Comparative Case Studies: An Innovative Approach

Nordic Journal of Comparative and International Education

Frances Vavrus¹  Lesley Bartlett² 

[1] University of Minnesota-Twin Cities;University of Wisconsin-Madison

关键词: case study;    research methods;    comparison;    context;   

DOI  :  10.7577/njcie.1929

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences

【 摘 要 】

What is a case study and what is it good for? In this article, we argue for a new approach—the comparative case study approach—that attends simultaneously to macro, meso, and micro dimensions of case-based research. The approach engages two logics of comparison: first, the more common compare and contrast; and second, a ‘tracing across’ sites or scales. As we explicate our approach, we also contrast it to traditional case study research. We contend that new approaches are necessitated by conceptual shifts in the social sciences, specifically in relation to culture, context, space, place, and comparison itself. We propose that comparative case studies should attend to three axes: horizontal, vertical, and transversal comparison. We conclude by arguing that this revision has the potential to strengthen and enhance case study research in Comparative and International Education, clarifying the unique contributions of qualitative research.

【 授权许可】

CC BY