70 Mann

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Chapter 5

Case Study Researchand Online Learning:

Types, Typologies, andThesis Research

Bruce L. MannMemorial University, Canada

Learning Objectives

1. Summarize, in your own words, the idea that the term “case study” is both a typeof research, and a format for conducting other types of research.

2. List the general aims of the case study method.3. Identify sources of case study research on the Web.4. Distinguish between a “qualitative case study” and a “quantitative case study.”5. Describe the identifying characteristics of qualitative and quantitative Web-based

case studies.6. Demonstrate the procedure for conducting qualitative and quantitative Web-

based case studies.

Abstract

As a research methodology, case study is very popular among researchers doinginvestigations of Internet-supported teaching and learning. This chapter will discussconsiderations for conducting case study research in online and blended (on-site andonline) learning environments.

Case Study Research and Online Learning 71

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Case Study Research:What It Is, and Isn’t

Case Study as a Type of Research

Case study research is at once a type of research, and a format for conducting research.As a new researcher to online teaching and learning you’ll want to characterize your casestudy in accordance with Robert Stake’s typology of case study research, to define thesize and general aims of their case study, particularly if it is qualitative case studyresearch (Stake, 1994, 1995):• Intrinsic case study. The aim of an intrinsic case study is in understanding the

particulars of the case. An example of an intrinsic case study is provided in Chapter6.

• Instrumental case study. The aim of an instrumental case study is to understandsomething more general than the case—“something more general”, but nothinggeneralizable to other contexts. A case study is not a smaller version of anexperiment.

• Collective case study. The aim in a collective case study to combine multiple casesinto a single study. An example of a collective case study an be found in Chapter8.

Numerical representations of data does not an experiment make. Nevertheless someresearchers still do. How often have you heard or read the statement, “A recent casestudy that showed...” at which time the person generalizes to another situation? Be onyou guard about this kind of talk. As a type of research, case study research is by andlarge situational, and not generalizable to other situations. Findings from a case studycan not and should not be generalized to other situations. Case study research is a goodchoice when participants are scarce. You can still report the findings numerically, say asraw scores, percentiles or frequencies.

Finding a Purpose forCase Study Research

Around about the same time that you are trying to decide on what type of case studyresearch to conduct, you will also be thinking about the real purpose or motive behindyour study. Sometimes you really need to depict a typical occurrence or reoccurringphenomenon and conceptualize it in a “thick description” (Gall et al., 2003, p. 439). Increating the thick descriptions, you’ll look for constructs that bring some order to yourdescription and relate it to findings reported in previous studies. Since most Web-basededucational research still deals with unseen learners working on at a distance, your

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