Qualitative case study

Case study method is usually employed in qualitative inquiry to study ‗a case‘ (Stake, 2005), which usually refers to ―a noun, a thing or an entity‖ (Stake, 2006, p. 1) that is easy to visualise, but may be difficult to understand. A case study is one that focuses on a bounded system, and that the bounded system, ‗the case‘, might be selected because it is an instance of some concern (Merriam, 1988). This means it will require a detailed investigation of a specific setting, a single subject, a particular group, or a particular real-life event, which usually stems from one‘s desire to get an improved understanding of a complex phenomenon (Merriam, 1988; Stake, 2005; Yin, 2003). Hence, the case, unit, or bounded system to be investigated in this study was a selected group of BSTs from the 2007 cohort of secondary teacher graduates from SOE-SICHE, in Solomon Islands.

As a research method, case study can be used in situations where one intends to contribute to existing knowledge about specific groups, organisations and programmes, and social, political and related phenomena (Yin, 2009). Freebody (2003) also points out that case study is used to conduct and disseminate research that can impact upon practice, and more importantly to refine ways in which practice has been theorised. Like Yin and Freebody, Toma (2006) says that case study is also preferred when the study is geared towards inventions and interventions, and when a researcher is interested in contributing towards policies, or improving decision-making about a specific phenomenon. Furthermore, a case study may focus on a single case or multicases, depending on the overall

63

intentions of the researcher (Merriam, 1998; Stake, 2005; Yin, 2003). A single- case study focuses on a single case, as the name suggests. It may consider an individual person, an event or happening, an institution, a community organisation, or one particular instance of educational experience, a specific programme, a process, or a social group (Merriam, 1988; Stake, 2006; Yin, 2003). Good examples of subjects for a single-case study in educational research would include: a school, a programme, a teacher, a group of students, a group of teachers, or a group of school managers. When a researcher involves more than one case in a study, or when studying a specific phenomenon, it is referred to as a multicase study (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Stake, 2006), or multiple-case studies (Yin, 2003) — for example, a study that explores the leadership experiences of three women in three different school settings. The key referent point in a case study is ‗the case‘, not the methods by which the case operates (Yin, 2003). In studying a case, a researcher must have some understanding about ‗the case‘ before attempting to examine the functions and activities relating to it (Stake, 2006). In single case studies, the aim is to study ‗a case‘ in depth, in order to better understand its complexity and uniqueness in relation to the phenomenon under investigation (Merriam, 1998). On the other hand, multicase studies, focus on the experiences of each case in relation to the phenomenon under investigation (Stake, 2006).

The question of whether a researcher will focus their case study on a single, or on multiple cases, or both, is a procedural dilemma for case study researchers, and an issue that Stake (2006) claims becomes even more complex as one tries to understand it better. There is also the epistemological dilemma of deciding on what is worth knowing about the cases and what is not. However, it is important to note that case studies, whether single or multicase, are concerned with particularisation rather than generalisation. In other words, the concern of case studies is on what is particular and situational about the phenomenon under examination, whether positive or negative (Merriam, 1998; Stake, 2006; Yin, 2009).

Even though case study research methods are desirable in situations where a researcher wishes to investigate, understand, make meaning, and provide a rich,

64

thick description and analysis of a phenomenon, its usage as a research method can present a number of challenges and limitations (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Merriam, 1998; Stake, 2006; Yin, 2003). First, a researcher may not be able to conduct an intensive investigation, as required by the case study method, because of time and financial limitations, and thus they may not be able to collect detailed information about the issue/s being investigated. Second, the researcher may oversimplify or exaggerate the issue being investigated, because the description and analysis of information is entirely up to the researcher. This may lead to erroneous conclusions about the actual situation or issue. Third, there is also the likelihood of readers making the assumption that the results represent the whole, when in fact they constitute just ―a slice of life‖ (Merriam, 1998, p. 42). In other words, the cases in the study are just part of the whole situation being investigated. Fifth, case study research can be affected by researcher bias because the researcher himself/herself is the primary instrument for data generation and analysis. Hence, the researcher has the prerogative to decide on what to include and leave out in the final report, and may, through their inability to see ―everything as a part of everything‖ (Stake, 2006, p. 7) ignore aspects that another researcher sees as vital.

As indicated earlier, this study is a case study involving the 2007 cohort of secondary teacher graduates from SOE-SICHE, in the Solomon Islands, which comprised 110 new secondary teachers. Therefore, ―the case‖ in this study is the 2007 cohort of secondary teacher graduates from SOE-SICHE. However, only 42 out of the 110 completed the questionnaire, and a smaller group of 11 BSTs within the case was selected to participate in three in-depth interviews over a two- year period to provide comprehensive information about their ITE experiences, and their lived experiences during the first two years of their teaching careers. The issue of concern in this study includes BSTs‘ sense of preparedness, and the kind of support provided for them in Solomon Islands secondary schools to help them develop professionally. The intention was to examine the perceived experiences of BSTs in order to get an understanding of their thoughts and feelings on these aspects of their training and of their teaching at their first appointments. These data can provide invaluable information that may be used to inform policies

65

pertaining to teacher education and teacher professional development in the Solomon Islands, and to inform those who mentor beginning teachers.