GAGE Virtual Research Toolkit: Qualitative Research with Young People on Their COVID-19 Experiences

"Scant virtual research has been undertaken with young people in low- and middle-income contexts (LMICs)."

The COVID-19 pandemic has created circumstances to which research activities have to adapt - both from a methodological and an ethical point of view. This toolkit provides an overview of the virtual qualitative research tools that the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme is using in order to understand young people's experiences during COVID-19. GAGE is a 9-year longitudinal research programme generating evidence on what works to transform the lives of adolescent girls in the Global South.

The tools focus on young people's knowledge, beliefs, and behavioural responses in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and diverse and evolving state responses to the virus. They also aim to explore the impact of COVID-19 on 6 capability areas: education and learning; health, nutrition and sexual and reproductive health; psychosocial well-being, economic empowerment, voice and agency, and bodily integrity.

Contents include:

Evidence on virtual interview approaches

• Virtual research in LMICs
• Methodological strengths of virtual research
• Methodological challenges of virtual research

Overview of GAGE virtual research approach

Ethical considerations

Individual tools

• Individual interviews
• Photo essays
• Audio and written diaries
• Small group interviews

Lessons learned about the virtual research process with young people in LMICs - in short:

• Build on existing relationships where possible: With ongoing longitudinal data collection with adolescents, GAGE claims to be well positioned to undertake virtual research on COVID-19. Years of work to build trust with both adolescents and their caregivers reportedly resulted in a timely and generally high response rate and openness to be interviewed by the GAGE researchers, who said knowing the respondents and their individual situations was key in reaching them by phone.
• Support young people to express their views through open-ended questions and complementary interactive tools: Participants said being able to talk to GAGE researchers and take part in interactive activities, including digital storytelling and audio diaries, helped break their loneliness during lockdown. This was especially evident in the case of girls who would not be allowed to socialise otherwise.
• Ensure privacy through a multidimensional approach: GAGE instruments have been adapted in an effort to make sure that adolescents are comfortable with the topics discussed over the phone or on video calls, especially because adolescents (girls in particular) were at times supervised by their relatives. Knowing the participants beforehand allowed the researchers to be more receptive of subtle signs shown by the respondents and to adapt conversations accordingly. The qualitative interviews were complemented by photo essays and adolescents' diaries to facilitate sharing more sensitive thoughts that adolescents were not comfortable communicating over the phone.
• Plan carefully and be flexible to address connectivity challenges and access to digital technologies: GAGE works with particularly vulnerable populations, whose access to phones, electricity, and the internet is often limited, especially in rural areas. Negotiating with families, being flexible about scheduling interviews to suit participants' new daily routines, and holding conversations in several segments if necessary were key to reaching adolescents, especially girls.
• Put in place careful training, piloting, and experience sharing for researchers: The experience of virtual data collection was largely a new experience for the GAGE research team, which emphasised the importance of training, as well as regular debriefs to discuss findings, adjust methods, discuss referral cases, and allow the researchers to unload the emotional burden resulting from interviewing particularly vulnerable households.