Our discussions in class on Monday made me wonder, are my students just case studies for me or my focus group as well? I may not be interviewing them, but while I try to find answers to specific questions from their written responses, would I not be practically using them as a focus group? Can we draw a clear line here? The line between case studies and focus groups seems so thin at times... However, one thing is for sure: I will not be paying them which is the norm when working with focus groups... Maybe just a bunch of Kisses :)
I do see one important difference between the scope of case studies and focus groups though. In the case of the former, you can interact with your subject one-on-one and thus have access to personal stories/anecdotes that may not come out in the open in a (focus) group setting. However, this aspect of the two kinds of research methods does not apply in my case.
Since I am basically looking at a literacy method in the classroom, it does seem like I am going to devise a cross between case studies and focus groups to get there.
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Your point about the fuzzy division between case studies and focus groups is well taken. Think about focus groups as allowing a bit more control and voice for subject/participants. In case studies, participants do their thing and researchers watch and analyze. But in a focus group, participants have the opportunity to guide the research questions. They can help set the agenda for the discussion in a way they don't in case study.
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