded project to research separated child migrants' experiences of care, and caring for others, as they navigate the complexities of the asylum-welfare nexus in the UK. She has two co-edited collections released in 2018: Reimagining Childhood Studies and Feminism and the Politics of Childhood: Friends or Foes?
In recently arrived immigrant families, children and young people often act as language brokers for their parents and other adults. In public and academic debate, this activity is sometimes portrayed negatively as imposing excessive burdens of responsibility on the young people. This paper reports an analysis of qualitative data from a broader study of young people's representations of conflicting roles in child development. Interview participants were monolingual and bilingual students, aged 15Á18 years. Half of the latter had had personal experience of language brokering. The paper examines differences within this sample in their representations of a young person's involvement in language brokering. Monolingual students were not generally negative in their attitudes to bilingualism and language brokering, but many showed only a vague understanding of them and perceived them as unusual or 'strange'. Bilingual speakers, on the other hand, and in particular those with language brokering experience, saw these activities as 'normal' and often showed a richer and more subtle appreciation of what was involved. These differences illustrate ways in which personal experiences influenced individuals' representations of language brokering. Implications for an understanding of developmental scripts emphasising independence and interdependence between young people and their parents are discussed.
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