Turning points describe a fundamental change of direction in a life course trajectory. However, they are challenging to study because of their temporal extension, the complexity of processes at stake during those critical life sequences, and the fact that individuals’ interpretation as well as more objective changes in social status and position play important roles in turning points. Panel-based mixed methods designs are well suited to address those challenges. In-depth interview data enable researchers to understand individuals’ interpretations and offer detailed understanding of the processes at stake on multiple levels and domains. The panel survey data allow a glimpse into the respondents’ past, which can serve as a detailed resource for further case-based information. At the same time, the continuing survey data collection in prospective waves yields important data on respondents’ futures that can be analysed against the background of the told history. In this paper, we draw on data from a mixed methods study on the labour market trajectories of 23 descendants of immigrants in Germany, based on the Socio-Economic Panel survey (SOEP). The aim of the paper is to show the potential of combining retrospective interviews and panel data to account for the objective as well as subjective dimensions of turning points. Combining qualitative data and panel data does not aim at reaching the ‘right’ understanding of each case but at obtaining a multifaceted picture of respondents’ lives, which can help to avoid misinterpretation and under-theorisation.

中文翻译：

---

研究劳动力市场轨迹的转折点–基于面板的混合方法设计的好处

转折点描述了生命轨迹中方向的根本变化。然而，由于他们的时间延伸，在这些关键的生活序列中危急关头的过程的复杂性以及个人的解释以及社会地位和地位的更客观变化在转折中起着重要作用，因此，他们的研究具有挑战性。基于面板的混合方法设计非常适合应对这些挑战。深入的访谈数据使研究人员能够理解个人的解释，并提供对多个层次和领域中关键流程的详细理解。小组调查数据可以让您瞥见受访者的过去，可以将其用作获取更多基于案例的信息的详细资源。与此同时，在前瞻性浪潮中持续进行的调查数据收集会产生有关被调查者期货的重要数据，这些数据可以在讲述历史的背景下进行分析。在本文中，我们基于社会经济专家小组调查（SOEP），采用混合方法研究了德国23个移民后裔的劳动力市场轨迹的数据。本文的目的是展示将​​回顾性访谈和小组数据相结合以说明转折点的客观和主观维度的潜力。将定性数据和面板数据相结合，并不是要对每个案例都达到“正确”的理解，而是要获得受访者生活的多面性，这可以避免误解和理论不足。