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Qualitative research and case study applications in education

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• THE DESIGN OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH.
• 1. What is Qualitative Research?
• 2. Case Studies as Qualtitative Research.
• 3. Designing the Study and Selecting a Sample. COLLECTING QUALITATIVE DATA.
• 4. Conducting Effective Interviews.
• 5. Being a Careful Observer.
• 6. Mining Data from Documents.
• 7. Collecting Data in Case Studies. ANALYZING AND REPORTING QUALITATIVE DATA.
• 8. Analytic Techniques and Data Management.
• 9. Levels of Analysis.
• 10. Dealing with Validity, Reliability and Ethics.
• 11. Writing Reports and Case Studies.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Case Study in Education Research

Introduction, general overview and foundational texts of the late 20th century.

• Conceptualisations and Definitions of Case Study
• Case Study and Theoretical Grounding
• Choosing Cases
• Methodology, Method, Genre, or Approach
• Case Study: Quality and Generalizability
• Multiple Case Studies
• Exemplary Case Studies and Example Case Studies
• Criticism, Defense, and Debate around Case Study

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Case Study in Education Research by Lorna Hamilton LAST REVIEWED: 27 June 2018 LAST MODIFIED: 27 June 2018 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0201

It is important to distinguish between case study as a teaching methodology and case study as an approach, genre, or method in educational research. The use of case study as teaching method highlights the ways in which the essential qualities of the case—richness of real-world data and lived experiences—can help learners gain insights into a different world and can bring learning to life. The use of case study in this way has been around for about a hundred years or more. Case study use in educational research, meanwhile, emerged particularly strongly in the 1970s and 1980s in the United Kingdom and the United States as a means of harnessing the richness and depth of understanding of individuals, groups, and institutions; their beliefs and perceptions; their interactions; and their challenges and issues. Writers, such as Lawrence Stenhouse, advocated the use of case study as a form that teacher-researchers could use as they focused on the richness and intensity of their own practices. In addition, academic writers and postgraduate students embraced case study as a means of providing structure and depth to educational projects. However, as educational research has developed, so has debate on the quality and usefulness of case study as well as the problems surrounding the lack of generalizability when dealing with single or even multiple cases. The question of how to define and support case study work has formed the basis for innumerable books and discursive articles, starting with Robert Yin’s original book on case study ( Yin 1984 , cited under General Overview and Foundational Texts of the Late 20th Century ) to the myriad authors who attempt to bring something new to the realm of case study in educational research in the 21st century.

This section briefly considers the ways in which case study research has developed over the last forty to fifty years in educational research usage and reflects on whether the field has finally come of age, respected by creators and consumers of research. Case study has its roots in anthropological studies in which a strong ethnographic approach to the study of peoples and culture encouraged researchers to identify and investigate key individuals and groups by trying to understand the lived world of such people from their points of view. Although ethnography has emphasized the role of researcher as immersive and engaged with the lived world of participants via participant observation, evolving approaches to case study in education has been about the richness and depth of understanding that can be gained through involvement in the case by drawing on diverse perspectives and diverse forms of data collection. Embracing case study as a means of entering these lived worlds in educational research projects, was encouraged in the 1970s and 1980s by researchers, such as Lawrence Stenhouse, who provided a helpful impetus for case study work in education ( Stenhouse 1980 ). Stenhouse wrestled with the use of case study as ethnography because ethnographers traditionally had been unfamiliar with the peoples they were investigating, whereas educational researchers often worked in situations that were inherently familiar. Stenhouse also emphasized the need for evidence of rigorous processes and decisions in order to encourage robust practice and accountability to the wider field by allowing others to judge the quality of work through transparency of processes. Yin 1984 , the first book focused wholly on case study in research, gave a brief and basic outline of case study and associated practices. Various authors followed this approach, striving to engage more deeply in the significance of case study in the social sciences. Key among these are Merriam 1988 and Stake 1995 , along with Yin 1984 , who established powerful groundings for case study work. Additionally, evidence of the increasing popularity of case study can be found in a broad range of generic research methods texts, but these often do not have much scope for the extensive discussion of case study found in case study–specific books. Yin’s books and numerous editions provide a developing or evolving notion of case study with more detailed accounts of the possible purposes of case study, followed by Merriam 1988 and Stake 1995 who wrestled with alternative ways of looking at purposes and the positioning of case study within potential disciplinary modes. The authors referenced in this section are often characterized as the foundational authors on this subject and may have published various editions of their work, cited elsewhere in this article, based on their shifting ideas or emphases.

Merriam, S. B. 1988. Case study research in education: A qualitative approach . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

This is Merriam’s initial text on case study and is eminently accessible. The author establishes and reinforces various key features of case study; demonstrates support for positioning the case within a subject domain, e.g., psychology, sociology, etc.; and further shapes the case according to its purpose or intent.

Stake, R. E. 1995. The art of case study research . Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Stake is a very readable author, accessible and yet engaging with complex topics. The author establishes his key forms of case study: intrinsic, instrumental, and collective. Stake brings the reader through the process of conceptualizing the case, carrying it out, and analyzing the data. The author uses authentic examples to help readers understand and appreciate the nuances of an interpretive approach to case study.

Stenhouse, L. 1980. The study of samples and the study of cases. British Educational Research Journal 6:1–6.

DOI: 10.1080/0141192800060101

A key article in which Stenhouse sets out his stand on case study work. Those interested in the evolution of case study use in educational research should consider this article and the insights given.

Yin, R. K. 1984. Case Study Research: Design and Methods . Beverley Hills, CA: SAGE.

This preliminary text from Yin was very basic. However, it may be of interest in comparison with later books because Yin shows the ways in which case study as an approach or method in research has evolved in relation to detailed discussions of purpose, as well as the practicalities of working through the research process.

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Merriam, Sharan B., Case Study Research in Education: A Qualitative Approach . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1988.

Sharan B. Merriam

Discusses the planning and execution of case studies of the qualitative type.

• Broad Topical Focus

Curriculum Inquiry Guidelines

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Mode of Inquiry in the Study

Ethnographic Inquiry

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Knowledge Generation, Qualitative Research

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Case Study Research in Education: A Qualitative Approach 1st Edition

Merriam offers how-to advice for managing all phases of case study research -- from translating educational issues into specific research problems and collecting data to organizing the final case report. She provides strategies for analyzing information, suggestions for ensuring the validity of research findings, and more.

• ISBN-10 1555423590
• ISBN-13 978-1555423599
• Edition 1st
• Publisher Jossey-Bass
• Publication date April 8, 1991
• Language English
• Dimensions 0.75 x 6.25 x 9 inches
• Print length 248 pages
• See all details

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (April 8, 1991)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1555423590
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1555423599
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.1 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.75 x 6.25 x 9 inches
• #1,238 in Statistics (Books)
• #51,232 in Unknown
• #51,357 in Schools & Teaching (Books)

About the author

Sharan b. merriam.

Sharan B. Merriam is professor of adult education at the University of Georgia. She is the author, coauthor, or editor of numerous books, including Learning in Adulthood, The Profession and Practice of Adult Education, and Third Update on Adult Learning Theory.

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Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education

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S. B. Merriam

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,1998, 275 pages, (softcover)

Reviewed by Kathleen Manning University of Vermont

The debate concerning qualitative research methods as a bonafide means to generate knowledge has dwindled as faculty, graduate students, and administrators use observation, interviewing, and document analysis to determine policy, make decisions, and understand campus life. Following suit with these developments, student affairs is no stranger to qualitative theory making (Manning, 1992). Arthur Chickering (1969), Marcia Baxter Magolda (1992), and George Kuh and Associates (1991) used qualitative methods to generate theories about student development, epistemology, and campus culture. Qualitative research, in fact, serves as the foundation for many most fervently held student development theories.

While the debate about whether or not to use qualitative methods raged through the 1980s, the literature about those methodologies evolved unabated. Yvonna Lincoln and Egon Guba (Lincoln & Guba,1985; Guba& Lincoln,1981; 1989), Sharan Merriam (1988; 1998), and Bogdan and Biklen (1982; 1992) authored various texts and second editions continuing the evolution of qualitative methodologies and techniques.

In 1988, Sharan Merriam wrote a text called Case Study Research in Education: A qualitative approach. The book reviewed in this article, Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education, is billed as a "revised and expanded" version of her original text. Although this review was written without the benefit of reading the first edition, Merriam's second take on her 1988 textbook clearly reflects the development of qualitative research methodology.

In this review, I use a classic data analysis techni ue and discuss themes within Merriam's text. In thematic analysis researchers cull themes from the data to expose the interpretations grounded within those words. The themes discussed in this review include (a) process and dynamism, (b) clarity, (c) nuance, and (d) abandoning the debate. The review also points to areas of concern within the book, specifically (a) lingering positivism and (b) excessive detail, which interfere with its effectiveness. Lastly, suggestions for use of the text in classes, doctoral seminars, and institutional assessment efforts are offered.

THEMES OF THE TEXT

Process and Dynamism

While somewhat over-detailed at times, Merriam skillfully conveys the step by step process of qualitative research. Regardless of the scope of the research project, researchers must plan carefully,...

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• Corpus ID: 60728289

Case Study Research in Education : A Qualitative Approach

• Published 8 April 1991

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Understanding and improving consultation practice: the qualitative case study approach, education students learn about case studies and action research, case study method in human resource development: reviewing the research literature, the case study method in business.

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Case Study Research in Education: A Qualitative Approach. Merriam SB. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass Inc, Publishers, 1988, cloth, 226 pp, $22.95.

Shepard, Katherine F PhD, PT

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Merriam, S.B. (1988) Case Study Research in Education: A Qualitative Approach. Jossey-Bass, San Francis-co.

has been cited by the following article:

TITLE: Integration of Health Promotion into Nursing Practice: A Case Study in Pakistan

KEYWORDS: Health Promotion , Pakistan , Nursing , Integration

JOURNAL NAME: Open Journal of Nursing , Vol.6 No.1 , January 28, 2016

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to understand the concept of health promotion and perceptions related to the integration of health promotion in nursing practice in Pakistan. The study utilized the qualitative single case study approach to explore and describe the concept of health promotion, its significance and ways to integrate health promotion strategies in nursing practice. The data were collected from three different sources; focus group discussion among final year Post-RN BScN students, key informant interviews of practicing nurses, faculty, and MScN students, as well as a document review of the Post-RN BScN curriculum. Data analysis included a content and thematic analysis, yielding four major themes—”Health Promotion as Diverse”, “Health Promotion as Necessary”, “Health Promotion as Nursing Role”, and “Health Promotion as a Strategic Imperative”. Further, the findings highlighted the competencies, support mechanisms, and barriers which select nurses faced while integrating the health promotion strategies in practice.

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