Please Note: We’re changing the site to reflect new work underway: complications now but progress ahead.
Welcome: We’re grateful for your interest in our themes

The Natural Learning Case Study Archive is  a research facility for myself and others interested in  using case study analysis to deepen our understanding of common sense knowledge and natural learning (how the mind interacts with everyday experiences to develop common sense knowledge). This research is the primary objective. But equally important is the hope that this research about our children will prove useful to people as well as to developers of intelligent computing.

A second objective is to advance case study as a discipline by sharing materials publicly so that:

  • previous interpretations and analyses can be questioned by others with different viewpoints, and
  • others may offer their own different interpretations of what material interests them.
  • finaly, if you are interested in how people learn and how children develop, as a parent, teacher or student, you may find here many examples of both that will inform, puzzle and sometimes amuse you.

    Here are three case study corpora based on experiences with three of my children. Each corpus contains recorded materials (originally videotape, now digitized), text observations, and interpretations of some of those materials. The studies are presented separately, by individual child, although there is significant overlapping and inter-relatedness of materials;

    Beginning in 1976 and continuing into the 1980’s, these are some of the earliest studies of children with extensive involvement in computing. They capture a time of transition, looking forward to the penetration into our lives of intelligent machines while still embedded in everyday situations very little impacted by digital technology.

    Cordially, Robert W. Lawler

    Email address: RWLawler@NLCSA.net
    Friends usually address me as “Bob”. Feel free to do so if you have questions.
    Currently, I am filling the roles of site Builder and content Analyst, as well as site Administrator.

    Please note: My hours and days are entirely focused on organizing, transcribing and making sense of the material of the Infant Peggy Study. I do NOT promise to read and respond to any and all email. But if the material interests you, let me know what you have in mind.