Critical Evaluation of Sample Case Studies

Critical Evaluation of Sample Case Studies

Your main task is to create a plan (one A4 sheet only) for your final assignment.

Read the following case studies (attached separately):
A case study of two study-abroad ESL learners by Yang and Kim (2011)

Think about the following questions and make notes as you read:

How do the researchers go about explaining the context of their study and their research design in terms of sampling, data, analysis and interpretation?
How do they draw links between their study and the existing research and theories?
What lessons do the papers present to you in terms of designing your own case study?
What would you like to replicate and what would you rather avoid and why?
What strengths and weaknesses can you see of the studies presented, their research design and implementation?

Use this template to plan your assignment. Remember the template is for guidance and is not a definitive document. You can adjust it to meet your individual needs. Aim to include as much as possible of the following information:

a statement of purpose
a research question (optional)
the theory or issue being addressed
a research context and focus that interest you
evidence of a critical approach
evidence of appropriate and relevant wider reading
evidence of the Harvard referencing system
list of references
time frames for research and writing up

Yang, J. and Kim, T. (2011) Sociocultural analysis of second language learner beliefs: A qualitative case study of two study-abroad ESL learners, System 39 (2011) 325-334.
Robson, C. (2002) Real world research: a resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers. 2nd edn. Oxford: Blackwell.
Ortega, L. (2009) Understanding Second Language Acquisition, London: Hodder Education.

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