The Student Life Cycle Panel is a so-called longitudinalstudy. This means that groups of the same individuals are interviewed at separate times in their lives. Every four years a new cohort of pupils acquiring their "Abitur" or "Fachhochschulreife" as well as a cohort of higher education graduates is chosen to be studied. Repeat questionnaires take place one year after the first survey as well as biannually for subsequent studies.
The longitudinal character of the study offers a variety of advantages:
- It allows analyses of changes and developments within groups of people within the same cohort as well as comparisons between groups (e.g. regarding the transition between school and vocational training, different career paths, life goals and values).
- Keeping certain contents of the survey constant between different cohorts allows for the comparison between cohorts.
- Additionally, changing clusters of questions can be added to gain timely information on current themes that are relevant to educational policy (e.g. the introduction of university tuition, international mobility, or the effects of the Corona pandemic).
Cohort 2018 Cohort 2021 Cohort 2022