Conclusion: The Practice of Longitudinal Research

In their germinal work on Researching Social Change McLeod and Thomson (Researching social change: Qualitative approaches. Sage, 2009) conceptualise the longitudinal researcher as a time traveller who works across multiple timescapes and with interwoven memories and hopes—both their own and those of their participants. While considering the practice of longitudinal research the three authors in this section have, in essence, reflected on their own experiences as time travellers, and the temporal work that they have performed alongside their research participants. The chapters in this section present perspectives on the history of longitudinal research in the field of youth studies, and how it has been shaped into the present-day field; the affordances that longitudinal research presents to researchers; and the way in which longitudinal research methods can be used to create meaning in both prospective and retrospective work. In considering these topics the authors highlight insights that are specific to the locale in which their studies were conducted, and yet have resonances that extend beyond these contexts to provide inspiration and instruction for other longitudinal youth researchers.