The Art of Case Study:
Cynthia Cole’s Buddy Evaluation, 1993
A seminar based on materials held in the digital
archive of the Cambridge Conference on Evaluation
http://www.evaluating-education.org.uk
Introduction
• In 1993 the US State of Indiana wanted to
evaluate the 'Buddy' programme, which had
placed computers in the homes of children in the
mid West of the USA, with the aim of raising
achievement and developing a computer-literate
population.
• It was part of a state-wide strategy to improve
children's achievement in school, but also to
develop a 'computer-literate' population.
Preparing for the Seminar
• If you were faced with the task of evaluating an
initiative like this, how might you carry out your
enquiries?
• Where would your research sites be?
• Who would you want to involve?
• What questions would you ask?
• How big a sample would you need?
Cynthia Cole’s Approach
• Cynthia Cole made several important decisions
about research methods and settings.
• She could have done a largely school based study
supported by a survey, or could have limited her
interaction with parents to a structured interview.
• Instead, she used a range of methods including a
'drawing task' to find out more about the impact
of the arrival of the computers.
Buddy Evaluation: Video 1
• In this video, Cynthia Cole talks about the state
and school perspective on the Buddy initiative.
Questions to Discuss
• What were the educational intentions of the
Buddy programme, and how were these
interpreted by the school?
• What was the 'school view' of the participating
families and their potential benefits from the
programme?
• What were the obstacles that they had
encountered in administering the programme?
• Why did Cynthia visit the families at home?
• Read pages 1-3 and the first paragraph of page
4 of the case study of the Waxman Family. This is
quite a long piece but is very 'readable' - part of
the appeal of the 'portrayal' approach.
• Cynthia Cole presented her findings (both of the
school and of her family visits) as case studies specifically, using a 'portrayal' approach
• 'Portrayal' is more than 'storytelling' though - the
case studies are backed up by data and evidence,
and the people portrayed had a chance to
comment on the way they were presented.
Reflections & Issues: Small Group Work
• What are your thoughts about this kind of 'portrayal'
as a research approach? What are its advantages
and disadvantages?
• How (and why) might a more formal approach to the
evaluation of the home use of the computer have
been more or less effective?
• What does the 'portrayal' approach demand of the
researcher?
• Cynthia Cole then used a drawing task to try and
elicit families' views about the computer and its role
in the family setting.
From the Archive: Whole Group Discussion
• What happened
when Cynthia
asked the family
to carry out the
drawing task?
• What additional information did she obtain?
• What extra responsibilities as a researcher might
she now have had?
• What ethical issues might this have raised?
After the Seminar
• Finish reading the Waxman Case Study
• Look at the Cross Case Analysis, which draws on
four family cases studies. In what ways are the
Waxmans typical or atypical? How does Cynthia
Cole ‘carry through’ the portrayal in the case
study to the more analytical report?
• Optional: Read the interview transcript for
further details and insights into the approaches
that were taken.
• How might these issues be relevant to your
proposed project?