Comparative youth transition research: Methods, meanings, and research relations

Youth transition research across countries faces a particular set of methodological problems, some of which are common to comparative research generally and others which are specific to the topic of youth transition. This paper examines the scope of such research with respect to focus and level of analysis and then develops two major themes: the problem of equivalence (across countries), and motivation and purposes. The treatment focuses on the methodological tensions arising under both these headings, addressing such issues as the cross-cultural meaning of common transition terms (usually English), research relations (the traditional dominance of Anglo-American perspectives), and method (cultural anthropology versus the survey). The European political context for conducting youth transition research is then brought into the picture. Finally, from a standpoint of 'sceptical eclecticism' the paper seeks solutions to the problems raised in terms of model collaborative strategies, and methods embracing both 'descending' (population sampling) and 'ascending' (case-study) research approaches. It is concluded that a paradigm for the most effective comparative youth transition research will contain elements of both.