Publications

Abstract:

This theory/methods paper is intended to start the conversation that single-case-study research is a rigorous approach to investigating complex, context-dependent phenomena. In engineering education, particularly in work-based learning and workforce development programs, learning is embedded in localized partnerships, authentic tasks, and sociotechnical systems that resist experimental or comparative abstraction. Despite this alignment, single case-study designs remain under-theorized and under-discussed in engineering education methodological literature.

The purpose of this theory/methods paper is to make a methodological case for the use of single case-study research in engineering education research, with particular attention to its suitability for studying work-based learning and workforce
development interventions.

We conducted a narrative review of case-study publications from 2020 to 2025 from the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE), Studies in Engineering Education (SEE), and American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) conference proceedings. The review articles were coded by venue of publication, type of case study, case context, unit of analysis, data sources, analytical approaches, and alignment with professional engineering practice. Selected single-case examples demonstrate applications across capstone design, fabrication-centered learning, specialized laboratories, makerspaces, and ethics instruction, contexts that function as workplace analogues.

Findings indicate that while single-case study research is used to examine work-based learning and workforce development in engineering education, its methodological contributions are rarely made explicit. When research questions focus on how learning unfolds within reliable professional contexts, single case-study designs offer depth, process sensitivity, and natural validity well-suited to work-based learning and workforce-oriented interventions in engineering education.

See publication:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/408096646_The_Conversation_Toward_Single-Case_Study_Research_for_Engineering_Workforce_Development?_sg%5B0%5D=4R7eooJH0ZZs-AgwZaqMEvFIauAA0FCeXSE2WysleB1qw3IDSq-uK2lZrDd8xgvOt7vnwBtUOckviKJkzZdSyAIwf6zmrHIOJTWJ31Bw.h_utUd60VsSPy3Ud-UsqnJiGqi6F6skjxg7XYu-z1GohjyYbGu2thGj1yEZTYYkaz2JkjZFIFWpd5yJWdKmsZw&_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6ImhvbWUiLCJwYWdlIjoicHJvZmlsZSIsInByZXZpb3VzUGFnZSI6InByb2ZpbGUiLCJwb3NpdGlvbiI6InBhZ2VDb250ZW50In19

This publication pertains to:

Learning and Engagement

Publication Authors:

• Foeday Zinnah
• Dr, Angela Minichiello
• Rifatul Islam Himel
• Abdul Wasay Khan Laghari

It appeared in:

Peer-reviewed conference proceedings

Shout-outs/Achievements:

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Keywords:

Case-study; work-based learning; workforce development; engineering education research; methodology