Putting the Case for the Case Study

This paper sets out to review the on-going case study debate. We do not aim to enter the qualitative/quantitative discussion, nor do we suggest that the case study is the ultimate or only form of research. We suggest that case studies should be used in conjunction with other forms of research. What is important is that the techniques selected are appropriate for any proposed research undertaking so that quantitative and qualitative strategies can meaningfully co-exist within the same research project.

We do, however, suggest that in certain sectors the case study approach is misunderstood and under-utilized. The focus of the paper is an objective discussion of a number of issues which have been raised about the case study strategy. The discussion does not assume that there is ‘one type’ of case study, rather it refers to the multitude of case study approaches which can be classified under the case study label.

In addition to a review of the case study debate and some research strategies associated with the approach, the paper discusses a number of pertinent issues which continue to generate much debate. The issues of procedure, a multi-method strategy, objectivity, generalizability and presentation are reviewed in relation to case study research.

The case study approach has weaknesses, and its share of critics, but has become an established and respected form of research. Issues involved in case study research still need to be considered as it becomes more accepted as a viable and insightful form of research.     

Publication by men and women with same-sex and cross-sex PhD supervision

The rates at which men and women published during and after PhD training in psychology were compared for samples experiencing same-sex and cross-sex supervision. When allowance was made for the research productivity and impact of the supervisor, women supervised by women published at similar rates to women supervised by men. Similarly, men supervised by men did not publish on average more often than men supervised by women. Further, there was no difference in mean publication rate between men and women who had completed their PhD degrees in the same university under supervision of the same advisor. Although the analyses provides no evidence that publication is more frequent following same-sex than cross-sex supervision, the possibility that supervision by an advisor of the same sex advantages graduates in other ways needs to be assessed.     

Moving Beyond the Lecture: Inspiring Social Justice Engagement through Counter-Story Using Case Study Pedagogy

Abstract

The paper examines participant perceptions of the effectiveness of using case studies with college students (undergraduate – doctoral) to teach social justice and educational equity. Findings indicate that participants who identified with the characters in the cases were able to draw connections between the case and their own personal experiences. They felt the cases broadened their understanding of the topics and increased their sense of empathy and their commitment to principles of social justice.     

The family as a developmental system: Impact on the career development of individuals with disabilities

Conclusions The current high rates of unemployment and underemployment of individuals with disabilities is evidence that traditional approaches to career development and transitions planning have not adequately met the needs of persons with disabilities. An individual's family and significant others have been recognized as having major impact on career development, although the ongoing dynamics of family influence on career development are not fully understood (Lopez & Andres, 1987). Currently, there is a lack of a conceptual framework to guide professionals in developing programs to utilize the family as a resource in the career development of individuals with disabilities. The developmental approach, as discussed in this article, is a sound basis for developing intervention strategies designed to assist the family and the individual to promote the career development of persons with disabilities.     

Gender,National Identity and the Royal (Argyll) Commission of Inquiry into Scottish Education (1864–1867)

Concern over the state of education in Scotland saw the Argyll Commission set up in 1864. Its reports revealed differences in the experience of schooling throughout Scotland as well as resistance to Anglicisation. Nevertheless, the influence of English attitudes is reflected throughout the reports. So too are the themes of social control and the interaction of class, gender and nationality. The Commission was not primarily concerned with gender issues, but it insisted that the ‘democratic’ tradition, which favoured the talented poor boy, should be safeguarded, while it was clear that the position of women in Scottish education would be profoundly affected by its outcome. The hope was that increased employment of schoolmistresses would not result in loss of the schoolmaster’s professional status. Rather, the former were to be enlisted in defence of the national education tradition against the encroachment of inferior English policies.     

Putting Making into High School Computer Science Classrooms: Promoting Equity in Teaching and Learning with Electronic Textiles in Exploring Computer Science

Recent discussions of making have focused on developing out-of-school makerspaces and activities to provide more equitable and enriching learning opportunities for youth. Yet school classrooms present a unique opportunity to help broaden access, diversify representation, and deepen participation in making. In turning to classrooms, we want to understand the crucial practices that teachers employ in broadening and deepening access to making. In this article, we investigate two high school teachers' approaches in implementing a novel eight-week, electronic textiles unit within the Exploring Computer Science curriculum, where students designed wearable electronic textile projects with microcontrollers, sensors, and LEDs. We share teachers' emergent practices in transforming their classrooms into makerspaces, including valuing student expertise and promoting connections in personalized work. We discuss the ways these practices succeeded in broadening access to making while deepening participation in computing and establishing home-school connections.     

Black Grandmothers in Multigenerational Households: Diversity in Family Structure and Parenting Involvement in the Woodlawn Community

We report here the frequency of black grandmothers' coresidence in households with first-grade children, their patterns of involvement in parenting, and the degree to which family structure and employment affected the grandmothers' parenting involvement in a 1966/1967 community-defined population. Coresidence between grandmothers and their target first-grade grandchildren was found in 10% of the households. The 130 grandmothers' parenting involvement was substantial, second only to mother involvement, and was characterized by 2 parenting activity patterns: control and punishment, and support and punishment. The degree of grandmothers' parenting involvement differed by family structure, with grandmothers in mother-absent homes most likely to be involved. Grandmothers' employment did not moderate their engagement in parenting behaviors. These findings are consistent with previous reports of significant parenting involvement by black extended family members.     

The development of children at familial risk for dyslexia: Birth to early school age

Children at risk for familial dyslexia (n = 107) and their controls (n = 93) have been followed from birth to school entry in the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal study of Dyslexia (JLD) on developmental factors linked to reading and dyslexia. At the point of school entry, the majority of the at-risk children displayed decoding ability that fell at least 1 SD below the mean of the control group. Measures of speech processing were the earliest indices to show both group differences in infancy and also significant predictive associations with reading acquisition. A number of measures of language, including phonological and morphological skill collected repeatedly from age three, revealed group differences and predictive correlations. Both the group differences and the predictive associations to later language and reading ability strengthened as a function of increasing age. The predictions, however, tend to be stronger and the spectrum of significant correlations wider in the at-risk group. These results are crucial to early identification and intervention of dyslexia in at-risk children.     

Young children's attitudes toward the disabled: A classroom intervention using children's literature

With the increasing inclusion of special needs children in regular classrooms, experiences which encourage positive attitudes toward the disabled are essential. The purpose of this project was: 1) to examine the thinking and attitudes of young children regarding the capabilities of disabled children and the potential for friendship and 2) to assess the effectiveness of children's literature and related activities in influencing attitudes toward the disabled. Results suggested that children's attitudes were generally positive and realistic regarding the capabilities and the potential for friendship with the disabled. The use of selected children's books and book related activities positively influenced children's attitudes.     

The Development of Gender Stereotype Components

Developmental research has been limited by a narrow concept of stereotypes. A more complex model is presented, and developmental changes in gender stereotypes were investigated using the new model. In 2 studies, children were told about several sex-unspecified children, each described as having 1 masculine or 1 feminine characteristic. The children then predicted the likelihood of each story child having other masculine and feminine characteristics. In Study 1, 56 children (4–6 years) were told about target children who liked either a masculine or feminine toy, and then children predicted the targets' interests in other toys. In Study 2, 76 older children (6, 8, 10 years) were told about target children with a masculine or feminine characteristic from 1 of 4 categories (appearance, personality, occupations, toys), and then they predicted the likelihood of targets having other masculine and feminine characteristics from the same and from different categories as the cue. 2 developmental trends emerged: ( a ) children appear first to learn associations among characteristics relevant to their own sex and, later, to learn them for the other sex, and ( b ) older children's stereotypic judgments are more extreme than those of younger children. The implications of these results for the development of stereotypes, assessing gender knowledge, and understanding social judgments are discussed.