The Import of Time Frame and Tempo in Qualitative Longitudinal Research:Division I Symposium

Whilst educational researchers often explore lived experiences relative to time, dominant approaches to research seldom grapple with the concept of time (Neale, 2019). We argue that educational research on career trajectories, transitions, and socialization demands the interrogation of time as an integral part of the process. Qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) is a methodology that generates qualitative data with the same participants through time to understand lived experiences as they unfold (Balmer, 2021). We highlight 3 papers to illustrate different ways of conducting QLR in professions education in terms of time frame and tempo: short-term and staccato, medium-term and tenuto, long-term and legato. Each paper pushes the boundaries of qualitative research and wrestles with consequences of walking alongside participants in QLR