Practical Guide: youth-engaged qualitative analysis

According to the PLOS ONE article published July 30, 2026, a five-member transgender and gender-diverse youth advisory board (YAB) was trained and contributed to qualitative coding, with measurable retention and workload outcomes.

• The PLOS ONE study reports a YAB retention rate of 83.3% after one year (reported July 30, 2026).
• The PLOS ONE study reports that 100% of YAB members trained in qualitative analysis completed their training (reported July 30, 2026).
• The PLOS ONE study reports that YAB members coded between 2 and 6 transcripts each and that the YAB/mentors coded 25 of 42 transcripts during the project (data from 2025–2026).
• Recruitment for the RISES YAB began on 08/04/2024 and the qualitative interviews that informed the YAB work involved 21 transgender and gender-diverse youth aged 12–22 in 2025, according to PLOS ONE.

Answer: The PLOS ONE study embedded five transgender and gender-diverse youth as advisors and coders across a qualitative project to test youth-engaged qualitative analysis in practice.

According to the PLOS ONE article, recruitment for the youth advisory board began on 08/04/2024 and used screening (REDCap) plus interviews and a follow-up task to invite candidates into the board.

According to the PLOS ONE article, the RISES team provided formal training including NIH Good Clinical Practice coursework and three 45-minute didactic sessions, then paired each youth with at least one trained mentor for hands-on coding practice.

According to the PLOS ONE article, the team applied Braun and Clarke’s six-step reflexive thematic analysis, had each transcript coded by two team members, and adjusted plans so that YAB members/mentors ultimately coded 25 of the 42 transcripts to meet timeline and workload constraints.

According to the PLOS ONE article, the team tracked engagement using meeting attendance, contributions to a codebook, number of transcripts coded, and the brief Research Engagement Survey Tool (REST).

Answer: Researchers should treat youth engagement as a design choice that affects recruitment, training, timeline, compensation, and analysis fidelity.

According to the PLOS ONE article, clear expectations, mentorship, flexibility, and frequent, modest compensation (changed from $250/6 months to $125/3 months) increased participation and retention.

According to the PLOS ONE article, mentorship pairs, asynchronous options, and encrypted group messaging (Signal) reduced barriers to participation and improved attendance when the research coordinator sent reminders.

According to the PLOS ONE article, teams should plan that youth coding can be productive but is time intensive: the RISES team originally planned full double-coding by YAB members but adapted to keep work double-coded by a combination of YAB members and experienced TGD research staff to complete coding within three months.

Answer: The PLOS ONE RISES study demonstrates that youth-engaged qualitative analysis is feasible with deliberate training, mentorship, flexible logistics, and compensation (PLOS ONE, published July 30, 2026).

According to the PLOS ONE article, structured didactic sessions, one-on-one mentorship, and iterative feedback produced 100% training completion and an 83.3% retention rate after one year, while YAB members contributed substantive coding work and manuscript input.

If your team wants to scale youth-engaged analysis while preserving participant safety and code quality, consider combining the study’s human-centered practices with AI tools for transcription, secure collaboration, and synthesis.

Start a trial to pilot youth-engaged workflows and AI-assisted synthesis today: Try Evidano for free.