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Case Study Research on Language Learning and Use

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2014

Patricia A. Duff
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Abstract

Case study research has played a very important role in applied linguistics since the field was established, particularly in studies of language teaching, learning, and use. The case in such studies generally has been a person (e.g., a teacher, learner, speaker, writer, or interlocutor) or a small number of individuals on their own or in a group (e.g., a family, a class, a work team, or a community of practice). The cases are normally studied in depth in order to provide an understanding of individuals’ experiences, issues, insights, developmental pathways, or performance within a particular linguistic, social, or educational context. Rather than discuss constructs, hypotheses, and findings in terms of statistical patterns or trends derived from a larger sample or survey of a population of language learners, as in some quantitative research, a qualitative case study of a person presents a contextualized human profile. Case study has contributed substantially to theory development, generating new perspectives or offering a refutation or refinement of earlier theories in applied linguistics by analyzing linguistic, cultural, and social phenomena associated with children, adolescents, young adults, and older adults.

In recent years, the purview of case studies in applied linguistics has expanded to include many previously underrepresented topics, linguistic situations, theoretical perspectives, and populations. This article provides an overview of some traditional areas of coverage and then newer foci in terms of methodology, thematic areas, and findings pertaining to language learners in transnational, multilingual, and diaspora contexts especially.

Type
Research Article
Information
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics , Volume 34 , March 2014 , pp. 233 - 255
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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References

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Duff, P. A. (2008a). Case study research in applied linguistics. New York, NY: Erlbaum/Taylor & Francis.

This book focuses on case studies in applied linguistics research dealing with language learners (since the volume is in a series on research methods in second language acquisition). Providing first an in-depth analysis and discussion of a Cambodian learner's English development, followed by a methodological overview of the history and development of case study research, the book then surveys representative L2 case studies across a wide range of topics, contexts, and age groups. Themes, issues, priorities, principles, and strategies for conducting and reporting on case studies in our field are identified.

Dyson, A. H., & Genishi, C. (2005). On the case: Approaches to language and literacy research. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

This very accessible book is part of a series of research methods texts commissioned by the U.S. National Conference on Research in Language and Literacy designed specifically for graduate students planning to undertake qualitative research in language and literacy education. Detailed examples reflect the authors’ own primary interests and extensive research in the social, cultural, and linguistic practice of literacy and its development in early childhood in elementary school classrooms in the United States. Principles and strategies are provided for framing and addressing research questions, negotiating access to research sites (and individuals), and generating, analyzing, and interpreting data. The final chapter deals with generalization in case studies. The book provides a solid foundation for those wishing to conduct school-based case studies on literacy.

Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods (5th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Now in its fifth edition some 30 years after its first publication, Yin's book has become a classic in interdisciplinary case study research. Its coverage extends well beyond education, with examples sprinkled throughout the book from sociology, comparative politics, health sciences, business and industry, and criminology. Appendices provide an in-depth discussion of case studies in psychology and evaluation. The book includes some welcome updates: additional case studies and reviews of new case study methodology studies and overviews, seven tutorials, a discussion of ethics, a glossary, and a better format and presentation than earlier editions. Yin, who earned his doctorate in experimental psychology, takes a decidedly more realist and positivist orientation to case study than Duff (2008a) and Dyson and Genishi (2005) do, thus readers will encounter much more terminology typically associated with quantitative research (e.g., reliability, validity, hypotheses, causal explanations, chains of evidence, and replication logic). It is nevertheless a helpful resource for many case study researchers and this edition includes more interpretive work.

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