Five years later: lessons and insights from a longitudinal, mixed-methods study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite their many benefits, longitudinal studies are much less common than one-time data collection or pre-post intervention designs. One reason for their scarcity is that longitudinal studies introduce requirements and challenges that non-longitudinal studies do not. One of the biggest challenges is participant attrition. In order to help researchers plan and conduct longitudinal studies and mitigate some of these challenges, this article presents methodological findings from five years of mixed-methods data collection with the same 16 participants. Findings consist of participants’ reasons for continued participation, which spanned a range of personal and professional reasons, and my reflections on methodological lessons I have learned over these years. Understanding why participants have continued to participate and lessons I have learned can support the successful design and completion of future longitudinal research, which in turn will advance understandings of social processes, changes over time, pathways, and emergences.