Oral History and Qualitative Analysis with Youth: A Method for Cultivating Attachments

Research Background and Issues

• Issues and Challenges: The authors focus on the problem of interpersonal alienation and lack of social interaction in modern urban environments, which hinders the formation of a public sphere. Contemporary factors such as migration, cultural diversity, and the fast pace of urban life make individuals prone to isolation, affecting communities' ability to mobilize around shared issues.
• Significance: The formation of a public sphere is a crucial prerequisite for driving social change and addressing common challenges. The key challenge lies in how to foster commonalities, a sense of belonging, and attachment in environments characterized by high diversity and alienation.
• Research Motivation and Related Work: This study draws on public sphere formation theories (e.g., Dewey's concept of "the public") and HCI research on public infrastructure and participatory design. It extends discussions on "belonging" and "attachment," with a particular focus on exploring the potential for constructing a public sphere within a diverse student group through oral history and qualitative analysis.

Proposed Solution

• Proposed Approach:

  • The authors designed a method combining oral history and qualitative analysis, where students interviewed family members, peers, and community members to explore the meaning of "home." Students then analyzed the interview content to collectively identify and summarize themes of belonging.
  • The emphasis is on using "home" as a universal and emotional theme to find connection points within social and structural scales.

• Innovations:

  • Integrating historical methods (e.g., oral history) with HCI methodologies (e.g., qualitative analysis) to promote cultural and social interaction among participants.
  • Applying oral history and analytical techniques in educational settings to enhance students' understanding of their communities and diversity.
  • Exploring how qualitative analysis, through coding and categorization, can deepen relationships and stimulate participatory discussions.

• Implementation Steps and Techniques:

  • A 12-week course syllabus was designed, covering foundational skills in oral history, semi-structured interviews, recording techniques, qualitative coding, category summarization, and final class presentations.
  • Paper-based coding and category discussion methods were employed to help students identify themes and build consensus.
  • The experiment emphasized practical components, such as multiple rounds of interviews and code revisions, ultimately supporting the establishment of public concepts through categorization and consensus-building.

Research Findings

• Specific Outcomes:

  • The experiment successfully fostered a shared narrative about the meaning of "home" within a diverse and transient student group, identifying categories such as "family," "memory," "place," and "nature."
  • Students deepened their understanding of each other and their communities by discovering shared experiences (e.g., migration experiences and cultural values) with peers and community members.
  • The study also revealed how qualitative analysis (e.g., coding, categorization, affinity diagramming) enhances data engagement and reflection through iterative processes.

• Comparison with Existing Solutions and Advantages:

  • The methodology not only addresses the limitations of current approaches that primarily rely on technological support but also emphasizes direct interaction among participants.
  • By fostering cross-cultural dialogue and personal reflection, the approach achieved deeper social significance and a stronger sense of belonging, offering a novel method for public sphere formation research.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • Student feedback indicated that qualitative analysis inspired deeper insights into their communities and family lives.
  • The open coding process helped students clarify concepts and establish connections through shared themes.
  • The experiment also demonstrated that the method's iterative and time-intensive nature contributes to cultivating long-term participatory capacity.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • The emotional labor involved in oral history poses challenges in terms of students' time and attention.
  • Further research is needed to explore how digital or hybrid methods could expand the applicability of this approach, such as the use of intelligent conversational agents.
  • Future studies are encouraged to investigate how to sustain the outcomes of participation after project completion, for example, through follow-up plans or long-term curriculum designs.

By combining oral history and qualitative analysis, the authors demonstrated an effective pathway to help young people transcend boundaries, establish shared social and cultural values, and promote the formation of a public sphere, offering valuable insights for HCI research.