Longitudinal Multiple Case Study Research Articles

‘Even (if) I choose the right answer, that goes wrong’

While studies on second language academic discourse socialization are increasing, how less academically prepared undergraduate multilingual students, such as RBSs, negotiate literacy challenges across the curriculum is still under-researched. As part of a larger qualitative study, which explored how three Bhutanese/Nepali youths negotiated the discursive, interactional, material and perceptual challenges they faced across their undergraduate curriculum in a US university, this article focuses on assessment-related textual challenges across the curriculum in a research university. Initiated as a teacher research-based study in an undergraduate ESL writing class, this longitudinal multiple-case study followed three RBSs for five years during their undergraduate study. While all three participants persistently struggled throughout their degree in various academic literacy events, they managed to graduate within five years because of various kinds of support they received. While there was no formal support tailored to RBSs at the university, this article illustrates how some literacy sponsors were able to create informal support mechanisms for these students. It also highlights how the most common literacy support at the university – that is, teaching of essayist literacies, was inadequate for preparing RBSs well in successfully negotiating academic literacy challenges.

Adopting, implementing and assimilating coproduced health and social care innovations involving structurally vulnerable populations: findings from a longitudinal, multiple case study design in Canada, Scotland and Sweden

BackgroundInnovations in coproduction are shaping public service reform in diverse contexts around the world. Although many innovations are local, others have expanded and evolved over time. We know very little, however, about the process of implementation and evolution of coproduction. The purpose of this study was to explore the adoption, implementation and assimilation of three approaches to the coproduction of public services with structurally vulnerable groups.MethodsWe conducted a 4 year longitudinal multiple case study (2019–2023) of three coproduced public service innovations involving vulnerable populations: ESTHER in Jönköping Region, Sweden involving people with multiple complex needs (Case 1); Making Recovery Real in Dundee, Scotland with people who have serious mental illness (Case 2); and Learning Centres in Manitoba, Canada (Case 3), also involving people with serious mental illness. Data sources included 14 interviews with strategic decision-makers and a document analysis to understand the history and contextual factors relating to each case. Three frameworks informed the case study protocol, semi-structured interview guides, data extraction, deductive coding and analysis: the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, the Diffusion of Innovation model and Lozeau’s Compatibility Gaps to understand assimilation.ResultsThe adoption of coproduction involving structurally vulnerable populations was a notable evolution of existing improvement efforts in Cases 1 and 3, while impetus by an external change agency, existing collaborative efforts among community organizations, and the opportunity to inform a new municipal mental health policy sparked adoption in Case 2. In all cases, coproduced innovation centred around a central philosophy that valued lived experience on an equal basis with professional knowledge in coproduction processes. This philosophical orientation offered flexibility and adaptability to local contexts, thereby facilitating implementation when compared with more defined programming. According to the informants, efforts to avoid co-optation risks were successful, resulting in the assimilation of new mindsets and coproduction processes, with examples of how this had led to transformative change.ConclusionsIn exploring innovations in coproduction with structurally vulnerable groups, our findings suggest several additional considerations when applying existing theoretical frameworks. These include the philosophical nature of the innovation, the need to study the evolution of the innovation itself as it emerges over time, greater attention to partnered processes as disruptors to existing power structures and an emphasis on driving transformational change in organizational cultures.

When heritage speakers study in their heritage countries

Abstract With a well-established bedrock of literature exploring the benefits of study abroad (SA) in second/foreign/additional language learning contexts (e.g., Anderson et al., 2006; Smith & Mitry, 2008; Williams, 2005), Spanish as a heritage language scholars have only recently begun to explore SA settings (e.g., Pozzi et al., 2021; Quan et al., 2018; Shively, 2018). This short-term longitudinal multiple case study examines the experiences of four Mexican American college students during a SA program in Mexico, their heritage country, and their interplay with their evolving identities. We draw from social identity theory concepts and tools (e.g., Bucholtz & Hall, 2005; Hogg & Abrams, 1988) to compare the students’ individual expectations, experiences, and outcomes of participating in the program. Data were collected using personal reflections and individual interviews at three stages (prior to, during, and after completing the program). Results reveal general positive experiences at the superficial level, with changes in each individual’s ethnic identification, supporting the need to further examine individual differences in future SA research. Finally, drawing from these findings, we make recommendations to prepare students, host families, and instructors to engage practices that will aid in SA program success.

Early-career employees sensemaking strategies in organizationally constrained workplaces: a longitudinal multiple-case study

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the sensemaking strategies employed by early-career employees working within organizationally constrained environments.Design/methodology/approachGrounded in the sensemaking-as-accomplishment framework, a longitudinal multi-case study was conducted, involving three early-career employees. These participants were interviewed multiple times concerning tasks they themselves identified as anomalous and ambiguous.FindingsThe study's findings illuminate how early-career employees utilize sensemaking strategies to accomplish anomalous-ambiguous tasks. These strategies are interwoven with deliberate efforts to mitigate organizational constraints that exist in the organization or arise during the execution of complex tasks.Research limitations/implicationsNotable limitation pertains to the time gap between task completion and the interviews. Conducting real-time interviews concurrently with task execution or immediately afterward was not feasible due to constraints in participant availability. This research has implications for organizational learning initiatives, particularly those encompassing employee-driven self-learning components. Insights derived from studies like this can inform the development of effective self-learning schemes within organizations.Originality/valuePrevious sensemaking research focused on what takes place in high-reliability organizations. This study explored sensemaking strategies in workplaces that are organizationally constrained.

The Perceived Meaning of Traumatic Brain Injury for Older Adults: A Longitudinal-Multiple Case Study.

The aim of this study was to explore the perceived meaning of traumatic brain injury (TBI) over the first-year postinjury among older adults and to explore if and how meaning changes. A longitudinal multiple-case study design was used. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were completed at 1 week and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postinjury. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Fifty-five interviews were conducted with 12 participants. Four themes were identified: gratitude, vulnerability and dependence, slowing down and being more careful, and a chance for reflecting on life. Most participants' perceptions of their TBI remained either consistently positive or negative over the first-year postinjury. Nurses should elicit and support patients' positive illness perceptions regarding their brain injury, which can contribute to a higher quality of life. For those patients with negative illness perceptions, nurses should provide resources in order to support coping and resilience following brain injury. This study is the first study to explore individual perceptions over time of the meaning made from experiencing TBI among older adults. Findings can serve as a foundation for tailored supportive interventions among older adults following TBI to maximize quality of life.

ISL-signing mothers' practices for boosting hearing-signing children's engagement in shared reading.

This longitudinal multiple-case study research focused on the scaffolding strategies that two Israeli deaf mothers use to boost their young hearing children's engagement in reading interactions. Despite being significant to language learning, few studies have examined the dialogic reading practices of deaf-signing mothers. The study shows that until the age of 22months, the mothers shared picture books with their children. Between the ages of 12 to 24months, the mothers used mostly low-demand cognitive prompts and responsive utterances. Between the ages of 24 to 36months, they used more high-demand prompts (including open-ended questions) and expanded their responses. In line with previous studies, this research demonstrated that the Israeli deaf mothers used the books as a foundation for storytelling and reading conversations. The shared reading provided the mothers with opportunities to model the construction of ISL narratives and language functional behaviors, such as asking questions, describing things or expanding on the text.

If You Want to Go Fast, Go Alone; If You Want to Go Far, Go Together. In Favor of a Partnership Approach to Directors of Incubators’ Dynamic Managerial Capabilities

On the cusp of the 2000s, the incubation industry had started to become competitive after 20 years of stability. The question of adapting incubators to this turbulent environment was now on the table. In this context, the aim of this article is to better understand the role of directors of incubators during the transformation process of their organizations. The concept of dynamic managerial capabilities is used as a means of responding to this gap. The capabilities of the directors of incubators were studied during a longitudinal multiple case study. The main contribution of this research is the partnership relationship built up by these actors to transform their organizations. The foundations of the directors’ dynamic managerial capabilities (cognition, human, and social capital) are then combined with the cognition, human, and social capital of their partners to seize opportunities: new incubation models that had been the subject of resistance to change within incubators.

B2B service sales on a digital multi-sided platform: Transformation from value chains to value networks

Business-to-business (B2B) service suppliers mobilize a platform approach to enhance their competitive advantage, service selling, and long-term relationships. These emerging platforms in established value chains have been insufficiently studied on a strategic level, especially regarding value orchestration. The aim of this article is to examine how digital multi-sided platforms (DMSPs) change platform owners' value chains toward joint value creation from a sales approach, including sales strategy, sales structure, and customer relationships. Our longitudinal multiple case study was conducted on four platform owners adopting a DMSP as part of their service selling. The findings show how the transition from value chain toward value orchestration in a network shifts the platform owner's focus to develop a common sales strategy with strategic network actors. The restructuring of sales with platform resources allows platform owners to manage larger networks with fewer resources and utilize enhanced interaction to create commitment in network relationships. We put forward three propositions and a framework to illustrate the interdependence of the value chain changes under examination. Additionally, this study offers various managerial implications for companies when utilizing platforms and provides avenues for further research.

A longitudinal multi-site evaluation of community-based partnerships: implications for researchers, funders, and communities

BackgroundInnovative Models Promoting Access to Care Transformation (IMPACT) was a five-year (2013–2018), Canadian-Australian research program that aimed to use a community-based partnership approach to transform primary health care (PHC) organizational structures to improve access to appropriate care for vulnerable populations. Local Innovation Partnerships (LIPs) were developed to support the IMPACT research program, and to be ongoing structures that would continue to drive local improvements to PHC.MethodsA longitudinal development-focused evaluation explored the overall approach to governance, relationships and processes of the LIPs in the IMPACT program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively selected participants including researchers with implementation roles and non-researchers who were members of LIPs at four time points: early in the development of the LIPs in 2014; during intervention development in 2015/2016; at the intervention implementation phase in 2017; and nearing completion of the research program in 2018. A hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis approach was used. A Guide developed to support the program was used as the framework for designing questions and analysing data using a qualitative descriptive method initially. A visual representation was developed and refined after each round of data collection to illustrate emerging themes around governance, processes and relationship building that were demonstrated by IMPACT LIPs. After all rounds of data collection, an overarching cross-case analysis of narrative summaries of each site was conducted.ResultsCommon components of the LIPs identified across all rounds of data collection related to governance structures, stakeholder relationships, collaborative processes, and contextual barriers. LIPs were seen primarily as a structure to support implementation of a research project rather than an ongoing multisectoral community-based partnership. LIPs had relationships with many and varied stakeholders although not necessarily in ways that reflected the intended purpose. Collaboration was valued, but multiple barriers impeded the ability of LIPs to enact real collaboration in daily operations over time. We learned that experience, history, and time matter, especially with respect to community-oriented collaborative skills, structures, and relationships.ConclusionsThis longitudinal multiple case study offers lessons and implications for researchers, funders, and potential stakeholders in community-based participatory research.

"In the back of my mind": A Longitudinal Multiple Case Study Analysis of Successful Black Women Biomedical Graduate Students Navigating Gendered Racism.

Black women in graduate school can experience stress due to blatant and subtle acts of gendered racism. However, we do not know how such stressors are navigated over time among those who successfully complete their PhDs. The current study used a Black feminist thought framework and narrative analysis to conduct a longitudinal exploration of how three successful Black women biomedical graduate students make sense of and respond to gendered racism they experienced and the coping strategies they employ as they persist. When interacting with others, the women experienced low expectations and doubts about being legitimate scientists. These experiences contributed to feelings of isolation, impacted their networking opportunities, and dampened their view of the desirability of an academic career postgraduation. Over time, their coping strategies for dealing with negative racial and gendered racial stereotypes and biases shifted from opting to "prove others wrong" or working harder, to leaning on their social networks for camaraderie and advice as well as choosing to not exert energy to form a response. Implications for mentoring and mentoring programs at the graduate level and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programming are discussed.

Liminality and developmental process of learning advantage of newness of early internationalizing firms

Extant internationalization studies have devoted limited attention to the dynamics of the learning advantage of newness (LAN), which we, in response, investigate through the process approach and the novel lens of the concept of liminality. We conduct a longitudinal multiple-case study of five Finnish internationalizing firms. We inductively derive a process model that shows how the underlying liminal factors, such as international opportunity scaffolding activities, learning from communitas, and rituals, contribute to the development of learning advantage of newness. Originating in anthropology, the liminality perspective offers a novel perspective on LAN of early internationalizing firms. We also provide directions for future research and recommendations for practitioners.

Unpacking the ‘process of sustaining’—identifying threats to sustainability and the strategies used to address them: a longitudinal multiple case study

BackgroundAlthough sustainability remains a recognised challenge for Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives, most available research continues to investigate sustainability at the end of implementation. As a result, the learning and continuous adjustments that shape sustainability outcomes are lost. With little understanding of the actions and processes that influence sustainability within QI initiatives, there is limited practical guidance and direction on how to enhance the sustainability of QI initiatives. This study aims to unpack the ‘process of sustaining’, by exploring threats to sustainability encountered throughout the implementation of QI Initiatives and identifying strategies used by QI teams to address these threats over time.MethodsA longitudinal multiple case study design was employed to follow 4 QI initiatives over a 3-year period. A standardised sustainability tool was used quarterly to collect perceptions of sustainability threats and actions throughout implementation. Interviews (n=38), observations (32.5 h), documentary analysis, and a focus group (n=10) were conducted to enable a greater understanding of how the process of sustaining is supported in practice. Data were analysed using the Consolidated Framework for Sustainability (CFS) to conduct thematic analysis.ResultsAnalysis identified five common threats to sustainability: workforce stability, improvement timelines, organisational priorities, capacity for improvement, and stakeholder support. Each of these threats impacted multiple sustainability constructs demonstrating the complexity of the issues encountered. In response to threats, 12 strategies to support the process of sustaining were identified under three themes: engagement (five strategies that promoted the development of relationships), integration (three strategies that supported initiatives to become embedded within local systems), and adaptation (four strategies that enhanced understanding of, and response to, emergent conditions and contextual needs).ConclusionsSustaining improvements from QI initiatives requires continuous investment in relationships, resilience to integrate improvements in local systems, and flexibility to understand emergent conditions. Findings provide practitioners, funders, and researchers with a better understanding of, and preparation for, the threats associated with sustaining improvements from QI initiatives and offer insight into specific actions that can be taken to mitigate these risks. This learning can be used to inform future initiative design and support, to optimise the sustainability of healthcare improvements.Trial registrationNot applicable

How do Teachers use Inquiry and Advocacy as Curriculum? A Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT Many initiatives aim to ensure students can access inquiry-based learning that positions them to address global problems such as climate change and economic inequality. However, in the U.S., curriculum that centers students’ positions as activists is rare, particularly in schools that serve marginalized students. In this study, inquiry and advocacy, two activist teaching frameworks, were employed in preservice elementary teacher education through the use of mentoring experiences. A longitudinal multiple case study, which relied on Cultural Historical Activity Theory, examined the appropriations of inquiry and advocacy made by teachers in their first two in-service years. Findings suggest that across activity settings, teachers adapted inquiry and advocacy by using key tools such as informational texts, by aligning their work with accepted initiatives and addressing state standards, and by cautiously choosing mentors. Findings suggests that researchers must increase their attention to preservice teacher typology and the different features of activity settings in studies evaluating the value of preservice learning. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.

Impact of a research-informed intervention on L2 teachers’ WCF cognitions and practices: A sociocultural perspective

Written corrective feedback (WCF) has continually comprised a vibrant line of inquiry in instructed second language acquisition. This body of research has however fallen short of pervading L2 teachers' pedagogical perceptions and practices. Against this background, the study reported here was an attempt to explore whether and how a WCF research-informed intervention delivered during an academic semester could modify L2 writing teachers' ingrained WCF-related cognitions and practices in both short and long terms. Informed by the sociocultural theory, this longitudinal multiple-case study entailed four L2 teachers' exposure to selective WCF articles while using reaction report forms and reflective discussions as primary mediational tools. Analyzing the data gleaned through reaction report forms, three rounds of interviews, and participants' WCF provision on sample essays supported the immediate and long-term efficacy of the intervention in genetic transformation of and reduced chasm between teachers’ cognitions and practices regarding WCF scope and type. The article concludes by proposing a four-level ecological systems model – comprising pre-scaffolded knowledge, obuchenie, prezhivanie, and regulated practice – to capture the multifaceted, individualistic, and situated nature of the intervention mechanism. Implications of the proposed model are also discussed.

How can entrepreneurs experience inform responsible health innovation policies? A longitudinal case study in Canada and Brazil.

To foster equity and make health systems economically and environmentally more sustainable, Responsible Innovation in Health (RIH) calls for policy changes advocated by mission-oriented innovation policies. These policies focus, however, on instruments to foster the supply of innovations and neglect health policies that affect their uptake. Our study's aim is to inform policies that can support RIH by gaining insights into RIH-oriented entrepreneurs' experience with the policies that influence both the supply of, and the demand for their innovations. We recruited 16 for-profit and not-for-profit organisations engaged in the production of RIH in Brazil and Canada in a longitudinal multiple case study. Our dataset includes three rounds of interviews (n=48), self-reported data, and fieldnotes. We performed qualitative thematic analyses to identify across-cases patterns. RIH-oriented entrepreneurs interact with supply side policies that support technology-led solutions because of their economic potential but that are misaligned with societal challenge-led solutions. They navigate demand side policies where market approval and physician incentives largely condition the uptake of technology-led solutions and where emerging policies bring some support to societal challenge-led solutions. Academic intermediaries that bridge supply and demand side policies may facilitate RIH, but our findings point to an overall lack of policy directionality that limits RIH. As mission-oriented innovation policies aim to steer innovation towards the tackling of societal challenges, they call for a major shift in the public sector's role. A comprehensive mission-oriented policy approach to RIH requires policy instruments that can align, orchestrate, and reconcile health priorities with a renewed understanding of innovation-led economic development.

Applying the Activity Theory framework to analyse the use of ePortfolios in an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Sciences classroom: A longitudinal multiple-case study

This longitudinal multiple-case study applies Activity Theory to analyse the integration of ePortfolio into an International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) Sciences classroom in Hong Kong SAR, China. Activity Theory was used as an analytical framework to examine eight IB MYP 2 students’ (aged 12–13) experiences of Google Sites over two academic years of face-to-face, online, and blended learning modes of teaching and learning. Two classes of 21 students were understood as one Activity System with the inclusion of ePortfolios (Tool) that affected multiple Elements. These include participating students (Subjects), classroom norms (Rules), peers and parents (Community), feedback tasks (Division of Labour), uploading and presenting digital artefacts (Object), and personal skills-based motivation (Outcomes). Qualitative data analysis of ePortfolio artefacts and semi-structured interviews at three stages of intervention revealed two secondary contradiction themes that might have impeded ePortfolio update consistency: 1) Tool-related (unawareness of Tool affordances and misplacement of resources) and 2) Community-related (unfamiliarity with Community members’ roles and conflicting feedback expectations). Recommendations (Tool-related affordances and recommendations and monthly timeline with Community roles) for ePortfolio implementation in MYP classrooms are outlined.

Anywhere in the World? The Internationalization of Small Entrepreneurial Ventures using a Social Media Platform.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11575-023-00510-8.

Engineered and emerged collaboration: vicious and virtuous cycles

Inter-organizational collaboration within the construction industry consists of both engineered and emerged aspects. Engineered formal practices and emerged informal practices interplay in their influence on the overall success of client-contractor collaboration. This interplay has been recognized but is still understudied and requires further research to increase the understanding of how the interplay functions. To enable the study of the emerged aspects of collaboration we applied a practice-based approach in a longitudinal multiple case study, including four projects for operation and maintenance of road infrastructure. This paper contributes to the literature on collaboration in construction by providing detailed examples of how the interplay between engineered and emerged collaboration may unfold, showing how formal and informal practices contribute to the development of vicious and virtuous cycles of collaboration. Furthermore, our findings indicate that a virtuous cycle of only informal practices can become a weakness if unexpected problems occur. Project managers should therefore be encouraged to implement formal collaboration, even if the project team is already in a virtuous cycle of informal collaboration.

The dynamics of entrepreneurial networking logics: evidence from United Kingdom high-tech start-ups

PurposeThis study aims to explore how entrepreneurial firms' networking logics may change under different types of perceived uncertainty. The arrival of new knowledge from the entrepreneurial firm's network may alter the perceived technology and market uncertainty that in turn determines how the firm adopts or combines the two opposing logics of causation and effectuation. Focusing on the roles of external advisors recruited by the firms, the study probes the details of the cyclical process and the mechanism through which networking logics are altered.Design/methodology/approachIn this study the authors conducted a 3-year longitudinal multiple case study of 12 United Kingdom (UK) high-tech start-ups from prefounding to A-round funding with 54 semistructured interviews and meeting observations.FindingsThe knowledge of external advisors with distinct experience often reshapes the entrepreneurial firm's perceptions of uncertainty, leading to logics change in network development. The authors identify two types of knowledge brought by external advisors and discover how these can influence three networking logic pathways under different levels of technology and market uncertainty.Originality/valueThe study is one of the first to map the paths of changing logics along with different types of uncertainty in the context of entrepreneurial network development. The study unpacks one of the key mechanisms of networking logic changes: the knowledge and expertise of those advisors recruited by the entrepreneurial firms. The process model of changing logics contributes to the effectuation literature and entrepreneurial network research.

Development of written L2 French: a longitudinal study of learners in the Norwegian school context

This paper presents a longitudinal multiple case study that focused on the development of the written interlanguage of four learners over their three years of learning French as a second language (L2) in upper secondary school in Norway. The development of macro-level syntactic complexity and the development of micro-level measures of accuracy in morphosyntactic features specific to written French were examined. In order to trace development of syntactic complexity, we used two well-established measures in the SLA literature: T-unit length and the number of dependent clauses per T-unit (Wolfe-Quintero et al., 1998; Verspoor et al., 2017), whereas the morphosyntactic features representing the basis for our analysis of accuracy were gender and number in the noun phrase in French. The results illustrated that the written French of all four learners clearly became more syntactically complex over the three years of the study. As regards the development at the morphosyntactic level, progress was less straight forward in the individual learners, and the developmental tendencies varied according to the nature of the features studied.