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"First published as What is Qualitative Longitudinal Research?, this title is now available as part of the Bloomsbury Research Methods series. This book offers a definitive introduction to Qualitative Longitudinal Research (QLR) by Bren Neale, one of the world's foremost authorities in the field. QLR is defined broadly as qualitative enquiry that is conducted through or in relation to time. 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"--

1. The Emergence of QL Research: Historical Developments and Research Designs -- 2. Methodological Foundations: Exploring the Temporal through a Qualitative Lens -- 3. The Craft of QL Research: Research Practice and Ethics -- 4. Data Management, Analysis, Archiving and Re-Use -- 5. The Value and Utility of QL Research Appendix: Glossary of Key Terms with Definitions References Index

In this article, qualitative longitudinal (QL) research is presented as a powerful form of fluid enquiry. The combination of its real-world and real-time features enables this methodology to 'follow reality in all its windings', and, thereby, to produce useful knowledge for policy and professional practice. The main focus is on the power of QL methodology to illuminate complex causal processes by teasing out their multiple, fluid and relational elements. The article goes on to consider new ways to broker the interface between research endeavours and policy processes, based on collaborative modes of knowledge co-production that unfold in real-time. QL enquiry emerges here as more than an added option, a 'niche' approach. It has potential as a valuable 'impact' tool for discerning causality in new ways and reformulating insights into 'what works?', with scope to play a pivotal role in shaping and facilitating change in policy and practice settings.

The entry of young people into early parenthood has long been regarded as an issue for social policy and for professional practice in the UK and internationally. Despite a steadily falling trend, most notably since 1998, the UK still has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe, concentrated in the most socially disadvantaged areas of the country (Office for National Statistics, 2015). The majority of these pregnancies are unplanned, with about half resulting in the birth of a child, although the extent to which this should be a cause for concern is a contested issue (Duncan et al., 2010). Considerable research evidence exists on the experiences of young mothers, with a range of interventions designed to meet their needs. However, young fathers (defined as those under the age of 25, a quarter of whom are estimated to be in their teens) have, until recently, been neglected in both research and policy. Over the past decade, small pockets of research evidence on the circumstances, practices and values of young fathers have begun to coalesce into a fledgling evidence base. However, the notion of 'feckless' young men, who are assumed to be absent, or disinterested in 'being there', or, worse, regarded as a potential risk to their children, continues to hold sway, particularly in popular media and some political discourses (Neale and Davies, 2015).

This paper explores the ethical considerations that arise in the conduct of Qualitative Longitudinal (QL) research, drawing on work undertaken as part of the ESRC Timescapes initiative. Adding time into the mix of a qualitative study heightens the need for ethical literacy. Well established ethical principles take on new meaning and need reworking when seen with a temporal gaze – for example, those relating to consent as an ongoing process; sustaining confidentiality when the risk of disclosure is magnified over time; and the ethical representation of lives in the construction, display and re-use of research data. The challenges are magnified in relation to the tenor, flux and recurrent nature of the research process. The elongated time frames for empirical research create long term, reciprocal research relationships that need careful consideration and nurturing over time. More broadly, as QL research unfolds, a wider constituency of individuals and organisations become implicated in the process, necessitating new thinking about their varied needs and claims. QL researchers find themselves navigating through a broader ethical landscape, which this paper seeks to capture through the concept of 'stakeholder' ethics. A stakeholder approach allows for the varied needs of those implicated in the research to be recognised and reconciled, and for a greater appreciation of how research relationships intersect and impact on the research process as it unfolds. Adding time into the mix also enables a distinction to be drawn between pro-active and re-active ethical strategies, both of which are needed in the longer time frames of QL enquiry. The discussion focuses on the conduct of QL research, illustrating the practices of researchers in the field as a starting point for a productive iteration between ethical principles and practice. The paper concludes that time is a complicating factor but also an important resource in the ethical conduct of qualitative research.

Around 1 in 10 children born in the UK are fathered by men under the age of 25, and this book tackles the overlooked views and needs of these young fathers. Challenging negative popular and media discourses, this book showcases future policy and practice directions designed to nurture the potential of these young men and their children.

Drawing on an ESRC funded qualitative longitudinal study of young fatherhood, this article explores the experiences of young offender fathers, the complex intersection of offender and fatherhood pathways for young men and the impact of professional support and tailored intervention programmes on these processes. The article challenges the axiom of young offender fathers as inherently 'risky', and suggests the utility of a dynamic, life course approach to criminal policy and practice that recognises the fluidity of their life journeys, and brings ideas of redemption more centrally into the picture.

The entry into fatherhood is a major life course transition involving the acquisition of new adult roles and responsibilities. This transition is rarely planned for young fathers, and may involve a range of challenges, not least their capacity to provide materially and financially for their child. Drawing on a Qualitative Longitudinal study of young fathers in the UK, this article charts their very different pathways through education, training and employment, showing how these are shaped by a constellation of life circumstances. The implications for policy are considered in the light of a shifting landscape of welfare reform and 'austerity' measures.

This article provides a case study of the challenges faced by one local authority in supporting young fathers, in a context of changing models of service provision, resource constraints and professional training needs. Developments in service provision are tracked over a decade, starting with a mentoring service set up under New Labour's 10-year Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, and considering how this has been refashioned under new models of service provision. The article was developed in close consultation with local authority service providers and draws on both professional accounts and the perspectives of young fathers as clients of the service. Overall, the article contributes to debates around the relative strengths of mainstream and specialist support for young fathers, and suggests the value of specialist support within mainstream provision.

ESRC funding for the Timescapes initiative included provision for the creation of a specialist resource of Qualitative Longitudinal (QL) data for sharing and re-use. In this article we document the development of this resource, focusing on the strategic and practical dimensions of its growth. In the process we explore the importance of effective communication and negotiation in the development of stakeholder collaborations between researchers and archivists. We reveal the potential of the archive to operate at the intersection of primary and secondary research, acting as a useful repository for the data of primary researchers to aid temporal QL analysis, and bringing related datasets together for enhanced analysis by both primary and secondary users.

Qualitative and Qualitative Longitudinal Resources in Europe

Sharing Qualitative and Qualitative Longitudinal Data in the UK