Analyzing Second-Generation Trajectories from a Life Course Approach: What Mixed Methods Can Offer (Chapter 5)

Abstract

The transition to adulthood is a phase marked by major life events and eventual turning points. This contribution addresses the methodological aspects related to the application of the life course approach for the study of the life trajectories of the children of immigrants in a cross-national comparative perspective. Since life trajectories are embedded in and determined by structural and institutional contexts, the school system and the labor market play a decisive role in the process of life course construction. In addition, life trajectories are also the result of personal orientations. Therefore studying life trajectories necessitates, as argued in this contribution, the combination of quantitative and qualitative data in order to capture both the role of institutions and personal orientations. We present selected results on the educational and labor market entry trajectories of immigrants’ descendants in France and Germany using analyses based on representative survey data and a qualitative analysis based on interview data. Finally, we discuss the benefits and limitations of such a research design.