Naturalistic Case Study Research Articles

Affective Uplift During Video Game Play: A Naturalistic Case Study

Affective Uplift During Video Game Play: A Naturalistic Case Study

Test, evidence, transition projects in Scotland: developing the evidence needed for transition of effective interventions in cancer care from innovation into mainstream practice

BackgroundA robust evidence base is required to assist healthcare commissioners and providers in selecting effective and sustainable approaches to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment. Such evidence can be difficult to build, given the fast-paced and highly pressured nature of healthcare delivery, the absence of incentives, and the presence of barriers in conducting pragmatic yet robust research evaluations. Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has played an active part in building the evidence base through its funding of programmes to identify, evaluate and scale-up innovative approaches across the UK. The aim of this paper is to describe and explain the research design and intended approach and activities for two cancer services improvement projects in Scotland funded by CRUK.MethodsA hybrid effectiveness-implementation study design will assess both the efficiency of the new pathways and their implementation strategies, with the aim of generating knowledge for scale-up. A range of implementation, service and clinical outcomes will be assessed as determined by the projects’ Theories of Change (ToCs). A naturalistic case study approach will enable in-depth exploration of context and process, and the collection and synthesis of data from multiple sources including routine datasets, patient and staff surveys, in-depth interviews and observational and other data. The evaluations are informed throughout by a patient/public representatives’ group, and by small group discussions with volunteer cancer patients.DiscussionOur approach has been designed to provide a holistic understanding of how (well) the improvement projects work (in relation to their anticipated outcomes), and how they interact with their wider contexts. The evaluations will help identify barriers, facilitators, and unanticipated consequences that can impact scalability, sustainability and spread. By opting for a pragmatic, participatory evaluation research design, we hope to inform strategies for scaling up successful innovations while addressing challenges in a targeted manner.

Amantadine in Treatment of Dysthymia-The Pilot Case Series Study.

Dysthymia is a common chronic mood disorder in which isolated symptoms of depression persist for at least 2 years. Despite the many medications recommended for the treatment of dysthymia, no recommendations have yet been made for the treatment of patients who fail to achieve clinical improvement. This justifies attempts to identify second-line drugs for the treatment of dysthymia. In an open and naturalistic case study, five patients diagnosed with dysthymia in whom at least one antidepressant treatment was ineffective were treated with amantadine. In the age- and gender-matched external control group, patients were treated with sertraline at 100 mg/day. Depressive symptoms were assessed using HDRS-17. Two men and three women were treated with 100 mg amantadine for 3 months with 3-5 months follow-up. After 1 month of treatment with amantadine, a significant reduction in the intensity of depressive symptoms was achieved in all patients, and the clinical improvement increased over the next 2 months of treatment. No deterioration in well-being was observed in any patient after discontinuation of amantadine. The effect of amantadine treatment was comparable to that of sertraline treatment in patients with dysthymia who improved with this drug. The present study indicates that amantadine is an effective and well-tolerated drug in the treatment of dysthymia. Amantadine may be associated with a quick improvement in symptoms in the treatment of dysthymia. Treatment with this drug seems to be associated with good tolerability and persistency of the therapeutic effect after the discontinuation of the treatment.

Identification of Prospective Chemistry Teachers’ Misconceptions When Practicing Basic Teaching Skills and Their Correction Through Cognitive Conflict Strategies

Chemical misconceptions occur in almost all topics. Identification of chemical misconceptions has been carried out on students, students and even teachers. Chemical concepts are interrelated, so misconceptions at the primary level have the potential to cause misconceptions in the next concept. This study aims to identify misconceptions held by prospective chemistry teachers practicing basic teaching skills and overcome them through cognitive conflict strategies. This research is a naturalistic case study with an interpretive paradigm framework. Research is carried out naturally (natural setting) following the ongoing lecture program. The research was conducted during the even semester of the 2021/2022 academic year with 32 meetings for two classes. The research participants comprised 25 students (2 classes) taking microteaching courses. As the main instrument, the researcher is a microteaching subject with more than ten years of teaching experience. Data were collected using observation and interview methods with a cognitive conflict strategy framework. The results showed many misconceptions, including ionic bonds, ionization, and the formula for determining the pH of a buffer solution. Four prospective chemistry teachers experienced this misconception when practicing basic teaching skills. The correction results showed that 3 out of 4 students managed to correct the misconceptions that had been experienced before. One misconception is resistants. Based on the study results, it is recommended that a teacher or instructor pay attention to the misconceptions that occur and immediately overcome them as soon as possible.

Improving pedagogical design in higher education: untangling the learning activity complexity through students’ declared performance


 
 
 Decision processes to improve pedagogical designs have been commonly based on the superficial comparison between learning design and students’ results. This article focuses on proposing other ways of analysing the learning experience in higher education by exploring the (1) “participant’s declared performance” (PDP) as a collection of complex data, as well as (2) the qualitative visual network analysis (VNA), as a sustainable technique, to be used for untangling the learning activity. For this purpose, a mixed-method naturalistic case study of a pre-service teacher training course in a Spanish university, run by one professor and with the participation of 58 students, is presented. Materials collected included course design documentation regarding tasks and performance roles, students’ blog posts and satisfaction questionnaires. Findings demonstrate that the joint analysis of various elements – including PDP and VNA – shows the correspondence between learning design and student’s experiences. It also highlights prominent design aspects and weaknesses and provides insights for improving the learning design in future course editions. The reflection on PDP and VNA’s use is an opportunity to provide, feasibly and sustainably, qualitative information for educators to research their pedagogical practices.
 
 

Alpha oscillations related to self-other integration and distinction during live orchestral performance: A naturalistic case study.

Ensemble music performance requires musicians to achieve precise interpersonal coordination while maintaining autonomous control over their own actions. To do so, musicians dynamically shift between integrating other performers' actions into their own action plans and maintaining a distinction between their own and others' actions. Research in laboratory settings has shown that this dynamic process of self-other integration and distinction is indexed by sensorimotor alpha oscillations. The purpose of the current descriptive case study was to examine oscillations related to self-other integration and distinction in a naturalistic performance context. We measured alpha activity from four violinists during a concert hall performance of a 60-musician orchestra. We selected a musical piece from the orchestra's repertoire and, before analyzing alpha activity, performed a score analysis to divide the piece into sections that were expected to strongly promote self-other integration and distinction. In line with previous laboratory findings, performers showed suppressed and enhanced alpha activity during musical sections that promoted self-other integration and distinction, respectively. The current study thus provides preliminary evidence that findings from carefully controlled laboratory experiments generalize to complex real-world performance. Its findings also suggest directions for future research and potential applications of interest to musicians, music educators, and music therapists.

Children’s judgments of interventions against norm violations: COVID-19 as a naturalistic case study

The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant influence on social interactions, introducing novel social norms such as mask-wearing and social distancing to protect people’s health. Because these norms and associated practices are completely novel, it is unknown how children assess what kinds of interventions are appropriate under what circumstances and what principles they draw on in their decisions. We investigated children’s reasoning about interventions against individuals who failed to adhere to COVID-19 norms. In this pre-registered study (N = 128), 4- to 7-year-olds heard stories about a norm violator, that is, a person who refuses to wear a mask in class (COVID condition) or wear indoor shoes in class when his or her shoes are muddy (Muddy Shoes condition). Children evaluated four different interventions—giving a mask/indoor shoes (Giving), preventing the person from entering (Exclusion), throwing a paper ball at the person (Throwing), and not intervening (Doing Nothing)—in terms of their rightness, niceness, and effectiveness. We found that across measures children evaluated Giving most positively, whereas they viewed Throwing most negatively. Doing Nothing and Exclusion received mixed evaluations across measures, revealing nuanced judgments of these interventions in children. In most measures, there was no difference between the COVID and Muddy Shoes conditions, suggesting that children’s evaluations are not specific to the novel COVID-19 context. Together, our results show that children dynamically evaluate each intervention, taking multiple factors into account. The current study has implications for the development of interventions against norm violations.

Natural sciences teachers’ continuous professional development through a Community of Practice

Years of research on teacher quality indicate that the quality and effectiveness of teachers have a significant influence on learner achievements. The quality of teachers and their teaching practice is widely debated where quality may depend on the teacher having acquired sound and relevant knowledge and skills to ensure effective teaching. The continuous professional development of teachers is a key element in ensuring the required quality in teaching to enhance learners’ achievements. Utilising Wenger’s construct of a Community of Practice (CoP) as theoretical framework, with the investigation reported on here, we aimed to understand how natural sciences teachers, from a specific rural school district in the Western Cape province, South Africa, experienced a CoP as a continuing professional teacher development (CPTD) strategy. This investigation was informed by a naturalistic case study method where open-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observations were utilised for data generation during CoP sessions. Thematic data-analysis revealed themes (words/phrases) for interpretation and discussion. Preliminary findings highlighted some emerging characteristics that influenced the effective operation of a CoP and suggested that participants acknowledged the importance of a CoP, indicating that their natural sciences knowledge and skills had notably increased. We argue that emerging CoP characteristics can assist in the advancement of motivation, effectiveness and professional development of natural sciences teachers in rural areas, affording quality teachers and teaching practices.

Family group conferences for suicidal adolescents: Promising results from naturalistic case study research

Can thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, risk factors for suicidal adolescents, be turned around by family group conferences? In this case study on Nick, a 17-year-old who undertook six suicide attempts, we (including Nick) share insights and learning opportunities on how family group conferences can be used. The thematic analysis suggests that family group conferences might be a promising intervention for suicidal adolescents. For Nick, the conference was a turning point in his life, correcting perceptions of being a burden, pushing back passiveness, and boosting connection with and support from the broad social network.

Exploring dissonance in the use of (lecture) capture technologies: institutional approaches and the realities of student engagement

ABSTRACT The published literature on lecture capture technologies is often conflicting and sometimes controversial. A common thread among many studies is the impact of recorded lectures on student satisfaction, attendance and performance; however, many of these studies fail to acknowledge the wider context and the many and varied ways in which capture technologies are being used by educators. This research applies a naturalistic case study methodology, combining a quantitative analysis of capture technologies system analytics for content recorded during 2017/2018 with an investigative enquiry to identify factors which may contribute to higher ratios of recording:viewing. The findings show a correlation between average session length and recording:viewing ratios, indicating that students are more likely to engage with shorter recordings. The data also demonstrate lower levels of engagement with traditional lecture capture content and greater engagement with content that is directly linked to other learning tasks such as skills development and assessment.

Project-based learning in a computer modelling course

The paper reports authors’ experience of implementing educational projects in a computer modelling course offered to the students majoring in “Secondary Education (Computer Science)” at Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University. We analyze approaches to teaching mathematical and computer modelling such as: integration of modelling tasks, naturalistic case study, using of role-playing games, possibilities of STEM-education, motivation and positive attitude to modelling training, etc. Then we illustrate the implementation of the project to study the population dynamics of the grape snail Helix pomatia. The implementation of the project splits into several stages: formulation of the problem, presentation of project tasks, brainstorming, development, testing, presentation of results. The study was conducted at Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University within the Norwegian-Ukrainian Project “Development of students' mathematical competencies through Digital Mathematical Modelling” (DeDiMaMo) in partnership with the University of Agder (Norway) and Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University.

Desenvolvimento profissional docente em tempos de neoliberalismo acadêmico: o que pensam professores enfermeiros

ABSTRACT Starting from the premise that the professional development of teachers has a profound relationship with the exercise of teaching, a naturalistic case study was carried out, which aimed to analyze the perception of nursing professors working in a Nursing course at a Public University, on the aspects that involve the professional development of teachers and the exercise of teaching. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview, with approval by the Research Ethics Committee. 30 teachers participated. It was found that the nurse professors understand the primary function of the public university as a social institution, they consent to their contemporary hegemonic function as a social organization, and perceive its physical structure as a contributing element to the professional development of teachers. It was understood that the professional development of nursing professors in a university has an influence on the exercise of teaching.

Learner engagement with automated feedback, peer feedback and teacher feedback in an online EFL writing context

Research on different feedback sources and their impact on second or foreign language writing have proliferated in the past two decades. However, the way learners engage with multiple feedback sources and the driving force behind their feedback uptake decisions over time in online writing contexts still remain under-examined. This naturalistic case study addresses the gap by looking at how five Chinese learners of English engaged with automated, peer and teacher feedback in an online EFL writing course over a 17-week semester. Textual and interview data indicated a dynamic and reciprocal engagement of learners with different sources of feedback, mediated by a range of individual and contextual factors having interactively influenced learners’ decision-making in feedback uptake.

Student engagement with automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) provided by Grammarly: A multiple case study

Abstract Despite the increased use of automated writing evaluation (AWE) systems and similar programs for assessment purposes in second language (L2) writing classrooms, research on student engagement with automated feedback is scarce. This naturalistic case study explored two ESL college students’ engagement with automated written corrective feedback (AWCF) provided by Grammarly when revising a final draft. Following previous research, student engagement was operationalized using three interconnected dimensions: behavioral, cognitive, and affective. Behavioral engagement was explored through the analysis of QuickTime-based screencasts of students’ Grammarly usage. Cognitive and affective engagement were measured through the analysis of students’ comments during stimulated recall of the aforementioned screencasts and semi-structured interview. Findings suggest that students had different levels of engagement with AWCF. One showed greater cognitive engagement through his questioning of AWCF. However, he did little to verify the accuracy of feedback which resulted in moderate changes to his draft. The other’s overreliance on AWCF indicated more limited cognitive engagement which led to feedback’s blind acceptance. Nevertheless, this also resulted in moderate changes to her draft.

The personal motif in naturalistic case study research: developing “innerstandings” in woman’s compulsive behaviour

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this article is to show case study research focused on persons as a case and our personal engagement with the case can improve our innerstandings and understanding of person-centred care. Method: We present the methodology and epistemology of naturalistic case study research and illuminate this approach with the case study of Ellen, a young, Dutch, white-middle class woman with a compulsive disorder. We combine naturalistic case study research with the personal narratives of those involved in the research, including ourselves, and interpreted through a feminist and gender lens. Results: The case study research enhanced the personal and mutual understanding of all involved, including the researchers. Feminist and gender theory revealed the hidden personal motif for the choice of the case, and led to a re-viewing of the original story, offering a re-storying. Conclusion: We conclude that the personal motif as well as the use of our personal experiences to understand the case deserve more attention in case study research to address the complex interplay of social and intrapsychic dimensions, and develop more in-depth innerstandings for all engaged.

Infrastructure Revisited: An Ethnographic Case Study of how Health Information Infrastructure Shapes and Constrains Technological Innovation.

BackgroundStar defined infrastructure as something other things “run on”; it consists mainly of “boring things.” Building on her classic 1999 paper, and acknowledging contemporary developments in technologies, services, and systems, we developed a new theorization of health information infrastructure with five defining characteristics: (1) a material scaffolding, backgrounded when working and foregrounded upon breakdown; (2) embedded, relational, and emergent; (3) collectively learned, known, and practiced (through technologically-supported cooperative work and organizational routines); (4) patchworked (incrementally built and fixed) and path-dependent (influenced by technical and socio-cultural legacies); and (5) institutionally supported and sustained (eg, embodying standards negotiated and overseen by regulatory and professional bodies).ObjectiveOur theoretical objective was, in a health care context, to explore what information infrastructure is and how it shapes, supports, and constrains technological innovation. Our empirical objective was to examine the challenges of implementing and scaling up video consultation services.MethodsIn this naturalistic case study, we collected a total of 450 hours of ethnographic observations, over 100 interviews, and about 100 local and national documents over 54 months. Sensitized by the characteristics of infrastructure, we sought examples of infrastructural challenges that had slowed implementation and scale-up. We arranged data thematically to gain familiarity before undertaking an analysis informed by strong structuration, neo-institutional, and social practice theories, together with elements taken from the actor-network theory.ResultsWe documented scale-up challenges at three different sites in our original case study, all of which relate to “boring things”: the selection of a platform to support video-mediated consultations, the replacement of desktop computers with virtual desktop infrastructure profiles, and problems with call quality. In a fourth subcase, configuration issues with licensed video-conferencing software limited the spread of the innovation to another UK site. In all four subcases, several features of infrastructure were evident, including: (1) intricacy and lack of dependability of the installed base; (2) interdependencies of technologies, processes, and routines, such that a fix for one problem generated problems elsewhere in the system; (3) the inertia of established routines; (4) the constraining (and, occasionally, enabling) effect of legacy systems; and (5) delays and conflicts relating to clinical quality and safety standards.ConclusionsInnovators and change agents who wish to introduce new technologies in health services and systems should: (1) attend to materiality (eg, expect bugs and breakdowns, and prioritize basic dependability over advanced functionality); (2) take a systemic and relational view of technologies (versus as an isolated tool or function); (3) remember that technology-supported work is cooperative and embedded in organizational routines, which are further embedded in other routines; (4) innovate incrementally, taking account of technological and socio-cultural legacies; (5) consider standards but also where these standards come from and what priorities and interests they represent; and (6) seek to create leeway for these standards to be adapted to different local conditions.

Handball Goalkeeper Intuitive Decision-Making: A Naturalistic Case Study.

Goalkeepers hold a key position for success in team sports competitions. They perform in dynamical contexts and are highly submitted to time pressure. The purpose of this naturalistic case study, therefore, was to explore how a handball expert goalkeeper deals with the uncertainty of the competition settings to make successful decisions. An individual self-confrontation interview was held with a goalkeeper while he watched duels with potential throwers in an official competition. A mixed method was used combining the first-person and third-person point of view. Verbal data were supplemented by observational data (distance measures between the goalkeeper and the potential thrower) in 83 short accounts of decision-making situations. Qualitative analysis resulted in 419 units of salient features, in three types of processes related to the Recognition-Primed Decision model, and in four micro-decisions. Non-parametrical statistical analysis indicated that there was a significant effect of distances between the potential thrower and the goalkeeper, on the micro-decision categories, but not on the recognition processes. These results provide insights into cognitive contents and processes an expert goalkeeper can use under uncertainty and time pressure. The mixed method furnishes a meaningful description and a subsequent understanding of expert performances in sport.

Lessons from Lithuania: Teacher beliefs and behaviors in teaching young children to sing

The purpose of this naturalistic case study was to uncover beliefs and behaviors of successful teachers who produced excellent children’s singing in Lithuania. The research questions guiding the study were: What particular beliefs did music teachers hold about their ability to teach children to sing and the necessary components to teach children good singing? What specific behaviors did music teachers exhibit and embrace in public and singing school music classes to achieve good singing that is accurate, tuneful, resonant, expressive, and in head voice? In this naturalistic case study, data from informants ( N =18) consisted of interviews ( n = 12) and observations in their classrooms ( n = 22) and concerts ( n =7) in an urban area in a city in Lithuania. The conceptual framework underpinning the study was supported by the data, relating to their beliefs and behaviors about their knowledge and skill in teaching, their use of a variety of teaching strategies, and their use of highly sequenced literature. Of most importance was that they emphatically lived their beliefs in order to achieve success with children’s singing. Implications are offered that relate to music teacher preparation.

Beginner’s mind and the middle years mathematics student

ABSTRACTThe Zen concept of beginner's mind describes how one's level of awareness can open one's mind to growth and possibilities, an attitude that would be beneficial for many mathematics students. In this naturalistic case study, two small groups of middle years students engage in the same mathematical task, one group demonstrating the characteristics of beginner's mind and the other not. One group focuses on making sure that all its members can follow the steps of one member's proposed solution. The other group, which displays characteristics of beginner's mind, explores the task thoroughly, and in its openness to ideas it notices mathematically salient details in the task that the first group overlooks completely. This paper suggests that through beginner's mind, students may develop habits of mind that enable them to attend to and think about mathematical possibilities deeply.

Recycling Stories: Mantras, Communication, and Organizational Materialization

Religious non-governmental organizations (RNGOs) are becoming powerful organizational actors, but how are these organizations enacted through the communicative practices of their members? To address this question, this article offers a conceptual framework for investigating how the terse retelling of an inspirational organizational story, encapsulated in a mantra, contributes to materializing a Buddhist NGO’s ethos and worldview. The value of this framework is subsequently demonstrated through an in-depth naturalistic case study of a mantra’s constitutive force in the enactment of a large international Buddhist NGO that is increasingly focused on environmental protection. By showing how a mantra acts as a textualization, substantiation, and invocation device in mass, social media, and face-to-face communication, this study makes important contributions to the literature on the intersection between religion and organization as well as the communicative constitution of organizations.