Case Study Research:Developmental Research

By M98C0238 Camila Wu M98C0102 Ariel WangAt Nan-Tai Graduate School

Case Study

What comes to your mind when you hear “case study”?

Camila is responsible for

P.21-32 Introducing case study research Experiencing case study research Compiling case study research Analyzing case study research Reporting your results

Ariel is responsible for

Designing case study research Interpreting case study research Significance of case study research Reflecting on case study research Summary

What Is Case Study?

Interview/survey Individual / a group A research strategy detailed analysis of a person / group Real-life context In-depth examination

Case study is

a systematic way of Observing the events Compiling the data analyzing information reporting the results.

Case Study Research

Careful study of the cases of individulas learning a language

A long history Play major roles in different discipli

nes Piaget and Freud—kids’ mental a

nd social development

Case Studies

Case study research intensive study---

background/status/interaction

Developmental research Investigation of patterns / sequences of growth and change

Experiencing case study research

Linguists observe and record their children’s verbal behavior in learning 1st and 2nd language---published the observations

Raised some questions---degree to which patterns of 1st and 2nd language development (dis/similar)

Striking similarities in syntactic structures –negatives; differences as well.(Ellis1994)

Sample AI don’t can explain.He don’t will like it.Don’t have nothing mop.I don’t see nothing mop.

Sample D (EX:2.1)You no sit there.He no bite.There no squirrels.They no have water.

Sample BNo go. No mitten.No fall.No stop

Sample EThey don’t want it.You can’t tell her.He’s not coming in.It’s not danger.

Sample CDo not tell her.We don’t like him

CHe doesn’t laugh like us.She didn’t believe me.

Exercise 2.1

1.Re-sort the blocks of samples into probable chronological order

2.State what you think the characteristics of negative sentences are at each stage

3.Make up a new sentence to add to each block indicating how you think negation is expressed at that stage

4.Discuss your analysis with a partner

Phase Language examples

Comment

B No cry.

D You no cry.

A You don’t can cry.

E You don’t cry.

C Don’t cry.

Findings from Exercise 2.1

Obvious changes in grammar Speech segments get longer as children get

older Negation formation is syntactic learning

(step by step)1. No Verb-2. S no verb-3. don’t can verb-4. S don’t verb O-5. S don’t/doesn’t verb O or Don’t verb O.

What are some other signals of advancing linguistic maturity?

More accurate Punctuation Correct spelling Correct grammars ……..

A Developmental Case Study------Helen Keller

Why is this case study worth studying?

Why is this case study worth studying?

Deaf and blind child learning English Mother tongue of her parents Inspiration in L1 and L2 learning Clearly see linguistic development

Something about Hellen Keller

Some samples of personal letters written by Hellen Keller between her seventh and eighth birthdays

provide authentic, naturalistic and interesting indicators of language development

Offer evidence for some stages of language development

Both in L1 and L2 learning

Characteristics about Helen Keller” data

1. Clear and distinctive Easily readable (p.25) Quite easy to interpret Uncluttered---rarely2. Degree to which the processes and

sequencing of L1 and L2 development are similar

The data shed light on L1 and L2 development as well as the techniques used to collect and analyze developmental data in learning languages

Exercise 2.2 P.26

Randomly ordered samples of Helen’s actual letters

Rank order the excerpt from earliest to latest

Identify and discuss new language features in each letter

Compiling case study data

The letter samples show Evidence of a variety of linguistic

and letter format changes as Helen Keller grows up and her language capability increases

Phonology Morphology/words changes Syntax/ sentence changes Discourse/Text structure changes

Example compilation for Helen Keller letter chronological orderingTime order

First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Total number of Participants

A ////////// //

///

B ////////// ///

//

C ///////////

D ///////////////

E ///////////////

F // ///// ////////

Ranking D C B F A E

Analyzing case study data

Undertake detailed linguistic analyses of the language

Noting changes in Vocabulary / Grammar Punctuations / Capitalization Letter form / Reference Cohesion

Organize these changes in the form of a table

Tables are used to Organize data analysis presenting results in a final form

Exercise 2.5 Noun changes

Several sub-categories of nouns Proper Nouns Simple Nouns Plural Nouns Compound Nouns Pronouns Noun Phrases

Exercise2.5

Table 2.4—Noun data Table 2.5---Verb data

Reporting your results

The ultimate goal of your research is to report your findings to the world and to re-shape the world in some small measure

Need to know how you will eventually turn your data analyses into research reports, journal articles, and books.

Keeping that final result in mind

Help you to analyze your results Especially in a way that will be

easily reportable

The standard form

Makes it easier for interested readers to know where to look for findings or procedures of relevance to their own interests.

Helps assure you haven’t forgot important information or analyses in your study

Standard FormatAbstract I Introduction* A Literature review B Purpose (including research questions or hypotheses) II Methods* A Participants* B Materials* C Procedures*III Results*IV Discussion V ConclusionsReferenceAppendicesTables

Details--- Major headings/sections —Roman num

erals Subheadings/subsections---capital lett

ers Arterisks(*) mark those sections that ar

e more or less essential for most studies

Abstract, references, Appendices, and tables are not included as part of the body of the report---vary considerably in format, placement, and importance from study to study

Longer research reports, theses—have all these elements

Short journal articles---have asterisked elements

Keeping the overall picture in mind from the beginning of the project helps you not end up with missing pieces

For instance--participants

Need to describe the participants in some detail in the final report

Overlook the need to gather information about their age, gender, educational background, language proficiency, years studying the language, and any other characteristics which may shape your data or affect your results.

Knowing where you are headed in the reporting process helps you efficiently gather all necessary information

When to use the tables?

In the process of analyzing your original data

In organizing and reporting the results

Wode— L1 English & L2 English

These data support the view that L2 acquisition follows developmental sequences and that these sequences are ordered. They disconfirm the idea that L2 and L1 acquisition are wholly paralled. Apparently, there may also be parallels, like, for instance, I-IIb and IV -4; but there may also be difference , as in III of Table 7-4. Differences of this sort, I think, are due to the structure of L1 knowledge, but that, apparently, they do so in highly restricted ways, i.e. only at specific points in their development are they liable to fall back on L1. (wode 1978: 110-111)

Several things worth noting (p.35)

1. A table appears with accompanying text explaining the table and highlighting points in it the author wants the reader to focus on.

2. Not concerned with pronunciation, so he used modified written text to report his data.

3. Trying to show the general trends over a large number of mixed participants with mixed data.

The Processes of doing research

Compiling the data Analyzing the data Interpreting the data Reporting the data