Fundamental Pedagogy Jana Doležalová

Case histories 
Case histories (case studies) mean a description of individual cases according to 
detailed and complete records and are often used as supporting documentation 
to draw certain conclusions and solutions. This approach is taken also in 
medicine, law, pedagogy and education, etc. Should we use educational 
terminology, 
this 
approach 
may 
also 
be 
described 
as 
the 
'
learner's/pupil's/student's pedagogical characteristics'. We must realise that it is 
always about a specific and individual case. Case histories normally contain an 
anamnesis (personal or family anamnesis) capturing the current personality 
development (somatic, mental, social), the social and economic situation of the 
family, social relations in the family. It is part of the overall 
assessment 
(diagnosis), i.e. the result of cognitive activities serving to provide as complex a 
view of the learner (family) as possible. Case histories are mostly used in works 
focusing on psychological issues. 
The extent of this text does not make it possible to deal with individual 
methods in more detail, which is why we refer to the respective sources 
(Gavora 1996, 2000, Pelikán 1998, Švec 1998). Let us add that from the 
practical perspective, the researcher cannot normally do with a single method 
and uses multiple methods within one research. For instance, it is appropriate 
to complement the questionnaire (one of the most frequently used methods) 
with interview or observation, etc. A combination of quantitative and qualitative 
methods strongly increases objectivity of conclusions. 
Data processing 
The data obtained must be subsequently processed to provide the informative 
value. Statistical methods also offer a range of other options for data 
evaluation. For instance, it is the exploration of dependence between two or 

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more phenomena (e.g. between age and physical height). The closeness of 
dependence is designated as correlation, and there are several procedures of 
calculating the closeness of this dependence (from very significant to 
insignificant).
Those interested in all of these statistical procedures may be referred to study 
the relevant sources on statistics (e.g. Lašek, Maněnová, 2009).