Introducing qualitative longitudinal research

Abstract

Qualitative Longitudinal research (QL research, QLR or QPR) is a rich and evolving methodology for exploring the dynamic nature of people’s lives. It has developed in piecemeal fashion across different research traditions, a process reflected in the varied labels used to describe it (from Longitudinal Ethnography to Qualitative Panel Studies). As the quotation above suggests, QL research is part of a broad ‘temporal turn’ in social enquiry that has emerged gradually over the past decades. With its dual identity (both longitudinal and qualitative), QL research spans two established methodological traditions. As a small but vital component of the longitudinal canon, it seeks to follow the same individuals or small collectives (households or varied forms of organization) prospectively, in ‘real’ time, as lives unfold. As part of the rich field of qualitative temporal studies, QL research explores dynamic processes through an in-depth, qualitative lens. This gives insights into how people narrate, understand and shape their unfolding lives and the evolving world of which they are a part.