Sharan B. Merriam

Qualitative Case Studies

Most educators have encountered case studies as part of their preservice preparation and continued professional training; yet, there is often some uncertainty as to what exactly a case study is and in particular what a qualitative case study is. A case study is an in-depth description and analysis of a single bounded system, a unit of one, whether that unit is a teacher, a classroom, a program, or a school district. When the question of interest within the case is one of understanding how people construct the meaning of an event, activity, or phenomenon, it is a qualitative case study. This article defines qualitative case study research, discusses aspects of the design and implantation of a qualitative case study, and concludes with a brief discussion of how to think about generalizing from a single case study.

Mentors and Protégés: A Critical Review of the Literature

Within the last few years, mentoring has emerged as a popular topic in several fields. Articles and talk shows imply that success in life is somehow related to having a mentor or being a mentor. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the extent to which such enthusiasm can be substantiated by research. The literature on mentoring is divided into three sections: the mentoring phenomenon in adult growth and development, mentoring in the business world, and mentoring in academic settings. A concluding section summarizes findings across these three settings, speculates about the relevance of mentoring for adult educators, and suggests avenues for future inquiry.

Power and positionality: negotiating insider/outsider status within and across cultures

Early discussions of insider/outsider status assumed that the researcher was predominately an insider or an outsider and that each status carried with it certain advantages and disadvantages. More recent discussions have unveiled the complexity inherent in either status and have acknowledged that the boundaries between the two positions are not all that clearly delineated. Four case studies - a Black woman interviewing other Black women, Asian graduate students in the US interviewing people from ‘back home’, an African professor learning from African businesswomen, and a cross-cultural team studying aging in a nonWestern culture - are used as the data base to explore the complexities of researching within and across cultures. Positionality, power, and representation proved to be useful concepts for exploring insider/outsider dynamics.

The Role of Cognitive Development in Mezirow's Transformational Learning Theory.

The link between development and learning is explicit in Mezirow’s theory of transformational learning. Indeed, numerous studies have documented that growth and development are outcomes of transformational learning. What has not been questioned, and what is argued in this Forum article, is that it appears one must already be at a mature level of cognitive functioning to engage in the transformational learning process. For transformational learning to occur, one must be able to critically reflect and engage in rational discourse; both of these activities are characteristic of higher levels of cognitive functioning.

E-mentoring: Using Computer Mediated Communication to Enhance the Mentoring Process

The information age is changing the dynamics of many relationships, including mentoring. This article defines traditional mentoring according to its function and effectiveness and then expands the definition of mentoring to include computer-mediated communication (CMC), or “e-mentoring.” We propose that e-mentoring holds promise for redefining mentoring relationships and changing the conditions under which mentoring is sought and offered. E-mentoring could potentially make mentoring relationships more available to groups that have previously had limited access to mentoring. Benefits of and barriers to e-mentoring are considered, as are strategies for establishing an e-mentoring relationship. E-mentoring resources are reviewed.

The Georgia Centenarian Study

This paper presents the theoretical rationale, hypotheses, models, and methods and procedure of the Georgia Centenarian Study, an interdisciplinary study of the oldest-old.

Motivations for Learning Among Older Adults in a Learning in Retirement Institute.

As the population of older adults increases, the field of adult education needs to respond accordingly. The study reported in this paper examined motivations for learning among older adults actively engaged in formal lifelong learning. One hundred eighty-nine members of a Learning in Retirement institute were surveyed using Boshiers Education Participation Scale. Cognitive interest appeared to be the strongest motivator for learning. Social contact was the second most influential motivator. The findings of this study are consistent with, and add to, our knowledge derived from previous studies pertaining to the participation of older adults in formal learning. Recommendations for future research on older adult learning in different settings are presented.

Transformational Learning in Botswana: How Culture Shapes the Process

Transformational learning as presented by Jack Mezirow has been critiqued for its Western, rational, and cognitive orientation. This qualitative study was conducted in the African nation of Botswana and examines how that culture shaped the process. In-depth interviews were held with 12 adults who acknowledged having an experience that had profoundly changed their view of themselves and/or their perspectives on the world. Spirituality and the metaphysical world, community responsibilities and relationships, and gender roles are 3 culturally specific factors embedded in how participants constructed the meaning of their experience; these factors are also evident in their changed perspective.

The Self-Directed Learning Process of Older, Rural Adults

Medical advances and lifestyle changes have resulted in older adults living longer and healthier lives. Nevertheless, older adulthood, as other life stages, requires change in work, family, and health. Self-directed learning (SDL) is one way of negotiating these transitions. The purpose of this study was to understand this process of learning. This study employed a general qualitative design incorporating in-depth, semi-structured interviews for data collection. The sample of 10 purposefully selected adults from a rural area reflected diversity in gender, race, education, and employment. The age of the participants ranged from 75 to 87. Data analysis guided by the constant comparative method revealed the following process: Self-directed learning begins with an incentive to learn plus an interest, leading to accessing resources; with systematic attention in their learning, some projects ended whereas others remained ongoing. There is also a catalyst, usually another person, interspersed in this process. The findings indicated changes in late life, especially those related to time, family, and loss are integral to the process of self-directed learning. Also, the rural setting of the participants was seen as a positive environment for learning.

On Becoming a Witch: Learning in a Marginalized Community of Practice

Much learning in adulthood is informal, social in nature, and firmly embedded in the life context of the learner. It takes place in social groups engaged in a common practice. One model for considering the learning that takes place in social groups is Wengers notion of communities of practice. In a community of practice, learning, practice, and identity development are intertwined. The purpose of this study was to investigate learning in a marginalized community of practice—that of witches. Twenty witches belonging to several different covens, or communities of practice, were interviewed. Data analysis revealed (a) a trajectory of participation representing movement from the periphery to the center of the group; (b) learning in practice that is experiential, that combines formal and intuitive knowledge, and that is spread across the group; and (c) an identifiable process of identity development in becoming a witch. To some extent, the marginality of the community shaped the groups learning and practice.