Longitudinal Studies
Longitudinal Studies A longitudinal study is a unique kind of observation and is considered the most ideal approach to studying various people. It is utilized to determine the causes of an individual’s personal changes that happen to them, or to other different individuals or to various groups of people over time. In order for a longitudinal study to obtain the needed data and information that researchers are looking for, the study utilizes questionnaires, self-reporting surveys, observations, and various other tests. The time distance between longitudinal measurements of the study depends on the period of the individual’s life that is being specifically studied (streetdirectory, 2015). The advantages of a longitudinal
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The use of a longitudinal study gives the researchers the opportunity of defining the curve of a child’s development and to then determine if their development does in fact correspond with their specific age. This allows the researchers to reveal the turning points in this curve when sharp qualitative changes do occur (streetdirectory, 2015). But then there are the disadvantages of a longitudinal study and that is basically time, cost and the individuals who are being studied. First, the researchers who initiate the longitudinal study have to make a solid determination of how long the said longitudinal study is going to be conducted. If the study will be for a year or thirty years, this is an important factor when initiating a longitudinal study. This is mainly due in part to cost and the test-subjects involved in the study. If the researchers do not have the proper funds for the study and then they cannot find the right test-subjects for the study then there is a possibility the study should either be rethought or not done in the first …show more content…
But in this case test-subjects are studied and then restudied over a selected period of time (as opposed to studied across different experimental conditions as is found in the case with repeated measures studies). The longitudinal study design is an excellent tool for looking at the effects or changes over a long period of time, usually as people age.
So for example, as in these three selected studies, the various researchers of each study wanted to study the effects of bullying on children as they age. The children may get counseling for one year and then the researcher measures the children on different things (e.g., coping, stress, anxiety, etc.) annually for a year for the next ten years and then compare them to the children who did not receive any type of counseling, but were measured utilizing the same variables and at the same intervals of time. This would then allow the researchers to see if the counseling had any effects on the children as they aged as was compared to those who did not receive any type of counseling (Alleydog.com,
The use of a longitudinal study gives the researchers the opportunity of defining the curve of a child’s development and to then determine if their development does in fact correspond with their specific age. This allows the researchers to reveal the turning points in this curve when sharp qualitative changes do occur (streetdirectory, 2015). But then there are the disadvantages of a longitudinal study and that is basically time, cost and the individuals who are being studied. First, the researchers who initiate the longitudinal study have to make a solid determination of how long the said longitudinal study is going to be conducted. If the study will be for a year or thirty years, this is an important factor when initiating a longitudinal study. This is mainly due in part to cost and the test-subjects involved in the study. If the researchers do not have the proper funds for the study and then they cannot find the right test-subjects for the study then there is a possibility the study should either be rethought or not done in the first …show more content…
But in this case test-subjects are studied and then restudied over a selected period of time (as opposed to studied across different experimental conditions as is found in the case with repeated measures studies). The longitudinal study design is an excellent tool for looking at the effects or changes over a long period of time, usually as people age.
So for example, as in these three selected studies, the various researchers of each study wanted to study the effects of bullying on children as they age. The children may get counseling for one year and then the researcher measures the children on different things (e.g., coping, stress, anxiety, etc.) annually for a year for the next ten years and then compare them to the children who did not receive any type of counseling, but were measured utilizing the same variables and at the same intervals of time. This would then allow the researchers to see if the counseling had any effects on the children as they aged as was compared to those who did not receive any type of counseling (Alleydog.com,