3/27 Blog

I think the advantages of non-fiction "case studies" can, in many ways, be best summed up by the article itself. Goedde says, "the rhetorical stance of the personal essay has been valuable in educating students of color who have been traditionally marginalized by the academy." Shifting that to account for goals and audience, the case study reminds readers the writing center is not monolithic. The more narrative case study makes underrepresented students' experience in the writing center more than simple numbers in a data driven study.

That said, those numbers are also important. We don't have enough time to read case studies that cover every angle of every experience, so some synthesis of data is valuable. I think both academic studies and case studies are useful, because the one gives us best general practices and the other reminds us, in no uncertain terms, the need to adapt those practices to meet students' needs.

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