What is Qualitative Longitudinal Research?, Paperback

Description

This volume offers a new introduction to an evolving research method in the social sciences. Qualitative Longitudinal (QL) research is conducted through time. In its qualitative dimensions it opens up the potential to 'think dynamically' in creative, flexible and innovative ways. QL enquiry is rooted in a long-established tradition of qualitative temporal research, spanning the fields of social anthropology, sociological re-studies and biographical research. But over the past two decades, a growing body of scholarship has begun to document this approach and explore its theoretical underpinnings. This in turn has fuelled a growing interest in and rapid uptake of QL methodology across the disciplines and in international context.
This practical volume will be a first port of call for students and researchers wishing to use QL research in their own projects. The chapters follow a logical development, from conceptual and methodological foundations, to research practice and ethics, to the generation and analysis of data. Each chapter offers practical examples drawn from the research field to illustrate key themes and the rich possibilities for new applications.

Bren Neale is Emeritus Professor of Life Course and Family Research at the University of Leeds, UK, and was Director of the ESRC funded Timescapes Study from 2007-2012. She has contributed to advances in Qualitative Longitudinal methods across academia, government and the voluntary sector, and continues to provide training and support in this methodology for new and established researchers.