The design of a longitudinal study is shaped by its overarching scientific purpose, and in some cases, the specific research questions that it seeks to answer. The study’s aims and objectives dictate who the participants will be and what information needs to be collected from them.
Some studies will have a very general scientific purpose, for example to determine how people’s experiences and circumstances in childhood affect the rest of their lives. Other studies will be designed for a much more specific purpose, for example to find out what factors influence whether young people go on to higher education, work or unemployment when they leave compulsory schooling.
Studies can also focus on certain aspects of life, for instance many studies are designed to look at health specifically, and the factors that lead to a healthy or unhealthy life.
But by their very nature, all longitudinal studies share one common aim – to track change over time.
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