Page 5 - Why I Like Case Studies

Why I like writing case studies!

The following attempts to lay out some personal

experiences and observations of the influences and

demands associated with the changing nature of the case
study method.

In a sense case studies are simply stories

researched, developed and written to

provide the reader with a cognitive and

emotive dissonance that triggers an

emergent awareness based on the

‘whodunnit’ scenario. The tools of analysis needed to solve

the ‘problem(s)’ are initially provided by the teaching

programmes and augmented through the experiential

nature of the individual’s background and learning

environment. The changes that have occurred in the case

method have however, not substantially diminished this

fundamental premise of case study development and use.

My first issue with case studies arose from the recognition

that generally, lecturers either lecture or teach. We have all

come across lecturers who think standing in front of a class

and reiterating, almost verbatim, the content of the slides
they are using is teaching. In this scenario learning

responsibility is passed to the students and class

engagement is almost non-existent.

For me, this was driven home in some graffiti found on a

university toilet wall - Definition of a lecturer…...