ABSTRACT
There are often challenges regarding securing access to a location for long-term use with participants, whether it is checking in, testing, or regular observation. In this chapter, the author demonstrates this particular challenge by drawing upon her PhD dissertation research. The nature of longitudinal research and the high demands placed on participants means that it is crucial for researchers to be flexible in terms of research design and scope. Longitudinal studies ask a great deal of participants in terms of their time and extended commitment. As one could imagine, there are several notable challenges in pursuing longitudinal studies, such as an ethnographic approach to data collection. Additionally, all longitudinal studies, by their nature, take a long time to complete and thus require ongoing resources to support them. One of the most likely and frustrating challenges to overcome, however, has to do with participants themselves.
