This report describes the conceptualisation, methodology, and implementation of qualitative in-depth interviews by ISOTIS researchers with mothers with a Romani, Turkish, North-African, and native low-income background. The interviews aimed to collect information about culturally and linguistically diverse mothers’ experiences and practices of parenting young children. This information also enabled a better understanding of the findings of the structured interviews conducted in the scope of ISOTIS.

The report details aims and research questions, recruitment of participants, and coordination of the data collection. Further, the report summarises approaches to the analysis of qualitative data and comparative analysis across the ISOTIS countries. The interviews were conducted in the Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Portugal. In total, 244 parents were interviewed. The interviews were aimed at parents with children in the 3- to 6-years and 9- to 12-years age range to capture the experiences and decisions of parents regarding the pre-primary phase and the phase prior to the transition to secondary school.

This study contributed to insights into what are the mechanisms of adaptation and strategies for parents’ and children’s integration into society, and type, availability and use of resources in bringing up children by the parents.