GESIS Training Courses
user_jsdisabled
Search

Scientific Coordination

Dr.
Sebastian E. Wenz
Tel: +49 221 47694-159

Administrative Coordination

Angelika Ruf
Tel: +49 221 47694-162

Please wait...

Course 2: Designing, Implementing, and Analyzing Longitudinal Surveys

About
Location:
Cologne
General Topics:
Survey Methodology, Data Analysis
Course Level:
Advanced
Format:
Summer School
Software used:
Stata and R
Duration:
5 days
Language:
English
Fees:
Students: 500 €
Academics: 750 €
Commercial: 1500 €
Keywords:
Longitudinal surveys, data collection, measurement, attrition, weighting, Cologne
Additional links
Lecturer(s): Prof. Dr. Tarek Al Baghal, Prof. Dr. Alexandru Cernat

About the lecturer - Prof. Dr. Tarek Al Baghal

About the lecturer - Prof. Dr. Alexandru Cernat

Course description

The course will provide an overview of those aspects of survey design, implementation, and analysis that are unique to longitudinal surveys or that have distinct features in the longitudinal context. The course will specifically cover:
  • a review of the advantages and limitations of longitudinal surveys and an outline of some of the uses to which longitudinal surveys are put;
  • key aspects of longitudinal survey design such as the sampling design, interval between waves, and data collection modes;
  • important aspects of designing a questionnaire and measurement for a longitudinal study, particularly for capturing micro-level change;
  • the impact of non-response and attrition in a panel, and adjustments such as weighting and imputation given that missing data patterns differ between waves;
  • an introduction to important analysis considerations and methods when using a longitudinal survey design:
  • in addition, each day there will be time used for practical applications of lectures and methods taught and provide an opportunity for more interaction with the instructors.
    •  
    The detailed syllabus with course times and literature will be available soon.


    Target group

    Participants will find the course useful if:
  • they are interested in the uses and importance of longitudinal surveys;
  • they are involved in planning or conducting a longitudinal survey;
  • they are interested aspects of longitudinal data collection;
  • they are in the processes involved in measurement of phenomena over time;
  • they want to use appropriate methods to analyse longitudinal data.


    • Learning objectives

    By the end of the course participants will:
  • be familiar with the central design issues of longitudinal surveys;
  • understand different strategies on how to collect longitudinal data;
  • be able to design questions that meet research objectives for longitudinal surveys and minimize error;
  • be able to identify and implement features that should help to prevent panel attrition;
  • be able to study the nature of non-response and attrition in a longitudinal survey;
  • understand generally the methods used in weighting and imputation in a panel survey.
    •  
    Organizational Structure of the Course
  • In these meetings, practical applications will be given for the students to work through, with the opportunity to ask instructors questions one-on-one about the course or their own projects.
  • The practical application will relate to topics in longitudinal survey design covered in the lectures, including the impact of question wording on measurement, the identification of attrition, the development of weights, and how these can impact analytic findings.
  • After the individual work the lecturer will go through the solutions with the entire class.
  • Analysis done during practical applications will use Stata or R


    • Prerequisites

  • participants should have basic knowledge of survey methodology from a cross-sectional perspective, in particular with respect to survey design, instrument development, and survey implementation
  • basic knowledge of statistics and statistical modelling (i.e., regression) and of a statistical software (Stata or R).
    •  
    Software and Hardware Requirements
    We will use Stata and R for the practical. GESIS will provide participants with access to the statistical software packages used in the course (i.e., Stata, R). Students may use their own laptops if they are using R or have their own Stata licence. For R we would need the following packages: tidyverse, haven, sample, lme4, plm, broom.
     
     
    Covid-19 related regulations for on-site classes
    Although there are currently no legal requirements due to the Covid-19 pandemic for participation in our on-site training events, we suggest that you adhere to the recommendations given on the following site: https://www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/staatsministerin/corona/what-do-you-currently-need-to-know-about-corona-englisch--1876282
     
    Please note that regulations might change on short notice depending on the nationwide or local state of the pandemic. We therefore suggest that you only register for an on-site class, if you are fully vaccinated (according to EU law) by the time the class starts and are willing to wear a mask in the GESIS building and in class.
     
    Participants from abroad should make sure that they understand and fulfill the requirements to enter Germany as summarized on this website.
     
    Please find more general information on our Covid-19 info website and carefully read all emails we send to you. Thank you, stay safe and healthy!