Qualitative Multiple Case Study Research Articles

Exploring the influence of health system factors on adaptive capacity in diverse hospital teams in Norway: a multiple case study approach

ObjectivesUnderstanding flexibility and adaptive capacities in complex healthcare systems is a cornerstone of resilient healthcare. Health systems provide structures in the form of standards, rules and regulation to healthcare providers...

Improving pupil performance in rural Ghana basic schools: Principals' leadership challenges

This research used the multiple qualitative case study design, aiming to explore the leadership challenges of principals of basic schools in rural Ghana. Specifically, the study was to uncover the latent conditions frustrating the efforts of the principals to improve pupil performance and to explore leadership practices of school principals that could address the challenges and boost rural pupil performance. The study utilised multiple sources to obtain data from 33 participants accidentally selected. The study found that the principals could not do much to improve rural pupil performance because of ill-equipped learning environments, school indiscipline, ineffective instructional supervision, parents’ casual attitudes towards formal education, and mass promotion. The research revealed further that, to salvage the situation, the leaders needed to engage in practices such as vision-driven leadership, people-centered leadership, leadership based on resourcefulness, autonomous leadership, and decisive leadership. The significance of the study, both locally and internationally, was explored.

Designing Holistic and Multivoiced Online Learning: Higher Education Actors’ Pedagogical Decisions and Perspectives

Higher education has witnessed continuous growth in online learning, further catalysed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving forward, it is important to transition from remote teaching to sustainable, high-quality and mature online learning practices for impactful student learning. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative multiple case study research that investigated the pedagogical decisions and rationales of educators and digital learning professionals in deliberately designed online learning contexts. Data were collected through 31 interviews, observations and documents from seven interdisciplinary design teams across six UK universities over an extended period. Three themes were constructed to convey key research insights including: (1) embracing a multi-level view of student learning journeys, (2) embedding multiple and diverse ‘voices’ and (3) creating a complex web of social learning opportunities and ‘spaces’. The findings from this study offer a revitalised understanding of pedagogies suggesting holistic and multivoiced approaches to online learning. Findings pointed to the need for narrative-based approaches to online learning design, attention to purposeful hybrid learning spaces and an expansive view of educators’ role. The insights presented in this paper can be enlightening for educators, teaching teams, digital learning teams, academic developers, researchers and university leadership, opening up dialogue and new directions for online learning practices and research.

A Conceptual Paper in Developing Model of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems to Boost Graduate Entrepreneurs Through Longitudinal Study

High unemployment among university graduates in Malaysia is concerning. Factors contributing to the university ecosystem that support the creation of student and graduate entrepreneurs remain debatable. The OCDC Entrepreneurial Ecosystems framework is the reference for most universities, and evaluating the weaknesses and strengths in the ecosystem pillars at the university level allows for clarity on relevant variables. The main objective of this study is to reconsider the model in the context of Malaysian universities that will enhance student entrepreneurial growth to create jobs and generate income while lowering unemployment and improving GDP. The study will use a longitudinal qualitative multiple-case study approach through a focus group using semi-structured questions with three groups of participants. Samples will be selected using a purposeful random sampling technique. Two top management, three students involved in business while studying, and three entrepreneur alumni from UiTM, UPM, and USM will be interviewed since these universities were awarded the MOHE Entrepreneurial Awards. Data will be analyzed using thematic analysis via NVivo software. This study will contribute to implementing an entrepreneurial ecosystem model according to Malaysia's public university setting. Recommendations to the university and MOHE will be provided based on the findings to enhance students’ involvement in entrepreneurship while still at university. The government can improve on appropriate regulations in providing resources and budget based on this research findings so that the university can serve as an ‘incubator’ for driving university students to become job creators.

Participation in mainstream community groups by older United States adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A multiple case study

ABSTRACT Background Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities want to be included in all aspects of community life, but social inclusion continues to be very limited. Method We used a qualitative multiple case study to describe the experiences and perspectives of four older workers or retirees with intellectual and developmental disabilities aged 45 to 63 who each participated in a different socially inclusive community group. Results Three themes emerged: finding a good match; support for participation; and the outcomes of participating in a mainstream community group. A good match included both the group's activity and the people in the group. Support came from family, disability service provider staff, and the members of their group. The person's own attitudes and abilities also supported their participation. Inclusion in mainstream community groups led to a sense of belonging and other beneficial outcomes. Conclusions Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can successfully participate long term in mainstream community groups.

Dynamic Capability Framework for Indonesian School Adaptation in Unstable Public Policy Times

ABSTRACT This research endeavors to disclose the key organizational components of three selected schools and their responses to considerable public policy flux. It aims at integrating key aspects of learning from change situations into systemic approaches to the organizational design of schools in Indonesia. Using dynamic capability framework, this research delves into an overarching question of how Indonesian schools adjust its internal and external context to unstable public policy times. Using a qualitative multiple case study approach, this research gathered data through interviews and focus group discussions. The analysis is structured in three stages namely in case analysis, cross case analysis, and finding formulation. The findings suggested that the area of adaptation could be formulated within the following phases: a) questioning and understanding the situation; b) identifying and defining school identity to guide adjustment efforts; c) maximizing communication, network, and school resources; and d) insights into the school structure. The important actions implemented by the schools correspond with dimensions of dynamic capability namely sensing, seizing, and transforming. This study also highlights the significance of a particular approach to organizational design that features dynamic capabilities and substantive capability to help schools manage their resources to successfully adapt within unstable environmental periods.

‘LOOBAN’: A MULTIPLE-CASE STUDY ON DELINQUENCY OF TEENAGERS SHAPED BY DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES

Young people engage in delinquent behavior. It covers crimes against persons, crimes against things, crimes against public order, and drug offenses. Delinquent behavior is, therefore, an unmanageable activity that affects the community. This research presents the different experiences of three delinquent teenagers whose dysfunctional families shaped them in a community called “Sitio Looban” in the Philippines. This study utilized a qualitative multiple-case study to understand and describe the different stories of each participant-case. The study sought to answer the research questions about the family factors that contribute to the delinquency of teenagers, their delinquent experiences, and their feelings and thoughts as delinquent teenagers. The researchers used an in-depth interview to gather the necessary data from the informants. Within-case and cross-case analysis were used to analyze the data, wherein emerging themes were created to describe the family factors that contributed to the delinquency of the teenagers, which include broken family, poor parenting, home discord vis-à-vis peer influence, child neglect, poor family, and family binge drinking. Emerging themes were also created to discuss the delinquent experiences of teenagers, which involve theft, using counterfeit money, and gambling cheating. There were also emerging themes created to describe the feelings and thoughts of the delinquent teenagers, which include: unconditional love and support, happiness towards friendship, regrets, fear, embarrassment, and hatred and anger. This study supports the Strain Theory and Social Control Theory, which explain that negative relationships with family lead to delinquent behaviors in teenagers. Implications for practice and future researchers are provided in this paper.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0737/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Unveiling maker mindsets: a journey of formation and transformation through design thinking-making pedagogy within a lesson study context

Maker Education (ME) focuses on fostering students’ Maker Mindsets (MM). However, prevailing ME practices often lack a structured approach, that impedes the effective development of students’ MM. To address this challenge, a Design Thinking-making pedagogy (DTMP) is used to design ME lessons through a three-month Lesson Study (LS) cycle. Employing a qualitative multiple case study methodology, we studied the development and transformation of MM in three elementary school students. Diverse data were collected, including student artifacts, video recordings of teacher discussions, and audio recordings of the interviews. The findings revealed common cognitive, self-efficacy, and collaboration improvements among the three students. Unique changes in individual cognitive skills, motivational patterns, and obstacles to collaboration were also observed. Furthermore, key factors influencing MM development were identified across individual, social, and pedagogical dimensions. Individual factors included prior knowledge, maker skills, and motivation, whereas social factors included teachers’ attitudes, recognition, feedback, and peer collaboration. Pedagogical practices, such as project difficulty, structure, and authenticity, play a crucial role in MM development. This study not only contributes valuable insights into MM development, but also underscores the pivotal role of tailored, personal real-life experiences in ME pedagogy. Furthermore, our study suggests that teachers can enhance ME pedagogy by intentionally designing it to facilitate MM in students, using the LS approach.

The evolution of the trust relationship between the family and its external advisors throughout generations: A family business perspective

AbstractThis study delves into the evolving dynamics of the trust relationship between the family and its external advisors across generations in family firms, a crucial, yet underexplored topic in the family firm literature. Anchored in the resource‐based view, family firms leverage external advisors to compensate for internal resource deficits. Employing a qualitative multiple case study approach, our research unveils the nuanced evolution of trust between the family and these external advisors across generations. The findings reveal a distinctive trust evolution, transitioning from interpersonal trust in the first generation to a more sophisticated reliance on the advisor's competencies and trust in the processes of the advisor's firm in subsequent generations. This transformation in the trust relationship is marked by a shift from emotionally charged relationships to more business‐oriented relationships, openness becoming less self‐evident but more calculated, neutrality assuming importance where it was initially absent, and competence being subjected to critical assessment rather than presumed. With this, our study makes a notable contribution to the family firm literature by providing a dynamic perspective on the trust relationship between the family and its external advisors. It also addresses whether family firm decision makers prioritize interpersonal trust in the advisor over trust in competencies or the system, providing valuable insights for practitioners and scholars alike. Overall, this study enriches our understanding of the sustained and evolving nature of trust as a critical resource for competitive advantage in family firms.

Mathematics discourse in instruction during functions lessons in grade 10 rural classrooms

Despite the global significance of functions in mathematics education, there has been limited research on how South African rural teachers address specific mathematical concepts related to functions. This qualitative multiple case study, conducted within a post-structural paradigm, delved into the discourses of Grade 10 teachers during functions lessons in rural classrooms. The study focused on the teaching of mathematical concepts related to functions and involved five mathematics teachers from rural school sites in Acornhoek, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. These teachers were selected based on their experience in teaching mathematics. The research employed semi-structured interviews, unstructured classroom observations, and Video-Stimulated Recall Interviews with all five teachers. By narrowing the focus to one teacher's lesson, this paper analyses the presentation of functions concepts using the Mathematical Discourse in Instruction (MDI) framework. The study revealed that clear teaching materials and learner-engaging instructional methods enable meaningful engagement and concept internalisation. Through the visible use of the components of the MDI framework, the teacher successfully engaged learners, clarified misconceptions, and encouraged learners' participation, ultimately enhancing the coherence and understanding of mathematical concepts related to functions in the Grade 10 classroom.

Peace Linguistics in the Academic Community Through the Lens of English Language Teachers: A Multiple Case Study

This qualitative multiple case study delves into the English Language Teachers’ integration and assessment of peace linguistics in various pedagogical practices, focusing on the exploration of both violent and nonviolent terminologies expressed by students in classroom setting. Data collection involved in-depth interviews with five ELTs, triangulated to two additional teachers and five students. The data were thematically analyzed, revealing five essential themes for violent and nonviolent phraseologies and terminologies expressed by students such as: Moralistic Judgement expressions, cultural and religious expressions, positive and encouraging language, promotion of peaceful communication and teamwork, and the use of courteous language. Second, it uncovers five emergent themes in the incorporation of peace linguistics: promoting inclusive and peaceful language, cultivating a culture of peace through interactive pedagogy, incorporating culturally inclusive teaching materials, sustaining peace linguistics across the subject, collaborating efforts with peer teachers or experts. Third, it highlights four essential themes in gauging success in ELTS pedagogy: assessment of peaceful efficacy, peace pedagogy feedback methods, changes in students' behavior positively, and engagement in peace awareness professional development opportunities. The cases imply both similarities and differences in how ELTs incorporate peace linguistics into their classes and gauge their success, despite encountering both violent and nonviolent expressions among students.

Award-Winning Women Business Operators in Kandy District of Sri Lanka: Entrepreneurial Bricolage

Women entrepreneurship has been identified as a crucial factor in closing the gender gap in the labor market and women empowerment. However, there is a significant gender gap in the SME sector in Sri Lanka. Also, Literature supports that Sri Lankan women are living in a socially and economically constrained environment. In this study entrepreneurial bricolage has been used as a theoretical lens to understand the entrepreneurial actions of women business operators because bricolage links means and ends in a resource-constrained environment. Since women business operators in Sri Lanka are in a constrained environment and operating with limited resources, the main purpose of this study to understand how Award-winning women business operators have applied Bricolage approach in their entrepreneurship process. Qualitative multiple case study research design was used to achieve the research objectives. In-depth interview method was adopted as the main data collection method and 30 women awardees were selected by using the purposive sampling method. The findings illustrate that these women business operators have used the 'Bricolage' approach in the form of 'selective bricolage'. They have used it as a one-off practice to find solutions for problems and opportunities they faced in their businesses.

Always on par? How small- and medium-sized enterprises manage coopetition strategies to innovate with large firms

This article explores how entrepreneurial small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manage coopetition strategies to innovate with large firms. While coopetition offers opportunities for innovation and growth, asymmetries between SMEs and large firms can provoke unilateral actions, opportunistic tactics, and knowledge theft which can undermine SME innovation power and jeopardise coopetition success. Based on a qualitative multiple-case study of 25 coopetitive innovation projects, each involving an SME and a large firm, we find that SMEs manage these risks by pursuing a synergistic mix of three distinct coopetition strategies: (1) Co-distribution, (2) Technology licensing, and (3) R&D co-development. In each strategy, SMEs navigate different coopetition intensities by dynamically combining the principles of separation, integration, co-management and co-ownership to achieve specific innovation outcomes. Our findings suggest that SMEs shift between cooperation- and competition-dominant strategies and employ a mix of management principles to offset asymmetrical risks and maximise their innovation benefits from coopetition with large firms.

Relationship Between Proficiency in Kenyan Sign Language and Signed Exact English and Performance in English by Learners with Hearing Impairment

Students with Hearing Impairment (HI) encounter various challenges in learning due to their hearing loss, significantly impacting their academic performance, particularly in exams such as the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). This study aims to explore the correlation between proficiency in Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) and Signed Exact English (SEE) with English performance among HI learners. Conducted in four special secondary schools for the deaf in Kenya's Nyanza region, the study involved 48 participants, including 33 Form 3 students, 7 English teachers, 4 Curriculum Support Officers, and 4 School Principals. Utilizing a qualitative multiple case study design, the research employed purposive sampling to select schools, saturated sampling for English teachers, and stratified sampling for Form 3 students. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and document analysis. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, revealing that pre-lingual HI students, deaf before speech development, exhibit greater proficiency in KSL than SEE and Standard English (SE). Conversely, post-lingual HI students, deafened after speech acquisition, may struggle with KSL initially but tend to excel in SEE due to their prior speech development. Over time, post-lingual students may achieve proficiency in KSL after integrating into the Deaf community.

Field, Habitus and Capitals from Narratives of Unemployed Men with Families

This article proposes as a transversal axis the analysis of masculinity in unemployed men with families. The aim of this article is to analyse the connotations of field, habitus and capitals based on the narratives of unemployed men with families. In order to answer this question, an interpretative paradigm research with an exploratory multiple qualitative case study design with seven lower middle-class men from Bogotá, Colombia, is proposed. By means of a semi-structured biographical interview in which categorical analysis was carried out after axial coding. In the results, the hegemonic expectations of the male gender are recognised as explicit, which are linked to the ideal of well-being that cannot be fulfilled. Social class is dynamic, maintaining constructed fields and hegemonic gender habitus apprehended and stripped of symbolic capital. These conditions together reveal that masculinity is constructed on the basis of hegemonic expectations of what is expected of men within the social structure.  It generates tension to assume the change of the field, habitus and capitals at the moment of unemployment.

Teacher learning in Hong Kong: primary English language teachers’ cognitions about online teaching to survive or thrive during COVID-19

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore ESL teachers’ perceptions of online teaching during the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong. A qualitative multiple-case study approach was employed, focusing on the online teaching experiences of three teachers in primary school contexts. Through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, rich data were collected and analysed. The findings revealed five prominent challenges faced by the teachers, including inadequate infrastructure, limited technical support and training, classroom management issues, teachers’ limited technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) in ELT, students’ unreadiness and lack of parental support. The study also identified three opportunities arising from online teaching, such as changes in teachers’ attitudes and beliefs in technology, opportunities for teacher learning and experimenting with online teaching practice for pedagogical innovations. Despite the significant challenges encountered, the teachers perceived the online teaching experiences as opportunities to enhance their teaching competence with technology. This study has substantial implications, calling for strategic governmental measures to improve online learning in schools, highlighting the need to integrate technology-focused pedagogies into teacher education, revising outdated school curriculums to enhance students’ digital literacy, providing financial support for disadvantaged students, encouraging parental involvement in online learning and fostering collaborative professional learning communities to enhance English teachers’ TPACK.

Reported and Enacted Emergent Literacy Instruction: Understanding Young Students With Extensive Support and Complex Communication Needs, Opportunity to Learn

Literacy instruction has an important role in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) because spelling and writing support precise communication. Unfortunately, few students with extensive support needs and complex communication needs (ESN/CCN) develop literacy skills at or above the first grade reading-level. Given that learning to read and write begins with extensive emergent literacy learning opportunities, limited skills may result from insufficient opportunity to learn (OTL) emergent literacy skills. This study examined the instruction provided in early U.S. childhood classrooms to students with ESN/CCN to understand OTL during this critical period. This study used a concurrent embedded mixed methods design integrating a survey of teachers of students with ESN/CCN ( n = 26) with a qualitative multiple case study ( n = 2). Results suggest the time teachers are devoting to instruction is not translating into increased OTL for individual students. Solutions that may increase learning opportunities and implications for future research are discussed.

Exploring Norwegian homecare healthcare professionals’ perceptions of risk and the link to high-quality care: a qualitative multiple case study

ObjectivesHomecare is a critical component of the ongoing restructuring of healthcare worldwide, given the shift from institution- to home-based care. The homecare evidence base still contains significant gaps: There is...

How Norwegian homecare managers tackled COVID‐19 and displayed resilience‐in‐action: Multiple perspectives of frontline‐staff

AbstractA resilient healthcare system is key to responding to sudden crises, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Homecare services have been an important platform of healthcare delivery during the pandemic, and healthcare staff on the frontlines of homecare have been confronted with major challenges requiring adaptation to sustain high quality healthcare services. Managers' capacities to adapt to disruptions and challenges are important for an adequate response to challenges on the frontlines. To explore healthcare staff's perspectives on managers at different managerial levels (meso‐level) handling of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Norwegian homecare services. A qualitative multiple case study was designed including four cases. A case was defined as a homecare service within a Norwegian municipality (public organization). Data were collected through 16 interviews with healthcare staff. Interviews were conducted by using a semi‐structured interview guide. Healthcare staff reported their managers as proactive, prepared and responded quickly. Present and supportive managers that provided effective and targeted information, and involved staff in decision‐making were key to handling the pandemic in Norwegian homecare services. Our results underscore the interaction between healthcare staff and managers at different managerial levels as essential for quickly react, adapt, and resiliently respond to disruptions like the COVID‐19 pandemic. Organizations need to have the flexibility to interact across levels and encourage managers to apply strategies for collaboration and staff involvement, especially during a crisis.

Developing a Collaborative Approach to Support Access and Acceptability of Mental Health Care for Refugee Youth: An Exploratory Case Study with Young Afghan Refugees.

Despite an increased prevalence of psychiatric morbidity, minor refugees resettled in Western host societies are less likely to access mental health care services than their native peers. This study aims to explore how a collaborative approach can be implemented to promote access to specialized mental health care. Collaborative mental health care embeds specialized intervention in primary care settings and emphasizes the inclusion of minority cultural perspectives through an interdisciplinary, intersectoral network. In this study, we analyze how such a collaborative approach can support access to specialized mental health care for refugee youth. The study presents findings from a qualitative multiple-case study (n = 10 refugee patients), conducted in the setting of a psychiatric day program for young refugees that develops an intersectional, collaborative practice in supporting minor refugees' trajectory from referral to admission. Building on in-depth interviews, participant observation and case documents, within-case analysis and cross-case inductive thematic analysis identify the specific working mechanisms of a collaborative approach. The results indicate how this intersectoral approach addresses the interplay between traumatic suffering and both cultural and structural determinants of mental health. To conclude, a discussion identifies future research directions that may further strengthen the role of collaborative practice in promoting mental health care access for refugee youth.