Assigned Readings
DeVaus, Ch. 7, 8 & 9. There is an error in your textbook on page 159, third paragraph under "Standardization," the fourth sentence. This sentence should read "CASE 9 (not case 7) has improved her relative position considerably."

Wagner, M., Kutash, K., Duchnowski, A.J. & Epstein, M.H. (2005) The special education elementary longitudinal study and the national longitudinal transition study. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorder 13(1), 25-41. Even if you are not interested in this topic, this article has an excellent discussion of the advantages of longitudinal designs and sophisticated discussions of several aspects of importance in longitudtinal designs (sampling, analysis, etc.). Read it for the content about longitudinal research designs -- not the specific topic of the study.

Recommended Readings
Bjarnason, T. & Adalbjarnardottir, S. (2000) Anonymity and confidentiality in school surveys on alcool and cannabis use. Journal of Drug Issues 30(2), 335-344. Maintaining anonymity is a major problem with longitudinal designs. I highly recommend that you read this article before you try to complete the assignment.

Recommended Readings about Data Analysis in Longitudinal Designs Data analysis for longitudinal designs is very complex. We will discuss this in class. I highly recommend that you consult the appropriate readings from this list as you try to complete Assignment 8.

Petersen, T. (2004) Analyzing panel data: Fixed- and random-effects models. In M. Hardy and A. Bryman (Eds.), Data Analysis Handbook (pp. 331-346). London: Sage Publications. Borrow from Mickie.

Guo, G. & Hipp, J. (2004) Ongitudinal analysis for continuous outcomes: Random effects models and latent trajectory models. In M. Hardy and A. Bryman (Eds.), Data Analysis Handbook (pp. 347-368). London: Sage Publications. Borrow from Mickie.

Allison, P. (2004) Event history analysis. In M. Hardy and A. Bryman (Eds.), Data Analysis Handbook (pp. 369-386). London: Sage Publications. Borrow from Mickie.

Other Very Useful Resources
Wong, B.Y.L. (1994) The relevance of longitudinal research to learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities 27(5), 270-274.

Karney, B.R. & Bradburn, T.N. (1995) The longitudinal course of marital quality and stability: A review of theory, method and research. Psychological Bulletin 118(1), 3-34. Although somewhat dated and potentially about a topic of less interest to you, I highly recommend this article because it shows clearly how longitudinal studies are used in theory development. It has a lot to offer about how research should be tied to theory in general, no matter the topic or the design choice.

Stafford, R., Mulligan, J., Downie, B. & Voss, L. (1999) Threats to validity in the longitudinal study of psychological effects: The case of short stature. Child Care, Health & Development 25(6), 401-419. Another excellent resource for the assignment.

Discussion Guide
Longitudinal Designs Learning Guide & Discussion Questions

Other Advance Preparation
None