There is growing interest in the potential value of qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) for shedding light on temporal dimensions of experience, and on the way personal biographies are shaped by social structures and processes over time.

This chapter synthesises recent research from Young Lives, a longitudinal study of children growing up in poverty in four countries, Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. The chapter focuses on spatial and temporal aspects of learning and working. Using case studies from qualitative research as well as survey data, it describes first the extent and forms of work children undertake and how these change over time, second, how poverty influences children’s work activities, and  third, what skills children learn through work.