Hi
There are even bigger, philosophical, problems here. If educational
research is usually highly situated and very difficult to generalise
from, it goes almost without saying that case studies are by definition
local and situated, and that extraction of any general guidelines is
next to impossible, or fraught with disaster through oversimplification.
However, the very practical nature of case studies makes them more
'useable' than 95% (perhaps even 99%) of soi-disant educational
research. But this utility is probably about a hint here, a tip there,
a suggestiveness that ends up becoming a part of tacit thinking for
those who read studies and mull them over in relation to their own
practice. Sometimes the best hints from studies are about what *not* to
do.
On occasion in the past, in the growing competitiveness of higher
education, I have been challenged by senior managers about publishing
'our secrets' through case studies or otherwise - essentially what we
have done that has at least partially if not wholly 'worked'. I have
usually replied that most people won't read it, those that do will find
it does not 'fit' their own situation, and even the very few who might
find something really useful will in almost all cases lack the power or
circumstances to implement. What probably happens is that readers
remember certain bits which are assimilated into their tacit approach,
and in the end they cannot identify precisely where they got particular
thoughts or ideas from, but nevertheless they have been influenced.
Sorry to be so pessimistic, but I suspect that even if you can codify
case studies in some way through standard templates, the problem of how
they are of use will remain as obtuse as at present - and inevitably so,
from a postmodern perspective.
This is not to say that case studies are no use - rather the contrary.
But instead of looking for some magic in the case studies, or how they
are presented, or compiled, or evidence of use, better to look at the
person reading the study, and how able they are to let case studies
stimulate their thinking about their own situation, rather than
slavishly copy someone elses's, and even more important, how empowered
they are to implement ideas. Surely that is the kind of dialogue that
David Baume has been having with case study people - there is really no
way of encapsulating that, all that tangled up but reasonable thinking
(most of which is left out in the writing-up with the aim of being clear
and logical). There are no short cuts.
Actually, I have found that having to review a collection of case
studies is one of the most stimulating things to do in terms of refining
one's own thinking. So this is my solution - lets not spend a lot of
time on the detail of compiling a collection, but lets commission
reviews from a large number of folk and publish the reviews as a part of
the book - the most important part! More people with their thinking
caps on rather than more research and studies. Its probably cheaper as
well. And if the reviews are good, you could probably even drop the
studies from the book!! ;-)
Chris O'Hagan
Professor Christopher O'Hagan
Learning Consultant
Directorate
University of Derby
Kedleston Road
Derby, DE22 1GB
England
Tel: 01332 591098
Fax: 01332 597731
"Check ears and other sensory equipment for socially induced
limitations."
Captain Beefheart.
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