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Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education
S. B. Merriam
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,1998, 275 pages, (softcover)
Reviewed by Kathleen Manning University of Vermont
The debate concerning qualitative research methods as a bonafide means to generate knowledge has dwindled as faculty, graduate students, and administrators use observation, interviewing, and document analysis to determine policy, make decisions, and understand campus life. Following suit with these developments, student affairs is no stranger to qualitative theory making (Manning, 1992). Arthur Chickering (1969), Marcia Baxter Magolda (1992), and George Kuh and Associates (1991) used qualitative methods to generate theories about student development, epistemology, and campus culture. Qualitative research, in fact, serves as the foundation for many most fervently held student development theories.
While the debate about whether or not to use qualitative methods raged through the 1980s, the literature about those methodologies evolved unabated. Yvonna Lincoln and Egon Guba (Lincoln & Guba,1985; Guba& Lincoln,1981; 1989), Sharan Merriam (1988; 1998), and Bogdan and Biklen (1982; 1992) authored various texts and second editions continuing the evolution of qualitative methodologies and techniques.
In 1988, Sharan Merriam wrote a text called Case Study Research in Education: A qualitative approach. The book reviewed in this article, Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education, is billed as a "revised and expanded" version of her original text. Although this review was written without the benefit of reading the first edition, Merriam's second take on her 1988 textbook clearly reflects the development of qualitative research methodology.
In this review, I use a classic data analysis techni ue and discuss themes within Merriam's text. In thematic analysis researchers cull themes from the data to expose the interpretations grounded within those words. The themes discussed in this review include (a) process and dynamism, (b) clarity, (c) nuance, and (d) abandoning the debate. The review also points to areas of concern within the book, specifically (a) lingering positivism and (b) excessive detail, which interfere with its effectiveness. Lastly, suggestions for use of the text in classes, doctoral seminars, and institutional assessment efforts are offered.
THEMES OF THE TEXT
Process and Dynamism
While somewhat over-detailed at times, Merriam skillfully conveys the step by step process of qualitative research. Regardless of the scope of the research project, researchers must plan carefully,...