On the Case Ch 2-3

In chapters two and three of On the Case, Dyson and Genishi detail two important aspects of their method for case study research.  Chapter two is about "Casing the Joint" or familiarizing yourself with the area where the case study will take place.  It is important for researchers to learn about the place where they will be doing research so that they can better understand the people they are observing.  Dyson and Genishi recommend creating a map of the area both to better understand the area and to decide where to position oneself while observing.  This observational period also gives researchers an opportunity to make preliminary observations and view their own ideas and biases on the group being observed.  The excerpted example from a "Project Notebook" on page 40 is especially helpful for showing how an experienced researcher documents their initial observations and contacts when beginning to study the case.

Chapter three is all about "Getting on the Case: Case Study Design" and Dyson and Genishi explain the steps for beginning a case study.  Researchers need to have a good understanding of the foreground and the background of the case since "each case becomes an object of study--the foreground--against a particular background or problem that animates the researcher to see the boundaries of the case." (p 43)  This is a crucial step to identifying the case and creating a method for research since it basically outlines the parameters of the study.  Once the foreground and background have been identified, the researcher should begin drafting the questions that will develop the study.  The information in the "Research Design" book was more thorough and less interesting.  This book is filled with examples so it is easier to understand the concepts, at least for me anyway. 

When the researcher understands the foreground and background and has developed questions for the case study, he or she can begin "Designing the Study", a process that seems to be vague compared to research designs for quantitative or mixed methods study.  Example 3.1 on page 47 contains a simple outline for a case study that seems both easier to understand and less thorough than any example from "Research Design" and perhaps that is why I like it better.  Qualitative research, case studies, and Dyson and Genishi's writing style, seem to be much better suited to my personality and study habits.

I really enjoy how they include so many examples throughout the book, it makes the material much more palatable, but I do wish they would have included examples of case study research on topics other than elementary school classrooms.  While I understand that education is their area of research and expertise and that is why the examples are on this topic, observing a classroom full of small children sounds like my own personal hell and I would have enjoyed some other examples.  Nit-picky, I know, but it would have been helpful.