Research Methods in Language

Studies

Case Studies

Week 11
Warm-up
What is a case study?
What are typical procedures of a case
study?
What are research instruments used?
What are strengths and limitations of a
case study?
 Types of qualitative research
Qualitative research

Case studies Conversation analysis

Ethnography Action research Discourse analysis

Introspection Documents
Triangulation

Retrospection Interviews Observation

Data analysis
Anecdotal forms
Patterns/commu
Narrative inquiry Grounded theory
nalities
 Qualitative Inquiry
The phrase qualitative inquiry is a generic
term for a variety of educational research
approaches variously labelled as ethnography,
naturalistic inquiry, case studies, interpretive
research, fieldwork, field studies and participant
observation among others.
These approaches employ different
methodologies, but certain features are typical
of all kinds of qualitative research.
Approach to Qualitative Research
The quantitative approach strives for testable and
confirmable theories that explain phenomena by
showing how they are derived from theoretical
assumptions. It seeks scientific explanation that
includes the discovery of laws governing not only the
behaviour of the physical world but also human
behaviour.
The qualitative approach begins from a different
assumption, namely that the subject matter of the
social or human sciences differs fundamentally from
the subject matter of the physical or natural sciences
and therefore, requires a different goal for inquiry and
a different set of methods for investigation.
Arguments for Qualitative Research
Qualitative inquirers argue:
(1) that human behaviour is always bound to
the context in which it occurs;
(2) that social reality (e.g., cultures, cultural
objects, institutions, values) cannot be reduced
to the same manner as physical reality and;
(3) that what is most important in the social
disciplines is understanding and portraying
social settings or events.
Goals of Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is an intensely personal kind of
research that freely acknowledges and admits the
subjective perspectives and biases of both participants
and researchers (Goetz & LeCompe, 1993).
The ultimate goal of qualitative research is, in other
words, to portray in depth the complex pattern of what
is being studied in sufficient depth and detail so that
someone who has not experienced it can understand
it.
Goetz, J.P. & LeCompte, M.D. (1993). Ethnography and qualitative design in
educational research. New York: Academic Press.
What is a case?
Individual?
Group?
Institution?
Context?
Something unique? Bounded?
Combination of all this?
Case study
Focuses on a single unit
Has multidisciplinary roots (e.g., business, law,
medicine)
Produces an in-depth description
is anchored in real life
Provides a rich, holistic description of context,
themes, issues
Uses multiple data collection techniques
Needs time to spend examining the unit
Can be combined with other qualitative approaches
The basic question is What are the characteristics of
this particular entity, phenomenon, person, setting?
Types and procedures of case
studies
Types
Intrinsic
Instrumental
Procedure
Choosing a case (questions, curiosity)
Collecting and analysing data
Writing up a report
Validity/trustworthiness
How might you be wrong?
Correctness or credibility of a description,
conclusion, explanation, interpretation or
other sort of account (Maxwell, 2004: 106)
Dependability
Credibility
Confirmability
Transferability
Strategies to enhance trustworthiness?
 Methods
Perspectives: emic (insider) as opposed to etic
(outsiders)
Instrument: the researchers who collect the data
through observations and interviews (in contrast to the
use of scales, tests, observation checklists and
questionnaires).
Sampling: purposive selection techniques based on
particular criteria.
Period: Extensive; over time, longitudinal
Ethical considerations: roles of the researcher;
potential risks, benefits
Types of Data interpretations
Construction of patterns through analysis and
resynthesis of constituent parts
Interpretation of the social meaning of events;
or
Analysis of relationships between events and
external factors
These interpretations may lead to the
generalization of theories that may later be
tested by quantitative researchers.
Major typical characteristics
Concern for context and meaning
Natural setting
Human instrument
Descriptive data
Emergent design
Inductive analysis
Major typical characteristics
Holistic
Relationships within a system or culture
Refers to the personal, face to face and
immediate
Understanding a given social setting
Over time
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
Aims of research
Observation of change over time
Weaknesses
Require good research skills/experiences
Difficult to generalize findings
Time consuming
Often regarded as less rigorous than other
approaches