Employing a longitudinal study design in a post-conflict zone: strategies and lessons learned from the field

Longitudinal methodology is a powerful study design that focuses on processes and patterns of change, yet it is rarely deployed in research to understand post-conflict circumstances. This article describes experiences and lessons learned from a longitudinal study of an education intervention programme in a post-conflict setting, illustrating both challenges and successful mitigation strategies for conducting a longitudinal study in a fragile and demanding research environment, including methodological challenges (participant recruitment, attrition, contextual variability, instrument modifications and record-keeping) and contextual challenges (community, environmental, security and civil perturbations).