A Dissertation by GRACE HUI-CHIN LIN Submitted to the Office of ...
A Dissertation by GRACE HUI-CHIN LIN Submitted to the Office of ...
A Dissertation by GRACE HUI-CHIN LIN Submitted to the Office of ...
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open-ended questions because <strong>the</strong>y would not presume or presuppose any<br />
perceptions or thoughts <strong>to</strong> be misled <strong>by</strong> <strong>the</strong> interviewee. On <strong>the</strong> contrary, <strong>the</strong>y would<br />
provide this study with accurate and multi-perspective data from <strong>the</strong> participants’<br />
viewpoints.<br />
Case Study<br />
Seven volunteers among 24 participants cooperated with <strong>the</strong> researchers <strong>to</strong> do<br />
<strong>the</strong> case study. The case study was <strong>the</strong> best method for revealing <strong>the</strong> students’<br />
perceptions with high credibility, as well as “integrity, validity and accuracy” (Pat<strong>to</strong>n,<br />
1990, p. 49), because it “allows an investigation <strong>to</strong> retain <strong>the</strong> holistic and meaningful<br />
characteristics <strong>of</strong> real-life events” (Yin, 1989, p. 14). So, in this study, seven<br />
individuals were interviewed twice <strong>by</strong> <strong>the</strong> researcher individually for 90 minutes.<br />
From seven volunteers’ role <strong>of</strong> learners and <strong>the</strong>ir unpr<strong>of</strong>essional and natural<br />
perspectives, <strong>the</strong> researcher was able <strong>to</strong> obtain <strong>the</strong>ir feelings <strong>of</strong> learning<br />
communication strategies from <strong>the</strong>ir broader views.<br />
Case study made clear “<strong>the</strong> complexities <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> context and <strong>the</strong> ways <strong>the</strong>se<br />
interact <strong>to</strong> form whatever it is that <strong>the</strong> case report portrays” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985, p.<br />
214). Therefore, <strong>the</strong> researcher could perceive different issues that were from<br />
learners’ multiple perspectives. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, case study clarified <strong>the</strong> students’<br />
feelings <strong>of</strong> learning 5 communication strategies vividly, and “it is <strong>the</strong> function <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
case study, with its thick description, <strong>to</strong> provide that essential judgmental information<br />
about <strong>the</strong> studied context” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985, p. 217). That is <strong>to</strong> say, a case<br />
study could be displayed through <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> “thick description,” and “thick<br />
description creates verisimilitude - that is, <strong>the</strong> realistic description produces for<br />
readers <strong>the</strong> feelings that <strong>the</strong>y have experienced, or could experience, <strong>the</strong> events being<br />
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