Reviewed by András Kertész, University of Debrecen

Case studies are one of the most effective and most often used means of qualitative research in applied linguistics and second language acquisition research. However, the case study method is only rarely explained explicitly and students acquire its use mainly implicitly, in practice, without the guidance of textbooks. The work under review intends to fill this gap. Its aim is threefold. First, Patricia Duff introduces the reader to the methodological foundations of case study research. Second, she presents a series of sample case studies with respect to second language acquisition. Third, she shows how to apply the technique of case study research.

To achieve these aims, Ch. 1, ‘Case study research in applied linguistics’, starts with the discussion of a concrete example so as to give the student a first impression of the nature of case studies. The case exemplifies different theoretical and methodological traditions and also shows that the impact of case studies may touch on broader foundational, methodological, and theoretical problems of second language acquisition research.

In Ch. 2, ‘Defining, describing, and defending case study research’, after defining the notion of case study, the author presents an outline of the theoretical background, the methodological characteristics, the advantages, the disadvantages, and the significance of both qualitative research and case studies.

Ch. 3, ‘Examples of case studies in applied linguistics’, provides a rich inventory of different types of case studies with many examples so as to highlight their differences as well as their common features. One of the most important conclusions the examples yield is that case studies have to consider the language learner as a multidimensional individual with his or her own history, hopes, and desires.

Chs. 4 and 5 set out to describe how to conduct case studies. In Ch. 4, D elucidates the initial phase of conceptualizing and planning a case study. Ch. 5 focuses on the analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of case study data.

Ch. 6, ‘Writing the case study report’, summarizes those factors that shape the way case studies should be presented. These factors include, for example, the intended audience, purpose and focus, contents, stylistic matters, and ethics. This chapter is followed by references and an author and subject index.

In sum, the book undoubtedly achieves all three aims mentioned above and is, accordingly, a very useful and well-written introduction to the methodology of qualitative research in the field of applied linguistics.