Comparative Case Study Methodology and Teacher Education

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meera Pathmarajah
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Study Methodology

Case study researchers have traditionally focused on micro-level analysis of a “bounded” case, yet this approach has come under methodological scrutiny in a world where phenomena are rarely isolated from globalization’s expansive reach. Social science and policy-oriented research in particular are nearly always subject to local and global histories as well as socio-cultural, political, and economic trends. Furthermore, the experience of individuals, organizations, and institutions are often tangled in interconnected webs of influence, such that a case study that does not trace these underlying relationships is likely to be analyzing only the tip of a phenomenological iceberg. Hence critical scholars call for the need to repurpose traditional case study research methods to embrace shifting contextual factors that surround a research project at multiple levels. Comparative case study methods answer this call by making socio-cultural and political analysis an explicit part of the research process. They expand the researcher’s methodological lens by advancing the analysis of processes across three axes: the horizontal (through distinct research sites), the vertical (through scales; e.g., local vs national) and the transversal (over time; e.g., historically). The methodology is particularly useful for social science research and policy studies, where complex interactions between actors and institutions are tied to socio-cultural, political, and economic contexts. Teacher education research is an area where comparative case studies can potentially contribute to policy formulation. Using the example of case study research on teacher education in India, the comparative case study methodology is shown to be an effective research tool. Through insights into the socio-cultural and political context surrounding pedagogical reform, case study research can generate corrective measures to improve policy effectiveness.

scholarly journals Lessons learnt: examining the use of case study methodology for nursing research in the context of palliative care

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 446-459
Author(s):  
Paula Brogan ◽  
Felicity Hasson ◽  
Sonja McIlfatrick
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Nursing Research ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Study Methodology

Background An empirical social research approach, facilitating in-depth exploration of complex, contemporary contextualised phenomena, case study research has been used internationally in healthcare studies across clinical settings, to explore systems and processes of care delivery. In the United Kingdom, case study methods have been championed by nurse researchers, particularly in the context of community nursing and palliative care provision, where its applicability is well established. Yet, dogged by conceptual confusion, case study remains largely underutilised as a research approach. Method Drawing on examples from nursing and palliative care studies, this paper clarifies case study research, identifies key concepts and considers lessons learned about its potential for nursing research within the unique and complex palliative and end of life context. Conclusion A case study approach offers nurse researchers the opportunity for in-depth, contextualised understanding of the systems and processes which influence their role in palliative care delivery across settings. However, philosophical and conceptual understandings are needed and further training in case study methodology is required to enable researchers to articulate and conduct case study.

Transparency and the rhetorical use of citations to Robert Yin in case study research

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Massaro ◽  
John Dumay ◽  
Carlo Bagnoli
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Citation Practices ◽  
Design And Methods ◽  
Structured Literature Review

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse “how”, “why” and “where” authors use citations of Robert Yin’s classic text, Case Study Research: Design and Methods, to determine the application of methodological transparency in published case study research.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is conducted using a structured literature review methodology.FindingsThe results reveal problems of obliteration by incorporation, miscitations, appeals to ethos, rhetorical convenience and a shadow effect, also known as adumbration. The authors argue that case study research relying, either in full or in part, on Yin’s methodology should transparently describe how and which parts of the methodology have been applied. Thus, the conclusions signal some opportunities for improving transparency in the use of citations in case study research.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis highlights behaviours that may lead researchers to questionable findings due to a lack of methodological transparency in developing case study research, along with some recommendations for avoiding such problems. Improving transparency is useful for readers to understand what was done, for reviewers and editors to evaluate the research, and to guide other researchers who wish to conduct case study research.Originality/valueThis research compares citation practices in case study research in accounting and management with a focus on citations of Robert Yin. The results build on previous studies that analyse how scholars apply case study methodology that encourages researchers to adopt greater transparency.

scholarly journals Case study research and critical IR: the case for the extended case methodology

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Lai ◽  
Roberto Roccu
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Dynamic Interaction ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Case Methodology ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Socioeconomic Dimension

Discussions on case study methodology in International Relations (IR) have historically been dominated by positivist and neopositivist approaches. However, these are problematic for critical IR research, pointing to the need for a non-positivist case study methodology. To address this issue, this article introduces and adapts the extended case methodology as a critical, reflexivist approach to case study research, whereby the case is constructed through a dynamic interaction with theory, rather than selected, and knowledge is produced through extensions rather than generalisation. Insofar as it seeks to study the world in complex and non-linear terms, take context and positionality seriously, and generate explicitly political and emancipatory knowledge, the extended case methodology is consistent with the ontological and epistemological commitments of several critical IR approaches. Its potential is illustrated in the final part of the article with reference to researching the socioeconomic dimension of transitional justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Case Study Methodology of Qualitative Research: Key Attributes and Navigating the Conundrums in Its Application

2020 ◽  
pp. 003802292097031
Author(s):  
Arya Priya
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Study Type

A case study is one of the most commonly used methodologies of social research. This article attempts to look into the various dimensions of a case study research strategy, the different epistemological strands which determine the particular case study type and approach adopted in the field, discusses the factors which can enhance the effectiveness of a case study research, and the debate surrounding the role of a case study in generating theoretical propositions with broader applicability. The prime focus of this article is to engage the reader with the intention of stimulating them to contribute their own bit, in order to add greater novelty and freshness to the methodology of case study.

scholarly journals Case Study Research Methodology

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Widdowson
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Process Measures ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Research Resources

Commenting on the lack of case studies published in modern psychotherapy publications, the author reviews the strengths of case study methodology and responds to common criticisms, before providing a summary of types of case studies including clinical, experimental and naturalistic. Suggestions are included for developing systematic case studies and brief descriptions are given of a range of research resources relating to outcome and process measures. Examples of a pragmatic case study design and a hermeneutic single-case efficacy design are given and the paper concludes with some ethical considerations and an exhortation to the TA community to engage more widely in case study research. 

scholarly journals Roles, relationships and emotions: Student teachers’ understanding of feedback as interpersonal

2021 ◽  
pp. 003452372198937
Author(s):  
Caroline Elbra-Ramsay
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
First Year ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Undergraduate Programme ◽  
Phenomenological Case Study ◽  
International Teacher

This paper reports the findings of a small-scale study seeking to investigate how student teachers, within a three-year undergraduate programme, understand feedback. Feedback has been central to debates and discussion in the assessment literature in recent years. Hence, in this paper, feedback is positioned within the often-contradictory discourses of assessment, including perspectives on student and teacher feedback. The study focused on two first year undergraduate student teachers at a small university in England and considered the relationships between their understanding of feedback as a student, their understanding of feedback as an emerging teacher, and the key influences shaping these understandings. A phenomenological case study methodology was employed with interviews as the prime method of data collection. Themes emerged as part of an Nvivo analysis, including emotional responses, relationships and dialogue, all of which appear to have impacted on the students’ conceptual understanding of feedback as indelibly shaped by its interpersonal and affective, rather than purely cognitive or ideational, dimensions. The paper therefore seeks to contribute to the wider feedback discourse by offering an analysis of empirical data. Although situated within English teacher education, there are tentative conclusions that are applicable to international teacher education and as well as higher education more generally.

scholarly journals Design and Control Issues in Qualitative Case Study Research

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaynor Lloyd-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Design Theory ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Theory Testing ◽  
Study Research ◽  
And Control ◽  
Dual Case

Some methodologists have pointed to similarities between experimental method and case study research in terms of design, theory testing and development. However, little is known about how these debates inform qualitative research rationales. The use of a sequential dual case study provided an opportunity to examine these issues and their impact on the unfolding research process. The interplay of inductive and deductive approaches was evident throughout in decisions determining the nature of the research enquiry.

scholarly journals Case study research for better evaluations of complex interventions: rationale and challenges

BMC Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Paparini ◽  
Judith Green ◽  
Chrysanthi Papoutsi ◽  
Jamie Murdoch ◽  
Mark Petticrew ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Empirical Case Studies

Abstract Background The need for better methods for evaluation in health research has been widely recognised. The ‘complexity turn’ has drawn attention to the limitations of relying on causal inference from randomised controlled trials alone for understanding whether, and under which conditions, interventions in complex systems improve health services or the public health, and what mechanisms might link interventions and outcomes. We argue that case study research—currently denigrated as poor evidence—is an under-utilised resource for not only providing evidence about context and transferability, but also for helping strengthen causal inferences when pathways between intervention and effects are likely to be non-linear. Main body Case study research, as an overall approach, is based on in-depth explorations of complex phenomena in their natural, or real-life, settings. Empirical case studies typically enable dynamic understanding of complex challenges and provide evidence about causal mechanisms and the necessary and sufficient conditions (contexts) for intervention implementation and effects. This is essential evidence not just for researchers concerned about internal and external validity, but also research users in policy and practice who need to know what the likely effects of complex programmes or interventions will be in their settings. The health sciences have much to learn from scholarship on case study methodology in the social sciences. However, there are multiple challenges in fully exploiting the potential learning from case study research. First are misconceptions that case study research can only provide exploratory or descriptive evidence. Second, there is little consensus about what a case study is, and considerable diversity in how empirical case studies are conducted and reported. Finally, as case study researchers typically (and appropriately) focus on thick description (that captures contextual detail), it can be challenging to identify the key messages related to intervention evaluation from case study reports. Conclusion Whilst the diversity of published case studies in health services and public health research is rich and productive, we recommend further clarity and specific methodological guidance for those reporting case study research for evaluation audiences.

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