Methodology                                                                                                                                    

The work will consist of three phases, and involves interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. Throughout, all meetings will be recorded and translated summary transcriptions provided for our use and potential archiving at ESDS. Full written consent will be obtained, for both participation and use of data to be shared or published. All data will be anonymised before further computer entry or storage.           

Phase 1 (months 1-3) consists of interviews and consultations with Polish community representatives, followed by focus group meetings with potential respondents. These meetings will help refine, develop and pilot our back-translated questionnaire and interview schedules, and aid us in building a potential respondent database for both the questionnaires and interviews.

Phase 2 (months 4-22) is the main data collection phase. Questionnaire data will be collected through a structured inventory given to migrant Poles aged under 35 (82% of A8 migrants are aged under 35: Home Office, 2006). To reach a highly mobile population, with  “date stamped” responses, data will be collected via a dedicate internet site (see Gosling et al, 2004). This will also allow for a follow-up of those returning to Poland. Internet usage in Poland is relatively high (around 40%: Pew Survey, 2006), and pilot interviews with a range of respondents suggests nearly all young migrant Poles using the internet for flight bookings, work applications, and maintaining social contacts. Advertisement of the study web-site address will be through 1) adverts in national and regional Polish newspapers, radio stations and migrant web forums . 2) flyers in large Polish communities and internet cafes 3) snowball recruitment via Polish societies and agencies. As most Polish migrants are performing manual labour , particular effort will be made to over-recruit manual workers. Respondents will be paid in on-line vouchers for each data wave to improve participant retention.

Data collection will be completed in three waves: 1) within three months of arrival in the UK; 2) nine months later 3) after a further nine months. At Wave 1 email addresses will be collected for later rounds. Power analyses suggested a minimum 400 respondents at Time 1: Previous migration studies , and the short term contracts of many Poles in the UK, suggest overall attrition rates of around 50-60%. Data from an estimated 10% of respondents returning to Poland will also be collected.

Predictor variables will include demographic variables, linguistic ability, support networks, discrimination and status, and values and beliefs as predictors of acculturation experience. Outcome measures include (1) psychological adjustment (2) engagement with formal institutions (e.g. health services) (3) inter-group relations and support (4) satisfaction with employment and (5) long-term investment in the country. Returnees to Poland during data collection will complete a short open-ended questionnaire asking about reasons for return. Growth curve modelling with HLM (times nested within persons) will be used to model changes in social networks, values and beliefs, and adjustment as well as their antecedents and consequences. Structural equation modelling techniques will examine directionality and bi-directionality of the relationships between value/belief change and adjustment indicators, as well as potential mediators.

              This questionnaire data will be complemented by in-depth, qualitative interviews conducted by the researcher between questionnaire waves. An additional representative sub-sample of 30 respondents will participate in face-to-face, semi-structured interviews at Wave 1, then one year later. By investigating our respondent’s social networks, inter-group relations, institutional engagement and employment situation in far greater depth, we will obtain substantial new data as well the ‘thicker’ contextual information vital in helping interpret our quantitative findings.

      Finally, Phase 3 (months 23 and 24) will be a further consultation phase and dissemination stage, with findings presented and discussed in focus group meetings of community leaders, our policy advisers , and with Polish colleagues in Gdansk, prior to formal write-up.