Calendar interviewing: a mixed methods device for a biographical approach to migration |
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| Authors: | Ana Barbeiro Dario Spini |
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| Affiliation: | 1. University of Lausanne, Institute of Social Sciences, Lausanne, Switzerland;2. University of Porto, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Porto, Portugal;3. University of Lausanne, Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, Lausanne, Switzerland |
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| Abstract: | Biographical interviews are used in life stories research to elicit narratives on retrospective views of the self and the social world. Life calendars are used in life course research to collect standardized data in various domains of individual lives. Both instruments deal with autobiographical memory, which is a critical aspect for data quality and accuracy. This article presents a mixed methods use of life calendars and life stories for researching on migration called the Calendar Interviewing Device (CID). The CID consists of a life calendar for characterizing trajectories and collecting life stories through open-ended interviews. An analysis of 12 interviews examines the features of this particular research device, namely its flexibility on adapting to different interviewees, the strategies they used for recalling events and locating them in time, and the richness of the data obtained with the CID. |
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| Keywords: | Calendar interviewing device life calendars life course life stories migration |
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