This document provides a current assessment of the role and character of longitudinal studies. Eighteen articles define this type of study, discuss its applications to the educational process, advise when to use longitudinal inquiry, and describe barriers formed by lack of statistical techniques in manipulating the data. The traditional argument involving the major variable of time in longitudinal studies, with the uncontrollable dimensions it imposes on the study group, is examined and some novel ideas are proposed. One such idea is the unanticipated changes that occur to the researcher himself as he acquires new methodology. Another is an application of statistical assumptions to the study group by approaching the subjects as random variates, thereby overcoming the loss of data from loss of subjects in the group. The lack of knowledge about classroom anatomy adds unidentified variables to longitudinal studies even under ideal conditions. Therefore, research on this subject must progress in order to strengthen longitudinal studies. In general, the respondents feel that this type of study provides a broad framework within which all of the tools of science can be used. (LN)