Single Case Study Design Research Articles

‘I do the peer review by myself’

In response to increasing interest in Vygotskian sociocultural theory in second-language learning (Lantolf and Thorne, 2006; Swain, Kinnear, and Steinman, 2015) and the call for understanding language-learning processes in relation to contexts surrounding individuals (e.g., Polio and Williams, 2009; Ferris and Hedgcock, 2014), this study adopts a sociocultural approach – more specifically, an activity theory (Leont’ev, 1981) framework – to explore an undergraduate student’s approach to L2 writing in a preparatory writing course. Using a single case study design (Duff, 2014), I investigated how a student from China learned to write academic papers that met the academic norms in an English as a second language (ESL) writing class in an American university. Specifically, I analyzed how his writing activity aligned with his instructor’s proposed approach to a writing task. Through the analysis of course materials, the participant’s written work, observations, email communications, and interviews, I tracked how his agency (Bhowmik, 2016; Casanave, 2012; Lee, 2008; Saenkhum, 2016) as a writer developed over his first semester in the ESL program. Findings indicate that while the participant did not follow the operations assigned by the instructor, he acted strategically to accomplish selected parts of his writing assignments. His mediated actions were driven by his goals and motives that were understood from within his social and cultural environments, and interacted with each other in a dynamic and constructive manner. Overall, the study underscores the need for flexible approaches to writing instruction and the usefulness of employing activity theory as a framework in studying L2 writing processes.

Effects of Coaching and Data-based Feedback on Teacher Implementation of Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT)

Supporting language skills for children who evidence delays in preschool is an important area of focus for school-age reading outcomes. Two preschool teachers were trained to implement a play-based language intervention, Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT), with children from low-income households with delayed language skills. A multiple-baseline single case design study was implemented to measure the effects of coaching and data-based feedback on teachers’ use of EMT practices. One teacher reached criterion levels on all three behaviors, while the second was unable to reach criterion levels on all behaviors due to absences and the end of the school year. Teachers’ use of EMT strategies generalized to lesser extents to uncoached sessions.

Sustainable Tourism Development in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan

Sustainability is regarded as a critical goal in tourism planning and development. Boracay Island has faced challenges and deterioration as a result of rapid growth in tourism without proper planning and management, leading to its six-month temporary closure on May 8, 2018. Through qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, this paper aims to investigate the sustainable tourism development of Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan. Yin's data analysis and procedures were used to create a single case study design. Data was gathered and analyzed using interviews, observations, and data reviews. The study included twenty (20) key informants who were chosen at random. The study's conclusive report yields benefits and costs in three areas: first, economic characteristics of tourism benefit communities and improve the island's economy. However, the island's high cost of living rises, causing inflation. Second, in terms of the environment, its natural resources have been harmed in part by members of the local immigrant and business populations, but they will recover as a result of the recent national and local government efforts to restore the island's ecology. Third, in terms of social structure, improved infrastructure such as good housing and roads create better living conditions for residents. Nonetheless, tourists' influence on the social culture of Boracay Island's young residents is enthralling. The study's output is a theory on sustainable tourism development that will help future research on similar topics and improve the socio-economic quality of life.

Impact of informal learning environments on STEM education—Views of elementary students and their parents

AbstractThis single case study design examines the impact of collaborative inquiry‐ and design‐based learning on elementary students enrolled in the STEM summer camp program. Sixty‐five students participated in a two‐week summer camp that offered a curriculum centered on (a) coding; (b) STEM arts; (c) 3D printing; and (d) digital storytelling. Data is primarily collected through follow‐up interviews with students and their parents; and complemented with student’s journals, daily progress reports, and post‐camp surveys for both parents and students. The findings indicate that students enjoyed STEM camp as the activities were collaborative and hands‐on. Findings also indicated summer learning experience could act as a platform to engage students in STEM activities and promote integrated learning of different content areas. On the other hand, the results from parental data suggested that their purpose of enrolling children in a STEM camp is to provide them sustained exposure to the STEM curriculum and engage them in real‐world applications.

Developing a quality assurance identity in a university: a grounded theory approach

Purpose The purpose of this study is to demonstrate in the context of quality assurance (QA), how stakeholders define quality education and its connections to maximize value for the stakeholder using a grounded theory approach. Design/methodology/approach A four-stage research design using grounded theory methodology was used to develop and elicit a theory, after which a single-case study design with embedded coding and analysis was used to examine the QA – Maximize Value for stakeholder’s relationships. The sample consisted of 16 participants who had visibility over the entire QA – Maximize Value relationship, were knowledgeable, willing to participate and had between 4 and 12 years’ higher education experience. The data was collected through focus, elite groups and in-depth interviews based on the participants’ perspectives of their experiences. The collected data was subjected to content analysis. The following research questions focused on: definition of QA, the definition of quality education and stakeholders’ expectations for the education setting. Findings The study identified 10 categories that drive the QA – Maximize Value for stakeholder relationships in higher education settings. The categories are, namely, the definition of QA; definition of quality management; value for governing council; value for lecturers and staff; value for students; value for employers; value for government; definition of quality education; continuous improvement; and QA in universities. The main findings of the research related to “how” and “why” QA create value for stakeholders. The results of the study indicate that the governing council representatives’ (key stakeholders) expected value creation through improved management and proper education policy. The expected value creation for lecturers and university staff included career advancement, good working conditions of service, remuneration and the excellent performance of students. The paper finds that QA in higher education is contingent on senior management commitment to the strategic decision on overall objectives, management of the facility, financial and human resources, which are geared toward ensuring effective teaching, student learning and value maximization for all stakeholders. Research limitations/implications The limitation of the study is that the major stakeholders considered were all from universities. Other stakeholders such as employers from the industry and other sectors should be included in a future study. Practical implications Based on the study findings, two major implications for training of senior management, deans and heads of departments in the concepts of QA to maximize value for all stakeholders; and the QA system selected for the university must be “fit for purpose” were drawn, leading to recommendations for future practice. These findings can help universities to develop strategies that improve educational quality and maximize value for all stakeholders. The authors suggested some propositions that can be examined in-depth in future research endeavors so as to enhance the understanding of the predictors of QA in education and the expectations of different stakeholders. Originality/value The originality of the study lies in the perspective of experienced participants who had visibility over the entire QA –Maximize Value relationship and were knowledgeable. Based on the use of the grounded theory approach and the view of major stakeholders used in this research, the findings emphasize the stakeholders’ – driven definition of quality education that focuses on value maximization for all stakeholders. This is different from the majority of the existing definitions in the quality literature that are primarily standard-driven, focusing on meeting a pre-defined set of standards, specifications, requirements and are set internally or externally. The approach provides an opportunity to increase the credibility and rigor of grounded theory research.

Unravelling the makings for entrepreneurial success: A case study of the Maponya business in South Africa

Background: The achievement of local entrepreneurial success in South Africa is projected to reduce widespread unemployment in the townships, enhance the general buying power and upraise the overall productivity and living standards of poor South Africans. However, most entrepreneurial ventures do not survive for long, and remarkably the number of self-established, privately owned and long-standing businesses amongst black South Africans is very few.Aim: To investigate the factors that have led to the success and longevity of the Maponya business case.Setting: This research focused on a privately owned, self-initiated black South African successful business, which has been in existence for at least six decades.Methods: A qualitative research approach of a descriptive and explanatory single case study design was utilised using data from a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic and content analysis were used in the data analysis process.Results and findings: It was found that the Maponya business case is a family-controlled type of business. The success and longevity of the Maponya business case are attributable to the closeness of members within the Maponya family or clan. Access to membership is well controlled and requires adherence to a set of values based on one another to prosper in business.Conclusion: The documented findings can serve as a template for understanding the operationalisation of management techniques and leadership principles for entrepreneurial success and longevity in business for black South Africans and illuminate business prowess for the Southern African region and the entire African continent.

Progress, but at the Expense of Male Power? Institutional Resistance to Gender Equality in an Irish University.

Gender equality is a whole-organization endeavor. Building on Agócs (Journal of Business Ethics, 1997, 16 (9), 917–931) concept of institutionalized resistance this article undertakes a feminist critique of policy and practice around internal promotions to the equivalent of Associate Professor level in one Irish university (called the Case Study University). This university was selected because of its low proportion of women in senior academic positions. The methodology is a single case study design, employing documentary analysis, including secondary data. Since 2013 the proportion of women at Associate Professor in the Case Study University increased significantly (bringing them close to the national average): this being associated with increased transparency, with the cascade model in the background. However, men’s “chances” have varied little over time and at 1:4 are the highest in Irish universities. This article uses Agócs (Journal of Business Ethics, 1997, 16 (9), 917–931) stages of institutional resistance to show that while some changes have been made, ongoing institutionalized resistance is reflected in its failure to accept responsibility for change as reflected in its refusal to challenge the “core mission” and restricting the focus to “fixing the women”; and its failure to implement change by focusing on “busy-ness” which does not challenge power and colluding with foot-dragging and slippage in key areas. It is suggested that such institutional resistance reflects the enactment of hidden or stealth power. The article implicitly raises questions about the intractability and the covertness of men’s power and privilege and the conditions under which women’s “chances” are allowed to improve, thus providing insights into the extent and nature of institutional resistance.

Teaching from the heart: exploring beginner teachers’ attitudinal knowledge

This article provides insight into the knowledge held by Zimbabwean Ordinary Level beginner teachers who teach Literature in English. An extant of research output on ESL focuses on curriculum, subject, learner, and pedagogical content knowledge of linguistic content, with limited, if any, focus on knowledge of Literature in English. To address this gap, this study employed a qualitative single case study design to gather data on the knowledge held by four purposively selected beginner teachers. In the context of this study, beginner teachers were college trained English teachers who had been in the profession for less than four years. The study was underpinned by social constructivism and current literature on experiential teacher knowledge. The study established as a novel finding that beginner teachers held attitudinal knowledge. Additionally, the findings affirmed that beginner teachers’ knowledge was a multiple-sourced construct that was fluid, idiosyncratic, attitudinal, pragmatic, and contextual. The study recommends that teacher preparation institutions consider the findings as basis for student teacher training programmes that foster connections between personal and experiential sources of knowledge construction.

Teaching Students to Solve Subtraction Problems Online via the Virtual-Representational-Abstract Instructional Sequence

ABSTRACT Research exists on mathematical interventions to support elementary students experiencing mathematical difficulties, yet little examines the provision of such interventions within an online learning environment. This study explored the online delivery of the virtual-representational-abstract (VRA) instructional sequence, taught via explicit instruction, coupled with the system of least prompts (SLP) to three elementary students with mathematics difficulties. From this single case design study, researchers determined the VRA instructional sequence with the SLP was effective for three elementary students with mathematical difficulties in terms of accuracy in solving double-digit subtraction with regrouping problems. Further, the students were relatively independent in solving the problems. The results of this study hold implications for the online delivery of effective mathematical interventions to struggling elementary students.

Living in a care home during COVID-19: a case study of one person living with dementia

Purpose This paper aims to understand the lived experience of a person living with dementia in a care home during the COVID-19 pandemic. It responds to the absence in research of the voices of people with dementia living in care homes during the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a single case study design applied thematic analysis to semi-structured interview data to discover the experiences of one person living with dementia in a care home during a period of lockdown. Findings Five themes reveal how the participant responded to the practical and emotional challenges of the pandemic: autonomy; fears; keeping connected; keeping safe and other people living with dementia. These themes highlight the participant’s ability to adapt, accept and dispute lockdown restrictions, revealing considerable insight into their situation. Research limitations/implications The pandemic has restricted access to care homes, which informed the single case study design. This approach to the research may restrict the generalisability of the findings. Other researchers are encouraged to include the voices of people with dementia living in care homes in further studies. Practical implications Implications for practice, presented in this paper, promote quality psychosocial approaches when health-care workers engage with people living with dementia during periods of restricted activity. Originality/value Unlike other studies about the impact of the pandemic on care homes, this paper explores the experience of the pandemic in care homes from the perspective of a person living with dementia.

The Perceptions of English Teachers, at a selected Combined School in Erongo Region, on their readiness to conduct online teaching during the COVID19 lockdown in Namibia

The Ministry of Education, Arts and culture, proposed learning at K-12 as the solution for continuing education during the CoVID19 pandemic lockdown period across Namibia (March/April 2020). Due to the haste in implementation e-learning at schools by teachers, researchers sought to get a glimpse of the perceptions and self-efficacy of English subject teachers one their readiness to conduct online teaching. This single case study design involved English teachers at a selected combined school in the Erongo region. The open-ended questionnaire results focussed on teacher e-readiness, management support, school culture and school and community infrastructure and student and parent preparedness. The study findings are clear that teachers were not opposed to teaching online, however, they were very aware of the issues and limitations that would make it challenging. Challenges included not only their own ICT literacy skills and the connectivity issues, but recognising the lack of self-directed learning from their learners.

The Role of Continuous Professional Development in Improving Secondary School Teachers’ Teaching and Learning Competencies to Deliver Quality Education in Ethiopia: A Case of Secondary School

The main purpose of this study was to understand the role of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in improving secondary school teachers’ teaching and learning competencies at Basso Preparatory and Secondary School (BPSS). In so doing, single case study design was employed, and the participants of the study were teachers, principals, supervisor and CPD coordinator of the school and experts at district and Zonal levels, and the data sources were CPD framework and toolkit, portfolio module, teachers’ CPD plans and portfolios. The data collection methods were questionnaire, interview and document analysis, and the data collected were analysed. The result depicted that CPD has improved the teaching competencies of some teachers whereas there are some teachers who have problems in their teaching methods, assessment and evaluation, and subject area knowledge. Besides, the findings from the document analysis disclosed that there are also gaps in the framework and toolkit not to including all the expected teaching and learning competencies in line with the current literature. The portfolio module was not also well conceptualized. This implies that CPD is not playing its best role to developing teachers’ teaching and learning competencies as a whole to deliver quality education at BPSS, and implications for the stakeholders at different levels were forwarded.

Perspectives on waiting times in an antenatal clinic: A case study in the Western Cape.

BackgroundAntenatal care (ANC) is vital in reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Globally, 85% of women had one ANC visit with a skilled birth attendant and only 58% received the recommended four ANC visits. Long waiting times (LWTs) in the antenatal clinic affects the utilisation of the service. Long waiting times are viewed as a significant barrier to ANC utilisation and needs further investigation.AimThe aim of this study was to explore and describe the contextual realities within the antenatal clinic that influenced waiting times (WTs).SettingThis study was conducted in an antenatal clinic, within a Midwife Obstetric Unit (MOU), Western Cape, South Africa.MethodsThis study utilised a qualitative methodology with a single case study design with three embedded units of analysis. Purposive sampling was used to recruit the participants. Data were collected through unstructured observation and semi-structured interviews with pregnant women and midwives. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using the framework method.ResultsThe antenatal clinics had LWTs. The barriers to WTs were related to staff factors, patient factors, operational factors, communication, equipment and infrastructure and other research participant recruitment.ConclusionThe factors that influenced WTs are multifaceted and interrelated. Many of the factors influencing the WTs could be remedied by implementing appropriate workflow strategies, improving communication and increasing equipment availability. The findings can be used to develop waiting time guidelines and improve WTs in the antenatal clinic.

Students’ Negotiations Of Meaning In Their Speaking Performances In An Indonesian University EFL Classroom

This article reveals how students negotiate meanings in their speaking performances in an Indonesian university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom and effects of the students’ negotiations of meaning on their speaking performances in the EFL classroom. Employing a single-case study design, the research leading to the findings was conducted in an EFL classroom at a state university in Makassar, Indonesia. The data were obtained through classroom observation. The findings disclose that in their speaking performances in the EFL classroom, the students performed negotiations of meaning through request for message clarification, repetition, confirmation, elaboration and simplification and the negotiations of meaning used by the students mostly interacted with each other as adjacency pairs. Indisputably, those findings suggest that negotiations of meaning are essentially communicative tools that enable EFL students, particularly those with still low level of English, to build and maintain interactive communications among them.

Modifying Tradition: Understanding Organizational Change in Chinese Elite Sport Training at the Grassroots Level

This research examines the organizational change in Chinese elite sport training at the grassroots level, which is perceived as foundational to and crucial for the development of sustainable competitive advantage at the Olympics. Predicted on an in-depth single case study design linked to qualitative research, this study pursued a “thick description” of the process of change in Shanghai elite sport training by identifying the impetus for change and factors moderating the change process. All qualitative data were sourced from semi-structured interviews and official and semi-official documents. Participants included current sport leaders; officials/administrators; senior, including head and non-head, coaches; and renowned Chinese social science scholars who either specialize in or are familiar with the elite sport training scene in general and the landscape at the grassroots level. The key findings, on the basis of organizational change theory, were that the internal and external political pressures are strongly linked to the growing concern about athlete performance management, the alignment of elite sport training with the sport service industry, and limited financial resources; the functional pressures emerge from the broadening of the talent pool of money-consuming sports and newly added Olympic sports; and other fields’ successful practices, the unlimited registration rule, and a virtuous cycle of training contribute to organizational change.

Chapter 3: Waking up Woke: Exploring Black Female Youth Critical Consciousness and Sociopolitical Development

Background/Context Critical consciousness (CC) is an awareness and reflection of inequities, political efficacy, and agency in response to injustice. Similarly, sociopolitical development (SPD) is the process of developing a critical understanding, skill set, and emotional depth to enact individual agency against oppressive forces. Of the latter, SPD is vital in empowering youth from traditionally marginalized communities to challenge inequities. However, SPD has largely remained absent from U.S. classrooms. Purpose/Objective/ Research Question/Focus of Study Considering the absence of SPD in U.S. classrooms, this case study explores the SPD of Black female preservice teachers and their Black female high school mentees in a two-year tutoring and mentoring school-based program. Our study captures the woke pedagogical experiences that advanced participants’ co-constructed CC. As such, we seek to describe student exemplars of what it means to be awakened and stay woke through an analysis of interviews, journal reflections, and video data. To this end, the research question that guided this study was: What are the perspectives of Black female youth as they co-construct CC toward SPD in a two-year tutoring and mentoring school-based program? Research Design Through the lenses of critical race feminism and woke pedagogies, this study used a single case study design. Case study is appropriate for this study because it highlights the particularity and complexities of one unit of analysis. Findings Our findings capture the perspectives of Black female youth as they cultivate CC toward sociopolitical development in one educational initiative geared toward partnering undergraduate and high school students. An examination of data through the lens of critical race feminism and woke pedagogies spotlighted the perspectives of our participants as they co-constructed CC through woke pedagogical experiences. Mentors deepened their CC on race, and mentees gained heightened awareness of gendered and racialized school procedures and policies. Black girls in this study woke up (CC) and stayed woke through their activism (SPD). Conclusions In sharing the perspectives of Black female youth as they cultivated SPD, it is our intention that the critical approach and experiences that we have described capture the methods and strategies that one educational initiative implemented to empower and promote agency among Black female students. As an example of woke pedagogy, this educational initiative offered Black girls at the intersection of race, gender, and class an opportunity to critically question their world and become aware of racial and social injustices impacting their everyday lives and community.

Power and rent-seeking on boards: a case study of national sport federations in India

ABSTRACT Rent-seeking refers to the activities of individuals or groups who act to increase their personal benefits at the expense of organizations or wider society. Due to the inherently damaging nature of rent-seeking and its prevalence on some sport boards, there is a need for researchers to examine how it emerges and persists. The purpose of this study is to investigate how power influences the rent-seeking activities of board members in Indian national sport federations. An embedded single case study design is adopted. Drawing on a four-dimensional model of power, the research finds that board members source and use the power of resources, the power of processes and the power of meaning to fuel their rent-seeking activities. The findings show that these three forms of power have a mutually reinforcing effect, while the power of the system creates the context in which the other dimensions are used. The findings offer new insight into how board members, motivated by personal gain, ensure that suboptimal organizational governance structures are preserved in sport. This study contributes theoretically by illuminating how different dimensions of power interact in rent-seeking processes. Practical recommendations are outlined for stakeholders who want to overcome rent-seeking.

A Priori Justification for Effect Measures in Single-Case Experimental Designs.

Due to the complex nature of single-case experimental design data, numerous effect measures are available to quantify and evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention. An inappropriate choice of the effect measure can result in a misrepresentation of the intervention effectiveness and this can have far-reaching implications for theory, practice, and policymaking. As guidelines for reporting appropriate justification for selecting an effect measure are missing, the first aim is to identify the relevant dimensions for effect measure selection and justification prior to data gathering. The second aim is to use these dimensions to construct a user-friendly flowchart or decision tree guiding applied researchers in this process. The use of the flowchart is illustrated in the context of a preregistered protocol. This is the first study that attempts to propose reporting guidelines to justify the effect measure choice, before collecting the data, to avoid selective reporting of the largest quantifications of an effect. A proper justification, less prone to confirmation bias, and transparent and explicit reporting can enhance the credibility of the single-case design study findings.

Teacher-Directed Collaborative Action Research as a Mediating Tool for Professional Learning in Rural Contexts

Through a single-case study design, the research study described in this article examined one rural Canadian school division’s use of teacher-directed collaborative action research as a mediating tool for teacher learning within a professional development (PD) initiative known as the Numeracy Cohort. The PD initiative brought together a dozen K-12 teachers from across a very small (but geographically distanced) school division in Manitoba, Canada. In addition to learning about several strategies for teaching mathematics and improving student numeracy skills, the teachers in the Numeracy Cohort engaged in collaborative action research projects, designing materials and implementing new strategies in their unique, often multi-grade, rural classrooms. In addition to the changes and improvements noticed by teachers through their collaborative action research, findings from the study illustrated several strengths of teacher-directed collaborative action research, including the autonomy it afforded teachers to engage in work directly related to their classroom contexts, its ability to foster collaboration between colleagues, and its ability to build connections across schools within a diverse rural context. Findings from the study also suggested that consideration should be given to both ways of supporting the action research process, and the complexities of leadership in rural settings if teacher-directed collaborative action research is to be used as a mediating tool for learning.

Organizing as negotiation: the construction of a pathway in Norwegian mental health services

BackgroundIn 2015, a decision was made to implement clinical pathways in Norwegian mental health services. The idea was to construct pathways similar to those used in cancer treatment. These pathways are based on diagnosis and evidence-based medicine and have strict timeframes for the different procedures. The purpose of this article is to provide a thorough examination of the formulation of the pathway “mental illness, adults” in Norwegian mental health services. In recent decades, much research has examined the implementations and outcomes of different mental health sector reforms and services in Western societies. However, there has been a lack of research on the process and creation of these reforms and/or services, particularly how they emerge as constructs in the contexts of policy, profession and practice.MethodsA qualitative single case study design was employed. A text and document analysis was performed in which 52 articles and opinion pieces, 30 public hearing responses and 8 political documents and texts were analysed to identify the main actors in the discourse of mental health services and to enable a replication of their affiliated institutional logics and their views concerning the clinical pathway. Additionally, ten qualitative interviews were performed with members of the work group responsible for designating the pathway “mental illness, adults”.ResultsThis article shows how the two main actor groups, “Mental health professionals” and “Politicians”, are guided by values associated with a specific logic when understanding the concept of a clinical pathway (CP). The findings show that actors within the political field believe in control and efficiency, in contrast to actors in mental health services, who are guided by values of discretion and autonomy. This leads to a debate on the concept of CPs and mental health services. The discussion becomes polarized between concern for patients and concern for efficiency. The making of the pathway is led by the Directorate of Health, with health professionals operating in the political domain and who have knowledge of the values of both logics, which were taken into consideration when formulating the pathways, and explains how the pathway became a complex negotiation process between the two logics and where actors on both sides were able to retain their core values. Ultimately, the number of pathways was reduced from 22 to 9. The final “Pathway for mental illness, adults” was a general pathway involving several groups of patients. The pathway explains the process from diagnosis through treatment and finalizing treatment. The different steps involve time frames that need to be coded, requiring more rigid administrative work for compliance, but without stating specific diagnostic tools or preferred treatment strategies.ConclusionsThis article shows that there is also a downside of having sense making guided by strong values associated with a specific institutional logic when constructing new, and hopefully better, mental health care services. This article demonstrates how retaining values sometimes becomes more crucial than engaging in constructive debates about how to solve issues of importance within the field of mental health care.