The Anatomy of the Case Study

Gary Thomas is a professor of education at the University of Birmingham. His teaching and research have focused on inclusion, special education and research methodology in education, with a particular focus on case study. He has co-edited the International Journal of Research and Method in Education and the British Educational Research Journal and is currently executive editor of Educational Review. Kevin Myers is senior lecturer in Social History and Education at the University of Birmingham. He works on the history and sociology of education, and has specific interests in the application of psychological knowledge in school systems. He serves on editorial boards for the journals History of Education, History of Education Review and Paedagogica Historica: International Journal for History of Education.

Introduction Chapter 1: What is case study? Chapter 2: The history of case study and its epistemological status Chapter 3: Generalisation, phronesis and the case study Chapter 4: Induction and the case study Chapter 5: A typology for case study Chapter 6: Working through the typology Chapter 7: An example in depth: Contesting Certification Chapter 8: Conclusion: drawing from the anatomy and constructing the study

This will become the new bible for serious case study inquiry. -- Norman K. Denzin This is a systematic and inspiring book to draw on when organising your research around a case study, because it strikes a fine balance between epistemological eloquence and methodological practicalities. The book manages to clarify a general anatomy of case studies, while at the same time demonstrating and exemplifying a large variety of ways of doing them. -- Bente Halkier