474

twentieth century. He addresses latent traits and

multiple indicators thereof. Pilot testing is emphasized in instrument design with careful consideration of sampling. In terms of analysis, Punch
presents the logic, not the mathematics, of statistical procedures while promoting Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). He provides
references useful in learning SPSS, including one
appendix devoted to explanations of the softwares features for carrying out the procedures
presented in the chapter.
Mixed-method designs are taken up in chapter 13. Uses for gathering and analyzing multiple
data points demonstrate the flexibility of this approach. Punch uses this chapter to advocate for
grounded theory in what he calls investigating
process (p. 294). He points to an international
quarterly devoted to mixed-methods research and
examines the topics and scope covered by the
journal. Chapter 14 on evaluation is divided in
two parts: (a) a reconsideration of evaluative criteria, procedures, and reliability, validity, and reactivity (how research processes change the data);
and (b) program evaluation, common in educational research, to meet stakeholder needs and
justify political decision making. Program evaluation is viewed as empirical activity, and smallscale projects are suggested as a starting place for
novice researchers.
The final chapter presents information for the
research writer on research proposals, thesis and
dissertation abstracts, and the projects themselves.
Choices the writer makes and the benefits of
combining qualitative and quantitative research
perspectives are examined. This chapter will be
especially helpful in early stages of research
writing. Other features of the book include a
useful summary and a detailed tables of contents,
a helpful glossary and index, and two appendices,
one focused on coding qualitative data and the
other on SPSS. Each chapter contains graphic
organizers, including conceptual charts, tables,
and figures; each one concludes with additional
readings and study questions, most of the reading
comprehension type. On the publishers website,
the author has posted helpful teaching notes on
each chapter.
Although I find the book useful as a textbook
in an applied linguistics research methods course,
I have three issues with the text or marketing
thereof. First, the book is marketed for both
undergraduate and postgraduate students, but it
seems best suited for postgraduate students very
early in the thesis or dissertation planning and
proposal writing stages. Second, with a focus on
general educational research, in an applied lin-

The Modern Language Journal 95 (2011)

guistics research methods course the book would
need to be supplemented by journal articles and
other research documents to show how the general concepts presented by Punch apply to studies
of language acquisition, teaching, and use. Third,
Punch states several times the role of secondary
literature within grounded theory where the
literature coverage is deliberately delayed until
directions emerge from the early analysis of
data (p. 69). I find that researchers need to play
an active role as critical consumers of research
during all of its phases, including the early ones,
so students would need to be reminded that
literature review has a role throughout inquiry.
SARAH RILLING
Kent State University

YIN, ROBERT K. Case Study Research: Design and

Methods. 4th ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2009.
Pp. xiv, 219. $41.95, paper. ISBN 97814129
60991.
Case Study Research is a classic. Originally published in 1984, it has been through a revised
edition and three subsequent editions. The current edition retains the forward written for the
first edition by the late Donald Campbell, a
scholar well known for his work in methodology.
Campbell praises the book for attempting valid
inferences from events outside the laboratory
while at the same time retaining the goals
of knowledge shared with laboratory science
(p. vii), and he assures readers that it will become
a standard text in social science research methods
courses (p. viii). This prediction has been a reality for more than two decades.
As the debate continues regarding whether applied linguistics is a social science continues (see
Sealey & Carter, Applied Linguistics as Social Science, New York: Continuum, 2004), it is imperative
applied linguists understand what is knownat
least about their areas of interestto social scientists, including methodological matters. In the
past two decades, scholars and students in applied
linguistics have carried out increasing numbers of
case studies, a research methodology common in
social science. Yins best-selling text on the case
study method, which continues to receive positive
reviews from a wide range of readers, will help
to broaden and deepen the methodological perspectives of applied linguists using or planning to
use the method to conduct research.

475

Reviews
As in the previous editions, the text comprises
six chapters and takes the reader through the process of planning (ch. 1) and designing (ch. 2) case
studies, collecting (chs. 3, 4) and analyzing (ch. 5)
data, and reporting the studies (ch. 6). Yin shows
the iterative nature of this process graphically with
six circles, each representing one of the phases of
case study research, with arrows connecting the
circles (p. 1). The same graph appears at the beginning of each chapter, and the phase discussed
in the chapter is enclosed in a jagged star. Furthermore, the chapters main points are given in
short bulleted phrases. These points are then explained in a brief Abstract section before the
main text of the chapter begins. A Tip box is
placed at the beginning of the main text, which
serves as a knowledge check as it presents essential
questions and answers on what is covered in the
chapter.
Within the main text a number of boxes are
embedded, in which Yin cites actual case studies to illustrate the points he makes in the chapters. There are a total of 46 such boxes scattered
throughout the book, and more than 50 different
case studies are cited. These studies range from
a 1929 study on the transformation of a small
town to a 1956 study on a labor union to a 2005
study on educational reform. Exercises5 tasks
per chapterare also embedded in the main text
to help consolidate the learning of the material
in the chapters. Several graphic representations
of ideas explained in the text are used to good
effect.
Furthermore, each chapter is structured to enhance readers inquiry process. Readers first focus
on a topic by looking at the graph at the beginning of the chapter and reading a bullet-point
summary and an abstract. The boxed tip then
provides a quick self-test of prior knowledge of
the content of the chapter. As readers read the
chapter, they broaden and deepen their knowledge through the illustrative case studies in the
boxes. Finally, they assess their understanding by
doing exercises.
All of these features make the book practical, user friendly, and effective. The book is also
written in accessible language, devoid of jargon,
which I believe is possible only for those who possess a complete grasp of the subject matter. Yins
explanation of what case study research is and
how to do it rigorously is sharp, refreshing, and
erudite. The book has depth that extends far beyond the realm of how-to guides for doing case
studies. This book is the product of many years
of the authors dedicated work on conducting
case study research with rigor that will withstand

critical scrutiny by scholars of all disciplinary and

methodological leanings.
SUFUMI SO
George Mason University

SPANISH

BATCHELOR, R. E., & MIGUEL ANGEL

A Reference Grammar of Spanish. New
SAN JOSE.
York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Pp. xviii,
553. $70.00, paper. ISBN 9780521728751.
Approximately 500 million native and non-native
speakers of Spanish makes it the most spoken
language after English and Chinese. Statistically,
these numbers alone could necessitate the publication of a comprehensive grammar, aligned
to the multiple language functions among the
worlds Spanish-speaking population. Additionally, increasing enrollment in Spanish language
study in colleges and universities gives rise to the
need for a thoroughly researched reference grammar that is contemporary and detailed.
Batchelor and San Jose have written a detailed
reference grammar of Spanish, asserting that the
principal aim of the book is to be as complete
and straightforward as possible, avoiding much
technical terminology that risks clouding the understanding of the linguistic processes of Spanish
(p. xi). The book is organized into parts IX spanning topics that include: register, spelling and
punctuation (part I); articles and gender (part
II); verbs, subordinate clauses and complex verbal expressions (part III); subjunctive (part IV);
pronouns and possessive adjectives (part V); adjectives (part VI); prepositions (part VII); demonstrative adjectives, pronouns and indefinite pronouns (part VIII); conjunctions, negative sentences, measurement and comparative adjectives
(part IX); and, proper nouns, countries, foreign
and indigenous words (part X). Each part contains sections that discuss and analyze the subject
matter in detail, prefaced by a topical reading selection relevant to the topics to be discussed. For
example, the authors discuss and analyze verbs
and moods of verbs in sections 11.1, 11.2, 11.3,
and so forth in part III.
The end matter of the book consists of two appendices and a link to the publishers website,
where readers can access 11 short chapters on
prefixes, emphatic and affectionate expressions,
epistolary usage, abbreviations, forms of address,

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