Qualitative Research Tools

The Resilience Research Centre has developed some innovative qualitative tools to help document the complexity of young people’s lives when growing up in adverse circumstances. These tools are particularly well suited to capturing “hidden” aspects of resilience across cultures and contexts.


Interview Guide

The interview guide was initially designed to support development of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM). It has subsequently been used in other studies done by the RRC with youth facing significant levels of risk around the world.

At the core of the interview schedule are nine “catalyst” questions. These have been developed collaboratively by all the members of the research team, with the goal of ensuring consistency in the focus of data collection activities across all sites. Although interviews in various sites and for various projects cover all nine questions, the order and emphasis is changed depending on the characteristics of the youth and the context in which the interviews occur. Probing questions can be added to each catalyst question as required. For the complete interview guide, please contact us at rrc@dal.ca.

The nine catalyst questions

1. “What would I need to know to grow up well here?”

2. “How do you describe people who grow up well here despite the many problems they face?”

3. “What does it mean to you, to your family, and to your community, when bad things happen?”

4. “What kinds of things are most challenging for you growing up here?”

5. “What do you do when you face difficulties in your life?”

6. “What does being healthy mean to you and others in your family and community?”

7. “What do you do, and others you know do, to keep healthy, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually?”

8. “Can you share with me a story about another child who grew up well in this community despite facing many challenges?”

9. “Can you share a story about how you have managed to overcome challenges you face personally, in your family, or outside your home in your community?”

Day-in-the-life Visual Methodology

To document processes associated with resilience, the RRC has been making videos of a full day in the life of youth in many different cultures and contexts. We combine these videos with interviews and photo-elicitation techniques in order to ensure youth themselves can tell us about their lives as well as what they do and what others do for them, that help the youth cope. A brief description of the techniques is provided below. For further details, including questions regarding the ethics of using this methodology, please contact us at rrc@dal.ca.

The Techniques

Filming begins soon after the youth wakes up and continues for as much of the day as possible. One research assistant operates a small digital video recorder while the other takes observation notes as they follow the child. Transcripts are then made of the day’s dialogue.

Following the filming, each youth is given a disposable camera and asked to take pictures of aspects of their lives that help explain how they cope with adversity.

While the youth take their photos, each day-long video capture is reviewed by the local site researcher and research assistants. Each reviewer suggests a selection of focal interchanges that are felt to exhibit aspects of resilience. Adult members of the team then create a 30-minute compilation of clips that they think demonstrate aspects of protective processes associated with resilience.

A second interview with each youth is held which includes discussion of the photos they have taken. Compilation tapes are also returned to the youth and viewed to solicit comments. Participants are asked if there are other parts of their day they would have expected to have been included in the compilation.


Findings that come from the use of these qualitative methods can be found in a number of articles listed on our Publications page.