ESRC project - Methodological lessons and learning in longitudinal research

About

Undertaking longitudinal research in low and middle income countries (LMICs) brings a host of challenges often not present in other forms of research. Sustaining funding commitments over an extended period of time, coping with inevitable attrition in study participants, navigating complex ethical frameworks, or linking longitudinal data with other data sets – these are just some of the challenges we have encountered over 15 years of research for the Young Lives study.

This research project, funded by the ESRC, will deliver an innovative programme of methodological and operational learning to support researchers running large-scale international development studies in LMICs. A key aim is to strengthen capacity and effectiveness in the conduct of such research, while contributing to a growing community of practice in the field.

The work will focus on four critical areas:

1. Research design and methodology
e.g. considering challenges related to changing socio-economic circumstances, tracking and attrition of participants, or different trends in education, health or employment policies

2. Research ethics
e.g. navigating different ethical frameworks, local contexts, power relations, and ethical clearance boards

3. Research governance and impact
e.g. managing budgets, working with international partners, keeping donors engaged, or developing strategies for policy influence

4. Data management and archiving
e.g. managing a multiplicity of data access governance structures and guidelines, or balancing requirements for confidentiality with the benefits of providing open access to data

The references and resources generated both by Young Lives, and researchers in our extended networks, will explore the opportunities, challenges and lessons learned from undertaking longitudinal international development studies.

We invite all researchers and practitioners engaged or interested in similar forms of research to participate in this project by sharing insights, experiences and information needs.

Currently, you can participate in the following ways:

Learning from longitudinal studies in LMIC countries: pre & post COVID

Learning from longitudinal studies in low- and middle-income countries: before, during and after Covid-19, an online conference presented by Young Lives, CLOSER & Lancaster University Management School

This four-day event takes place from Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th May 2021, with each day featuring a 90-minute seminar (2pm-3.30pm BST).

It will be an excellent opportunity to dive into the challenges and opportunities of longitudinal research in LMICs, learning from researchers’ diverse experiences across a variety of international longitudinal studies.

Each session will feature a panel of experts who will address a variety of questions, including:

What is the role of longitudinal research in addressing Covid-19 and its aftermath?
How can longitudinal data be linked to other data sources or combined with multiple methods to enhance their value?
What have we learned in terms of the practical and ethical lessons for sustaining research cohorts over many years, and how has Covid-19 required us to adapt?

News and Blogs

The Young Lives project on methodological learning in low and middle income countries will produce a wide range of events, activities and outputs aimed at both generating and sharing knowledge about longitudinal research. Please see our latest news below to stay up to date with the project's developments.

2021 Conference – bringing the longitudinal community together to learn from a unique year

This week we have an exciting four day conference. From Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th of May 2021, Young Lives, CLOSER and Lancaster University Management School are co-hosting a conference on ‘Learning from longitudinal studies in low- and middle-income countries: before, during and after Covid-19’.

Over 100 researchers from around the world will be joining us to hear from over 20 speakers, each with a different perspective on longitudinal research, in this four day event. It’s a fantastic opportunity for those who work with lower-and-middle-income countries to share the lessons they’ve learned from the unprecedented challenge of Covid-19.

Attendees will get the chance to learn from some of the key voices in international longitudinal research, addressing questions such as:

What is the role of longitudinal research in addressing Covid-19 and its aftermath?
How can longitudinal data be linked to other data sources or combined with multiple methods to enhance their value?
What have we learned in terms of the practical and ethical lessons for sustaining research cohorts over many years, and how has Covid-19 required us to adapt?

The four daily seminars are:

COVID-19 and longitudinal research: opportunities and challenges
Tuesday 11 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Speakers from the World Bank, the Economic Policy Research Centre, Young Lives, and Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence will dive into key issues on how we’ve responded to the pandemic.

How has COVID-19 changed the way we conduct research? What logistical and ethical challenges do we need to face? And how is longitudinal research going to help us respond to the crisis?

Innovation in longitudinal research
Wednesday 12 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

This session will look at how longitudinal research can make better use of data to understand people’s behaviours. Speakers from GRADE, University of Minnesota, the Inter-American Development Bank and the French Development Agency will delve into how the risks and gains of linking new data sources into your research.

Doing and Adapting Longitudinal Research: What have we learned?
Thursday 13 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

What does the future hold for longitudinal research? How can we be more ethical, more practical and improve our methods? Speakers from CLOSER, Young Lives, John Hopkins University, Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence and GRADE will reflect on their experiences and then look to the future.

Special session: Longitudinal evidence on skills inequality in Peru
Friday 14 May, 2pm-4pm BST / 10am-12pm PST (note 2-hour session)

This special Spanish-language showcase will focus on the ESRC-funded project: Inequality in skills in Peru. Speakers from this project will give a valuable insight into how their work has impacted on policy.

(While this session will be conducted in Spanish, a captioned recording will be available in the weeks following the conference.)

Full information, including a list of each speaker can be found here. And if you’re reading this before 14 May 2021, you may still have time to register on Eventbrite.

Other Events and News

Mother helping children with their homework

Lessons from longitudinal studies in Low and Middle Income Countries

News

7 Jun 2021

Young Lives Data – Video Abstracts

Conversations with Young Lives' Data Managers: Part Three

Blog

21 Aug 2020

New Podcast: Insights from Young Lives Peru

News

8 Jul 2020

Conversations with Young Lives' Data Managers: Part Two

Blog

2 Jul 2020

COVID-19 and the ‘ethics of disruption’

Blog

29 Jun 2020

Conversations with Young Lives' Data Managers

Blog

11 Jun 2020

New Podcasts: Country directors' perspectives on research impact challenges

News

1 May 2020

Six strategies to consider in your longitudinal study

Blog

19 Mar 2020

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Useful references

This project aims to generate shared learning, strengthen capacity and improve effectiveness in the conduct of longitudinal research in low and middle income countries. The references suggested below come from our growing community of practice in this area. You can also contribute to this resource by submitting a reference of your own - please click on the green button to the right to contribute.

Submit a reference

The National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS)

Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU)

Research design & methodology

(NIDS) is the first national household panel study in South Africa. The study began in 2008 with a nationally representative sample of over 28,000 individuals in 7,300 households across the country. The survey continues to be repeated with these same household members every two years. NIDS examines the livelihoods of individuals and households over time. It also provides information about how households cope with positive or negative shocks, such as a death in the family or an unemployed relative obtaining a job. Other themes include changes in poverty and well-being; household composition and structure; fertility and mortality; migration; labour market participation and economic activity; human capital formation, health and education; vulnerability and social capital.

Longitudinal Population Studies Strategy

Wellcome (2017)

Research governance & impact

This publication provides an overview of an agreed strategy and funding mechanism to support longitudinal population studies (LPS) and related activities, and to maximise their value.

International Symposium on Cohort and Longitudinal Studies in Low and Middle Income Countries

UNICEF-Innocenti (2014)

Research governance & impact

This report summs up the findings from a symposium that brought together longitudinal studies operating in twenty-five low, middle and high income countries. These experts explored how to strengthen data, design and coordination for improved policymaking and programmes.

Dilemmas of Ethics in Practice in Longitudinal Health Research

Twine, R., Lewando G., Kahn K. (2019)

Research ethics

Summary: "Research conducted in longitudinal health study areas depends on there being mutual trust and respect over time between the local residents and researchers. Ethics in practice needs consideration alongside procedural ethics. By widening participation of the experimental public—local residents and resident service providers—ethics in practice and accountability are strengthened."

Designing Multidisciplinary Longitudinal Studies of Human Development: Analyzing Past Research to Inform Methodology

Shulruf, B., Morton, S., Goodyear-Smith, F., O’Loughlin, C., & Dixon, R. (2007)

Research design & methodology

This article relates to research design of longitudinal cohort studies. It argues that a contemporary longitudinal study should include measures of physical and mental health, cognitive capacity, educational attainment, social adjustment, conduct and behavior, resiliency, and risk-taking behaviors.

Microfinance and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from A Longitudinal Household Panel Database

Razzaque, M. A. (2010)

Research design & methodology

This article examines the effectiveness of microfinance in reducing poverty. The author notes that longitudinal research allows a better analysis of microcredit interventions, because of the analysis over time.

International Data Sharing in Practice: New Technologies Meet Old Governance

Murtagh, M. J.,Turner, A., Minion, J. T., Fay, M. and Burton P. R. (2016)

Data management

This paper presents an ethnographic study, which examined the epistemic and nonepistemic values driving decisions about data access and their consequences. It argues that new approaches to data access governance should be trialed (and formally evaluated) with input from and discussion with stakeholders.

Better governance, better access: practising responsible data sharing in the METADAC governance infrastructure

Murtagh, M. J., Blell, M. T., Butters, O. W., Cowley, L., Dove, E. S., Goodman, A

Research governance & impact

Although the open science movement advocates unfettered access to research data, many of the UK’s longitudinal cohort studies operate systems of managed data access, in which access is governed by legal and ethical agreements between stewards of research datasets and researchers wishing to make use of them. This paper presents an ethnographic case study exploring the foundational principles of a governance infrastructure for Managing Ethico-social, Technical and Administrative issues in Data ACcess (METADAC).

Practical Ethics in Social Research with Children and Families in Young Lives

Morrow, V. (2013)

Research ethics

This paper emphasises the importance of understanding local contexts in undertaking research with children and families in environments that change rapidly, economically, environmentally and politically. It aims to contribute to current debates about research practices, the ethics of longitudinal research with children, and research with children and parents in developing countries.

Development and evaluation of the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parent Study Physical Activity Questionnaire

Matsuzaki M, Sullivan R, Ekelund U, Krishna KV, Kulkarni B, Collier T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Kinra S, Kuper H.

Research design & methodology

This publication provides insights into questionnaire design. "There is limited availability of context-specific physical activity questionnaires in low and middle income countries. The aim of this study was to develop and examine the validity of a new Indian physical activity questionnaire, the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parent Study Physical Activity Questionnaire (APCAPS-PAQ)."

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Publications

Delivering Research to Policy Impact: Reflections from Former Young Lives Director Jo Boyden on the Challenges of Leadership and Governance

6 Sep 2021

Summative Output

Ethics Learning from Young Lives: 20 Years On- Summary

5 Aug 2021

Summative Output

Ethics Learning from Young Lives: 20 Years On

4 Aug 2021

Research Report

Leveraging the Power of Longitudinal Data: Insights on Data Harmonisation and Linkage from Young Lives

15 Jun 2021

Summative Output

A Synthesis of Young Lives Longitudinal Study: Methodological Approaches

13 May 2021

Summative Output

Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies in Generating and Governing Data – Learning from Two Decades of Research at Young Lives

17 Feb 2021

Summative Output

Influencing Policy to Reduce Child Marriage in India: Reflections from Young Lives

Insights Reports

15 Dec 2020

Impact case study

Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies in Generating and Governing Data- Learning from Two Decades of Research at Young Lives

Methodological Learning and Lessons: Reflections from Young Lives

23 Oct 2020

Research Report

Measuring the Development of Cognitive Skills Across Time and Context: Reflections from Young Lives

Methodological Learning and Lessons: Reflections from Young Lives

13 Oct 2020

Summative Output

IMPACT CASE STUDY Building individual, institutional and national capacity for child-focused research

Young Lives Impact Case Study

27 Jul 2018

Impact case study

Video Abstracts

Funded by the Economic Social and Research Council (ESRC), the aims of the Methodological Lessons and Learning project are to generate shared learning, strengthen capacity, and improve effectiveness in the conduct of longitudinal research in low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

A key part of this is to highlight where and how Young Lives data have been used. To do this, we are producing a series of video abstracts with authors who have used Young Lives longitudinal data in their research, asking them to reflect on their analytic decisions and strategies, and how these contributed to their overall findings.

Below you will find links to the video abstracts along with a brief introduction to their project/paper.

Accounting for Intergenerational Social Mobility in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Fabian Koenings and Jakob Schwab

In this video abstract we hear from Fabian Koenings and Jakob Schwab who discuss their paper on social mobility within developing countries and how they use Young Lives data to present their conclusions.

The impact of fathers' death on child non-cognitive outcomes in Ethiopia, Rozana Himaz

In this video abstract we hear from Rozana Himaz who discusses her paper ('Sweet are the fruits of adversity') that uses Young Lives' data from Ethiopia to investigate how the death of a father impacts children as they grow into young adults.

Outsmarting Your Parents, María José Ogando Portela

In this video abstract we hear from María José Ogando Portela who discusses the paper 'Outsmarting Your Parents' by herself and Paul Atherton. It uses Young Lives data from all four study countries to examine how being the first in your family to attend school impacts the support they have and need.

Inequalities in Adolescent Learning, Elisabetta Aurino, Jasmine Fledderjohann and Sukumar Vellakkal

In this video abstract we hear from who discusses their paper 'Inequalities in Adolescent Learning'. It uses Young Lives data from India to examine how food insecurity might impact education pathways.

Methodological lessons and learning in longitudinal research

2021 Conference – bringing the longitudinal community together to learn from a unique year

The four daily seminars are:

COVID-19 and longitudinal research: opportunities and challenges
Tuesday 11 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Innovation in longitudinal research
Wednesday 12 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Doing and Adapting Longitudinal Research: What have we learned?
Thursday 13 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Special session: Longitudinal evidence on skills inequality in Peru
Friday 14 May, 2pm-4pm BST / 10am-12pm PST (note 2-hour session)

Other Events and News

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About

Where we work

Our themes

Methodological lessons and learning in longitudinal research

2021 Conference – bringing the longitudinal community together to learn from a unique year

The four daily seminars are:

COVID-19 and longitudinal research: opportunities and challenges Tuesday 11 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Innovation in longitudinal research Wednesday 12 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Doing and Adapting Longitudinal Research: What have we learned? Thursday 13 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Special session: Longitudinal evidence on skills inequality in Peru Friday 14 May, 2pm-4pm BST / 10am-12pm PST (note 2-hour session)

Other Events and News

Pages

Pages

About

COVID-19 and longitudinal research: opportunities and challenges
Tuesday 11 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Innovation in longitudinal research
Wednesday 12 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Doing and Adapting Longitudinal Research: What have we learned?
Thursday 13 May, 2pm-3.30pm BST

Special session: Longitudinal evidence on skills inequality in Peru
Friday 14 May, 2pm-4pm BST / 10am-12pm PST (note 2-hour session)