Susie Weller | University of Southampton (original) (raw)

Books by Susie Weller

What does ‘care’ mean in contemporary society? How are caring relationships practised in differen... more What does ‘care’ mean in contemporary society? How are caring relationships practised in different contexts? What resources do individuals and collectives draw upon in order to care for, care with and care about themselves and others? How do such relationships and practices relate to broader social processes?

Care shapes people’s everyday lives and relationships and caring relations and practices influence the economies of different societies. This interdisciplinary book takes a nuanced and context-sensitive approach to exploring caring relationships, identities and practices within and across a variety of cultural, familial, geographical and institutional arenas. Grounded in rich empirical research and discussing key theoretical, policy and practice debates, it provides important, yet often neglected, international and cross-cultural perspectives. It is divided into four sections covering: caring within educational institutions; caring amongst communities and networks; caring and families; and caring across the life-course.

Contributing to broader theoretical, philosophical and moral debates associated with the ethics of care, citizenship, justice, relationality and entanglements of power, Critical Approaches to Care is an important work for students and academics studying caring and care work in the fields of health and social care, sociology, social policy, anthropology, education, human geography and politics.

The introduction of compulsory citizenship education into the national curriculum has generated a... more The introduction of compulsory citizenship education into the national curriculum has generated a plethora of new interests in the politics of childhood and youth. Teenagers' Citizenship explores teenagers’ acts of and engagement with citizenship in their local communities and examines the role of citizenship education in creating future responsible citizens.

The first half of the book provides the context for teenagers’ experiences of citizenship, discussing issues around the ideas of childhood and citizenship, as well as the curriculum. The second half goes on to explore teenagers’ experiences of citizenship education, practising citizenship and exclusion from citizenship. The book concludes with a call for a new cumulative approach to citizenship which upgrades the status of teenagers, particularly within the classroom.

Susie Weller’s important book will throw new light on how teenagers engage with citizenship education and take on civic responsibility. It is an interesting and useful read for all those involved with education and youth policy as well as those studying for a PGCE or researching in citizenship education.

Papers by Susie Weller

Forming part of the new ‘methodological frontier’ the use of digital communication technologies h... more Forming part of the new ‘methodological frontier’ the use of digital communication technologies has become increasingly commonplace in social research. Whilst audio-only online interviews and asynchronous means of communicating online has been discussed for over two decades, video capabilities; being able to see a participant face-to-face online (e.g. via Skype, Face Time, Google Hangouts) is a much more recent phenomenon. Discussion of such new opportunities has tended to centre on the practicalities and technicalities. Alternatively, this paper moves beyond the recent empiricist focus to reflect critically on the implications of using internet video calls on methodological matters of importance to qualitative (longitudinal) researchers. Drawing on a long-standing qualitative longitudinal study following lives of over 50 young people, the paper focuses on the potentials and pitfalls for rapport of using internet video calls for qualitative interviewing. The findings have resonance for short-term studies, and longitudinal endeavours.

This briefing outlines the findings from a long-standing qualitative longitudinal (QLR) study, th... more This briefing outlines the findings from a long-standing qualitative longitudinal (QLR) study, the most recent phase of which assessed the transformative potential of introducing internet video applications such as Skype or FaceTime into a
project that has, to date, generated data using in-depth interviews and activities, with the researcher regularly visiting participant’s homes. In doing so, it assessed whether internet video calls might be a useful means of conducting short ‘catch-up’ interviews between the main waves of data collection, or as an alternative way of carrying out case study intensive interviews.

Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2015) ‘I-Poems as a Method of Qualitative Interview Data Analysis: Yo... more Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2015) ‘I-Poems as a Method of Qualitative Interview Data Analysis: Young People’s Sense of Self’, online article, training resources and dataset, Sage Research Methods Datasets, http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781473944510
I-poems are one of a range of possible ways of analysing in-depth qualitative interview data. The particular focus is on identifying how interviewees talk about themselves (their first person ‘voices’) and interpreting their sense/s of self or subjectivities. This exemplar of the I-poem form of analysis demonstrates the steps involved, and reflects on the implications of a process that aims to trace how participants represent themselves in interviews. The material used is provided by Professor Rosalind Edwards and Dr Susie Weller from the University of Southampton, and is taken from their qualitative longitudinal research study: Your Space, which focuses on the dynamics of young people’s sibling and friendship relationships over time. The exemplar data consists of an audio recording and transcript of an interview with ‘Jasmin’ (a pseudonym), one of the young people participating in the research study, undertaken specifically for data analysis demonstration purposes, and an I-poem produced from analysis of the transcript annotated to identify the ‘voices’ in which she speaks. This exemplar will show you how to construct an I-poem and use it to identify and trace continuities and changes in research participants’ sense/s of self within an interview.

Weller, Susie (2015) The potentials and pitfalls of using Skype for qualitative (longitudinal) in... more Weller, Susie (2015) The potentials and pitfalls of using Skype for qualitative (longitudinal) interviews. NCRM Working Paper. NCRM
The use of digital communication technologies has become increasingly commonplace in social research. Yet, sparse attention has been paid to the potential of such technologies in Qualitative Longitudinal Research (QLR). This paper explores the implications of introducing one such technology, internet video calls (e.g. Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts), as a new mode of data collection into an established QLR study that has primarily generated data using biographical interviews conducted in participants’ homes. The paper draws on the ‘Your Space’ project; a decade-long study following the lives of up to 52 young people from across Britain. Funded as one of eleven ESRC National Centre for Research Method’s ‘Methodological Innovation Projects’ the most recent phase of the project investigates the implications of shifting from physical co-present interviewing to remote modes on key issues for QLR research such as sample maintenance, research relationship continuity, and rapport. In doing so, it assesses whether internet video calls might be a useful means of conducting short ‘catch-up’ interviews between the main waves of data collection, or as an alternative way of carrying out case study intensive interviews.

Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2015) Ethical dilemmas around anonymity & confidentiality in longitud... more Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2015) Ethical dilemmas around anonymity & confidentiality in longitudinal research data sharing: The case of Dan, in Tolich, M. Qualitative Ethics in Practice, Left Coast.

Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2014) Sibling relationships and the construction of young people's ge... more Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2014) Sibling relationships and the construction of young people's gendered identities over time and in different spaces, Families, Relationships and Societies. Vol. 3 (2), pp. 185-199.

In this article we highlight the way that different qualitative analytic methods implicitly place... more In this article we highlight the way that different qualitative analytic methods implicitly place the interpretive analyst in different sorts of relationship to their interview subject and their data. The process of data analysis constructs an analytic mode of being in relation to the interviewee and their social reality. In particular, we illustrate this point through a detailed consideration of the analytic process involved in producing I-poems from qualitative longitudinal interview data (derived from Gilligan and colleagues’ ‘Listening Guide’), to explore change and continuity in a case study young person’s sense of self over time. We contrast how we understood those changes and continuities through the different analytic angles provided by the gaze of thematic analysis and the voices identified through I-poems.

The past two decades have been an exciting and productive time for research with children and tee... more The past two decades have been an exciting and productive time for research with children and teenagers, with many studies at the forefront of developing research practices infused with creativity and innovation. Such approaches are often participatory, using methods that draw upon and incorporate children and teenagers’ diverse skills and interests to foster active participation in the research process. Similarly, innovation and adaptation feature as trademarks of much qualitative longitudinal research that is, by its very nature, dynamic and evolving. Utilising personal reflection and participant feedback, this paper draws on an ongoing qualitative longitudinal study with over 50 children and teenagers to contemplate the potentials and pitfalls involved in the long-term use of creative methods and approaches. In doing so, it focuses on three elements of the research process, namely participant involvement, data collection and analysis and dissemination, to explore the evolving nature of creativity in qualitative longitudinal research.

Over the past two decades children’s geographies within Britain have been shaped, in part, by an ... more Over the past two decades children’s geographies within Britain have been shaped, in part, by an education system founded on quasi-market principles. As a result children, particularly those in urban areas, may attend a school some distance from home. Little attention has been afforded to the implications of such policies on children's geographies and, more specifically, on their opportunities to create neighbourhood social capital by making connections with and within the spaces surrounding their homes and beyond. Drawing on a four-year study that explored the significance of social capital for children and parents during the transition to secondary school, this chapter explores the articulation between families’ responses to school choice policies and children’s geographies. In so doing, it reflects critically on the spatial connotations of, and tensions between (national) school choice policies and wider drives by the New Labour government to promote (local) cohesion. It is hoped the chapter will contribute to the sub-disciplinary field of ‘Children’s Geographies’ which has, over the past decade or so, taken a variety of spatial perspectives to elucidate important issues in the diverse lives of children and teenagers across the world.

This Working Paper aims to provide some insights into conducting Qualitative Longitudinal researc... more This Working Paper aims to provide some insights into conducting Qualitative Longitudinal research with children and young people. In doing so, it focuses on outlining the design and evolution of a recent project 'Siblings and friends: The changing nature of children's lateral relationships' that formed part of the Economic & Social Research Council's Timescapes programme. Timescapes is the first major Qualitative Longitudinal study to be funded in the UK.

Since the 1990s, research with children has witnessed epistemological changes which have challeng... more Since the 1990s, research with children has witnessed epistemological changes which have challenged traditional research methods and have attempted to deconstruct notions of children as passive and incompetent. Such changes, epitomized by children‐centred research methods, aim to redress power imbalances by encouraging participants to select their own forms of communication. Participation and innovation are central to this approach. Simultaneously, but quite distinct from research methodology, community radio has become an important mechanism in promoting social inclusion. Globally, this means of community participation has been advocated by organizations that have utilized radio as an educational tool for promoting children’s rights. This paper suggests that the synthesis of radio phone‐in discussions with the ‘New Social Studies of Childhood’ forms a constructive basis for developing a participatory research method. Methodological issues arising from a teenage‐centred radio phone‐in will be explored. The paper concludes by discussing the viability of the radio phone‐in as a meaningful method for promoting teenagers’, often unheard, voices.

Social capital has become an increasingly popular concept in policy discussions surrounding integ... more Social capital has become an increasingly popular concept in policy discussions surrounding integration and social cohesion. Within the UK, numerous policy-makers have drawn heavily on the work of influential social capital theorist Robert Putnam, whose recent thinking has been implicated in debates concerning identity, diversity and cohesion. What is meant by ‘diversity’ is subject to conjecture. Arguably, identities and affiliations are more complex than often presented in social capital debates. Drawing on material from an ongoing longitudinal study, the paper addresses the relative neglect afforded to young people's networks and resources by focusing on the role many play in creating social capital within families. Acknowledging the significance of time and space, the paper explores the interface between different aspects of identity and the dynamic nature of social networks. In doing so, the need to take a more nuanced and context-sensitive approach to the analysis of social capital is highlighted.

What does ‘care’ mean in contemporary society? How are caring relationships practised in differen... more What does ‘care’ mean in contemporary society? How are caring relationships practised in different contexts? What resources do individuals and collectives draw upon in order to care for, care with and care about themselves and others? How do such relationships and practices relate to broader social processes?

Care shapes people’s everyday lives and relationships and caring relations and practices influence the economies of different societies. This interdisciplinary book takes a nuanced and context-sensitive approach to exploring caring relationships, identities and practices within and across a variety of cultural, familial, geographical and institutional arenas. Grounded in rich empirical research and discussing key theoretical, policy and practice debates, it provides important, yet often neglected, international and cross-cultural perspectives. It is divided into four sections covering: caring within educational institutions; caring amongst communities and networks; caring and families; and caring across the life-course.

Contributing to broader theoretical, philosophical and moral debates associated with the ethics of care, citizenship, justice, relationality and entanglements of power, Critical Approaches to Care is an important work for students and academics studying caring and care work in the fields of health and social care, sociology, social policy, anthropology, education, human geography and politics.

The introduction of compulsory citizenship education into the national curriculum has generated a... more The introduction of compulsory citizenship education into the national curriculum has generated a plethora of new interests in the politics of childhood and youth. Teenagers' Citizenship explores teenagers’ acts of and engagement with citizenship in their local communities and examines the role of citizenship education in creating future responsible citizens.

The first half of the book provides the context for teenagers’ experiences of citizenship, discussing issues around the ideas of childhood and citizenship, as well as the curriculum. The second half goes on to explore teenagers’ experiences of citizenship education, practising citizenship and exclusion from citizenship. The book concludes with a call for a new cumulative approach to citizenship which upgrades the status of teenagers, particularly within the classroom.

Susie Weller’s important book will throw new light on how teenagers engage with citizenship education and take on civic responsibility. It is an interesting and useful read for all those involved with education and youth policy as well as those studying for a PGCE or researching in citizenship education.

Forming part of the new ‘methodological frontier’ the use of digital communication technologies h... more Forming part of the new ‘methodological frontier’ the use of digital communication technologies has become increasingly commonplace in social research. Whilst audio-only online interviews and asynchronous means of communicating online has been discussed for over two decades, video capabilities; being able to see a participant face-to-face online (e.g. via Skype, Face Time, Google Hangouts) is a much more recent phenomenon. Discussion of such new opportunities has tended to centre on the practicalities and technicalities. Alternatively, this paper moves beyond the recent empiricist focus to reflect critically on the implications of using internet video calls on methodological matters of importance to qualitative (longitudinal) researchers. Drawing on a long-standing qualitative longitudinal study following lives of over 50 young people, the paper focuses on the potentials and pitfalls for rapport of using internet video calls for qualitative interviewing. The findings have resonance for short-term studies, and longitudinal endeavours.

This briefing outlines the findings from a long-standing qualitative longitudinal (QLR) study, th... more This briefing outlines the findings from a long-standing qualitative longitudinal (QLR) study, the most recent phase of which assessed the transformative potential of introducing internet video applications such as Skype or FaceTime into a
project that has, to date, generated data using in-depth interviews and activities, with the researcher regularly visiting participant’s homes. In doing so, it assessed whether internet video calls might be a useful means of conducting short ‘catch-up’ interviews between the main waves of data collection, or as an alternative way of carrying out case study intensive interviews.

Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2015) ‘I-Poems as a Method of Qualitative Interview Data Analysis: Yo... more Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2015) ‘I-Poems as a Method of Qualitative Interview Data Analysis: Young People’s Sense of Self’, online article, training resources and dataset, Sage Research Methods Datasets, http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781473944510
I-poems are one of a range of possible ways of analysing in-depth qualitative interview data. The particular focus is on identifying how interviewees talk about themselves (their first person ‘voices’) and interpreting their sense/s of self or subjectivities. This exemplar of the I-poem form of analysis demonstrates the steps involved, and reflects on the implications of a process that aims to trace how participants represent themselves in interviews. The material used is provided by Professor Rosalind Edwards and Dr Susie Weller from the University of Southampton, and is taken from their qualitative longitudinal research study: Your Space, which focuses on the dynamics of young people’s sibling and friendship relationships over time. The exemplar data consists of an audio recording and transcript of an interview with ‘Jasmin’ (a pseudonym), one of the young people participating in the research study, undertaken specifically for data analysis demonstration purposes, and an I-poem produced from analysis of the transcript annotated to identify the ‘voices’ in which she speaks. This exemplar will show you how to construct an I-poem and use it to identify and trace continuities and changes in research participants’ sense/s of self within an interview.

Weller, Susie (2015) The potentials and pitfalls of using Skype for qualitative (longitudinal) in... more Weller, Susie (2015) The potentials and pitfalls of using Skype for qualitative (longitudinal) interviews. NCRM Working Paper. NCRM
The use of digital communication technologies has become increasingly commonplace in social research. Yet, sparse attention has been paid to the potential of such technologies in Qualitative Longitudinal Research (QLR). This paper explores the implications of introducing one such technology, internet video calls (e.g. Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts), as a new mode of data collection into an established QLR study that has primarily generated data using biographical interviews conducted in participants’ homes. The paper draws on the ‘Your Space’ project; a decade-long study following the lives of up to 52 young people from across Britain. Funded as one of eleven ESRC National Centre for Research Method’s ‘Methodological Innovation Projects’ the most recent phase of the project investigates the implications of shifting from physical co-present interviewing to remote modes on key issues for QLR research such as sample maintenance, research relationship continuity, and rapport. In doing so, it assesses whether internet video calls might be a useful means of conducting short ‘catch-up’ interviews between the main waves of data collection, or as an alternative way of carrying out case study intensive interviews.

Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2015) Ethical dilemmas around anonymity & confidentiality in longitud... more Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2015) Ethical dilemmas around anonymity & confidentiality in longitudinal research data sharing: The case of Dan, in Tolich, M. Qualitative Ethics in Practice, Left Coast.

Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2014) Sibling relationships and the construction of young people's ge... more Edwards, R. and Weller, S. (2014) Sibling relationships and the construction of young people's gendered identities over time and in different spaces, Families, Relationships and Societies. Vol. 3 (2), pp. 185-199.

In this article we highlight the way that different qualitative analytic methods implicitly place... more In this article we highlight the way that different qualitative analytic methods implicitly place the interpretive analyst in different sorts of relationship to their interview subject and their data. The process of data analysis constructs an analytic mode of being in relation to the interviewee and their social reality. In particular, we illustrate this point through a detailed consideration of the analytic process involved in producing I-poems from qualitative longitudinal interview data (derived from Gilligan and colleagues’ ‘Listening Guide’), to explore change and continuity in a case study young person’s sense of self over time. We contrast how we understood those changes and continuities through the different analytic angles provided by the gaze of thematic analysis and the voices identified through I-poems.

The past two decades have been an exciting and productive time for research with children and tee... more The past two decades have been an exciting and productive time for research with children and teenagers, with many studies at the forefront of developing research practices infused with creativity and innovation. Such approaches are often participatory, using methods that draw upon and incorporate children and teenagers’ diverse skills and interests to foster active participation in the research process. Similarly, innovation and adaptation feature as trademarks of much qualitative longitudinal research that is, by its very nature, dynamic and evolving. Utilising personal reflection and participant feedback, this paper draws on an ongoing qualitative longitudinal study with over 50 children and teenagers to contemplate the potentials and pitfalls involved in the long-term use of creative methods and approaches. In doing so, it focuses on three elements of the research process, namely participant involvement, data collection and analysis and dissemination, to explore the evolving nature of creativity in qualitative longitudinal research.

Over the past two decades children’s geographies within Britain have been shaped, in part, by an ... more Over the past two decades children’s geographies within Britain have been shaped, in part, by an education system founded on quasi-market principles. As a result children, particularly those in urban areas, may attend a school some distance from home. Little attention has been afforded to the implications of such policies on children's geographies and, more specifically, on their opportunities to create neighbourhood social capital by making connections with and within the spaces surrounding their homes and beyond. Drawing on a four-year study that explored the significance of social capital for children and parents during the transition to secondary school, this chapter explores the articulation between families’ responses to school choice policies and children’s geographies. In so doing, it reflects critically on the spatial connotations of, and tensions between (national) school choice policies and wider drives by the New Labour government to promote (local) cohesion. It is hoped the chapter will contribute to the sub-disciplinary field of ‘Children’s Geographies’ which has, over the past decade or so, taken a variety of spatial perspectives to elucidate important issues in the diverse lives of children and teenagers across the world.

This Working Paper aims to provide some insights into conducting Qualitative Longitudinal researc... more This Working Paper aims to provide some insights into conducting Qualitative Longitudinal research with children and young people. In doing so, it focuses on outlining the design and evolution of a recent project 'Siblings and friends: The changing nature of children's lateral relationships' that formed part of the Economic & Social Research Council's Timescapes programme. Timescapes is the first major Qualitative Longitudinal study to be funded in the UK.

Since the 1990s, research with children has witnessed epistemological changes which have challeng... more Since the 1990s, research with children has witnessed epistemological changes which have challenged traditional research methods and have attempted to deconstruct notions of children as passive and incompetent. Such changes, epitomized by children‐centred research methods, aim to redress power imbalances by encouraging participants to select their own forms of communication. Participation and innovation are central to this approach. Simultaneously, but quite distinct from research methodology, community radio has become an important mechanism in promoting social inclusion. Globally, this means of community participation has been advocated by organizations that have utilized radio as an educational tool for promoting children’s rights. This paper suggests that the synthesis of radio phone‐in discussions with the ‘New Social Studies of Childhood’ forms a constructive basis for developing a participatory research method. Methodological issues arising from a teenage‐centred radio phone‐in will be explored. The paper concludes by discussing the viability of the radio phone‐in as a meaningful method for promoting teenagers’, often unheard, voices.

Social capital has become an increasingly popular concept in policy discussions surrounding integ... more Social capital has become an increasingly popular concept in policy discussions surrounding integration and social cohesion. Within the UK, numerous policy-makers have drawn heavily on the work of influential social capital theorist Robert Putnam, whose recent thinking has been implicated in debates concerning identity, diversity and cohesion. What is meant by ‘diversity’ is subject to conjecture. Arguably, identities and affiliations are more complex than often presented in social capital debates. Drawing on material from an ongoing longitudinal study, the paper addresses the relative neglect afforded to young people's networks and resources by focusing on the role many play in creating social capital within families. Acknowledging the significance of time and space, the paper explores the interface between different aspects of identity and the dynamic nature of social networks. In doing so, the need to take a more nuanced and context-sensitive approach to the analysis of social capital is highlighted.

Ethnic and Racial Studies, Jan 1, 2010

Social capital has become an increasingly popular concept in policy discussions surrounding integ... more Social capital has become an increasingly popular concept in policy discussions surrounding integration and social cohesion. Within the UK, numerous policy-makers have drawn heavily on the work of influential social capital theorist Robert Putnam, whose recent thinking has been implicated in debates concerning identity, diversity and cohesion. What is meant by ‘diversity’ is subject to conjecture. Arguably, identities and affiliations are more complex than often presented in social capital debates. Drawing on material from an ongoing longitudinal study, the paper addresses the relative neglect afforded to young people's networks and resources by focusing on the role many play in creating social capital within families. Acknowledging the significance of time and space, the paper explores the interface between different aspects of identity and the dynamic nature of social networks. In doing so, the need to take a more nuanced and context-sensitive approach to the analysis of social capital is highlighted.

Sibling development: implications for …, Jan 1, 2010

... Mac an Ghaill, & Redman, 2001; Frosh, Phoenix, & Pattman, 2002; Gordon, Holla... more ... Mac an Ghaill, & Redman, 2001; Frosh, Phoenix, & Pattman, 2002; Gordon, Holland, & Lahelma ... center: 13-year-old Cora's contempt for her brother's version of masculinity, Megan's clashes over ... It is also important that gender and sexuality are not abstracted and regarded as ...