Becoming A More Critical, Autonomous, Reflective Learner

PRILHE Project - Lecturer’s Toolkit
3.6 Use of Case Studies
Case studies, as a teaching approach, actively engage students in the learning process. Importantly they are a useful tool for
helping students to understand theoretical and conceptual issues in an applied situation. Fry et al (1999) define case studies (as
used in higher education teaching) as ‘complex examples which give an insight into the context of a problem as well as topics that
demonstrate theoretical concepts in an applied setting’ (quoted by Davis & Wilcock, 2006 www.materials.ac.uk/guides/
casestudies.asp) According to Mustoe and Croft (1999) the use of case studies in teaching increases the motivation and interest of
students.
Davis & Wilcock (2006: 2) maintain that case studies:
•
• encourage active learning
•
•
allow the application of theoretical concepts to be demonstrated, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice
provide an opportunity for the development of key skills such as communication, group working and problem solving
increase the students’ enjoyment of the topic and hence their desire to learn.
Non-traditional mature students often like to have a practical reference point or context in which to make sense of theory. Relating
back directly to personal experience can be productive but it also raises problems about how this experience should be used (see
3.7). For example, some students can become trapped in their own experience to the extent that they do not question their
underlying assumptions and cannot see other perspectives clearly.
In this context, the use of ethnographic case studies can be a fruitful approach, more particularly in the social sciences. It helps to
give students a practical context in which to develop their ideas but avoids being focused exclusively on one particular experience.
It also helps students to get different perspectives on key issues.
I think trying to get people to find material which is close to them, in some ways in their experience and yet perhaps
challenges some of their assumptions – it’s no good just representing another point of view in the abstract or from a
long way away. In the Sociology of work for instance there’s a whole range of quite rich ethnographic case studies. I
think these can be very fruitful for mature students to engage with. They’re entrenched as it were. It’s very
difficult for them to stepback. An obvious truism is that mature students vary tremendously in both their areas of
interest and their abilities. Engaging with their experience is not all straightforward and positive.
(Lecturer, UK)
Using Case Studies in Research: a German example
Students in the Department of Education at Goettingen University have the opportunity to attend a one-year practical training in
research as part of their studies. In the first part of the practical training the students work out theoretical interrelations between
different research methods (with emphasis on qualitative, in particular ethnographic research methods) in collaboration with the
lecturers in charge. This is reached by lectures, reading and discussing texts and group work on chosen subjects. Experiences
made in similar courses show that this kind of preparation meets the demands of these students that wish to have a
methodological toolbox before they go into the field; besides this it conveys the necessary theoretical basics.
Many students feel insecure about doing research on their own for the first time. This insecurity consists of the fear not to know
enough in the sense of “factual knowledge” (and knowing facts is still demanded at the university, so it is students’ reality that
must not be ignored) or a general insecurity about giving research a try and not fulfilling scientific demands.
32
Becoming A More Critical, Autonomous, Reflective Learner