The qualitative longitudinal case history: practical, methodological and ethical reflections

The Open University's repository of research publications and other research outputs The qualitative longitudinal case history: practical, methodological and ethical reflections Journal Article How to cite: Thomson, Rachel (2007). The qualitative longitudinal case history: practical, methodological and ethical reflections. Social Policy and Society, 6(4) pp. 571–582. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c [not recorded] Version: [not recorded] Link(s) to article on publisher's website: Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online's data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. This paper describes the development of 'case histories' from a qualitative longitudinal data set that followed 100 young people's transitions to adulthood over a ten year period. The paper describes two stages in the analytic process: first, the forging of a case history from a longitudinal archive and second, bringing case histories into conversation with each other. The paper emphasises two aspects of a qualitative longitudinal data set: the longitudinal dimension that privileges the individual case, and the cross sectional dimension that privileges the social and the spatial context. It is argued that both aspects should always be kept in play in analysis. The paper concludes by reflecting on the ethical and practical challenges associated with the case history approach, heightened by the growing demand to archive and share qualitative longitudinal data sets.