ABSTRACT
Comparative Case Studies: New Designs and Directions extends the comparative case study methodology established by Bartlett and Vavrus and employed in many areas of social research, especially in education.
This volume unites a diverse, international group of education scholars whose work exemplifies the affordances and constraints of the comparative case study (CCS) approach and offers new theoretical and empirical directions for researchers. In 11 engaging chapters, experts in comparative education, early childhood education, peace education, refugee education, special education, and teacher education discuss their use of the CCS approach to produce new ways of knowing and to address challenges of multi-scalar and multi-sited research. The first section, Conceptualizing Cases and Case Selection, emphasizes the importance of carefully selecting cases during different phases of research while continuously reflecting on how these choices influence the findings. The second section, Balancing Specificity and Generalizability, addresses the challenge of balancing the need for rich, deep data while including multiple sites. The third section, Enabling Processual Analysis across Sites and Scales, demonstrates the fit between the CCS approach and qualitative research that unfolds over time and space. Addressing the Transversal Axis, the fourth section, showcases research with a strong temporal dimension. The final section, New Directions, suggests inspiring and innovative methods.
Offering rich methodological examples and provocative discussion questions, this volume will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students in education and research design courses, and to scholars and policymakers in diverse fields seeking to design studies of complex phenomena at different sites and scales.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
section I|36 pages
Conceptualizing Cases and Case Selection
chapter 2|17 pages
Meeting the Needs of Refugee Learners
section II|34 pages
Balancing Specificity and Generalizability
chapter 3|16 pages
Language Policy and Early Grade Instruction in Nigeria
chapter 4|16 pages
The Promise of the Comparative Case Study Approach in Understanding Educational Program Design and Change
section III|36 pages
Enabling Processual Analysis across Sites and Scales
chapter 5|17 pages
Comparison as Analysis, Interview Technique, and Relational Ethic
chapter 6|17 pages
Special Education Policy and Practice Across Scales
section IV|35 pages
Addressing the Transversal Axis
chapter 7|16 pages
Beyond Permanence and Change
chapter 8|17 pages
The Evolving Discourses of Suzhi and Suzhi Education
section v|55 pages
New Directions