Qualitative Field Study

The FOCUS project is undertaking a range of research and piloting tasks which aim to improve understanding of dynamic integration and to assist the implementation of effective practices. As part of this work a detailed programme of qualitative research has been undertaken in four countries. This report presents the country-specific findings of this research, which will be further consolidated in a cross-site analysis to be completed in the coming months.

The purpose of the qualitative research within FOCUS is:

“to provide a deeper understanding of the current sentiments and relations among and between members of the arriving and receiving communities; explore both opportunities for and barriers to integration from both perspectives as well as to generate hypotheses that guide future interventions for dynamic integration.”

The work was based on guidelines developed following an extensive review of the current state of research in this area and key knowledge gaps which require further exploration (consolidated in D3.1 Research design and methodology).

• Focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with members of the receiving communities and with members of the arriving communities in a total of 10 site in four countries which have different experiences of migration from Syria in recent years (Sweden, Germany, Jordan, Croatia).
• The FGDs were recorded and their transcripts were translated and analysed using Thematic Analysis. Several virtual coding workshops among the research partners ensured the development of a coding frame that captured and structured significant information at all sites.
• The core of this report involves the presentation of the findings for each of the four countries (Sections 4-7). Each of these sections is presented with a similar format while the analyses reflect the findings in those sites alone.
• As a background to these findings, Section 2 presents a brief introduction of the research questions and the sensitizing concepts, while Section 3 recaps of the methods of data collection and analysis.
• A final résumé presents an initial brief review of emerging patterns across sites in advance of the fuller cross-site analysis to be contained in the upcoming deliverable D4.3 Cross-site analysis (section 8).

The use of a common methodology, focus group guide and structure for coding/analysing across the countries was successfully undertaken. It has provided country reports which can now form the basis of the next stage of evaluation.

Over the course of the thematic analysis, four themes including several categories and codes emerged:

1. The theme “Perspectives on integration” contains participants’ reflections on “How integration has evolved so far”, its representation in “Feeling integrated” but also more abstract ideas that point to “Understandings of ideal integration”, associated “Responsible actors” as well as an outlook into the “Future effects”.
2. The theme “On intergroup relations” represents “Attitudes and perceptions towards the outgroup”, “Intergroup contact” as well as “Perception of threat”, other “Intergroup feelings”
3. The theme “Avenues for negotiating integration” contains perceived “Barriers to integration” and “Facilitators of integration”, which are then explored on a deeper level as “Legal and institutional barriers” and “Individual, social and economic resources”.
4. The theme “Power, cultural, social and geographical struggles and rapprochements” represents different societal and institutionalized organizing principles that operate on different levels in the integration process in a defined locality and includes codes on “Racism and discrimination”, “Culture”, “Religion”, Locality” and “Language”.