About the course
This one day course will establish the significance and value of dynamic approaches to social enquiry and show how time is not simply a vehicle for a study, the medium through which it is conducted, but is also a rich theoretical construct and topic of enquiry that drives the generation and analysis of data.
It will highlight the power of qualitative longitudinal research:
- to discern the factors that shape the life course
- to understand how and why changes and continuities occur
- to understand the causes and consequences of change for particular individuals and groups (in particular social, temporal and spatial contexts)
The course is designed to:
- give researchers an appreciation of the methodological issues involved in researching lives through time
- equip them with the basic tools and techniques needed to design a qualitative longitudinal study
- generate and analyse data
Course overview
- Lecture one - 'Researching lives qualitatively through time'
- Workshop one - 'Generating temporal insights'
- Lecture two - 'Walking alongside: ethical balancing acts'
- Lecture three - 'Journeys with data: data generation and analysis'
- Workshop two - 'The analytical journey'
- 'Surgery' session for delegates to consult Bren about their current or planned research
Speaker profiles
Bren Neale is Emeritus Professor of Life Course and Family Research in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds and a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
She has developed a wide portfolio of research on the dynamics of family life and inter-generational relationships, and has published widely in this field. Bren specialises in Qualitative Longitudinal (QL) research methodology.
From 2007-12 she was director of the ESRC funded Timescapes Initiative, as part of which she advanced QL methods and archiving across academia, government and NGO settings, in the UK and internationally. She continues to provide cross-disciplinary training and consultancy services in QL methodology for new and established researchers.
Who should attend
Doctoral students