Case Study

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• Case Study
• research

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Key features

• Empirical enquiry, that
• Examines complex issues through focussing on a
  single
• Case /entity / unit of study to provide
• Detailed, contextual analysis
• Advantages, see Cohen Manion 1994Ch 5

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• empirical inquiry that investigates a
  contemporary phenomenon within its real-life
  context when the boundaries between phenomenon
  and context are not clearly evident and in which
  multiple sources of evidence are used
• (Yin, 1984, p. 23).

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• Every case will represent its own characteristics
  and issues historical, cultural educational,
  social, political, personal, emotional,
  technical, etc. These and their
  inter-relationships carry the complexity of the
  case, that you propose to investigate in depth.
• You will use a variety of data gathering methods
  to produce evidence that leads to understanding
  of the case and answers the research questions.

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Seven stages of case study research

• Design craft the research questions
• Design select the cases
• Design decide on data gathering and analysis
  techniques
• Design prepare to collect data
• Collect data in the field
• Evaluate and analyze the data
• Report and discuss your findings

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Stage 1. Design craft the research questions

• The questions will identify the situation or
  problem to be studied and the purpose of the
  study. The case may be, for example, a person, a
  group, a course, an institution.
• The questions will be informed by a partial
  review of literature, especially previous,
  similar studies.
• Case study research questions frequently are
  "how" or "why."

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• Do your research questions define your purpose
  and provide a logical basis for your methodology?
• Do the questions provide a clear, unambiguous,
  focus to which you can refer during the course of
  the enquiry as you check back to ensure that you
  are being consistent and logical?

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Stage 2. Design select the cases

• You will select single or multiple real-life
  cases to examine in depth. If you use multiple
  cases, you will consider each case separately and
  draw separate conclusions, though these later
  will be brought together as a whole for a further
  level of analysis.
• A case may be considered unique, or typical
  cases may be selected because they are similar
  they may vary, for example in size or
  composition, etc.
• A case study can be layered, or embedded for
  example, it may involve study of a single class
  and a child or group in that class. This would
  increase the amount and complexity of data you
  would gather and analyse.

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• Are the boundaries and limits of your enquiry
  made clear?
• Is the selection a logical implementation of the
  research questions?
• Have you been through the required ethics and
  permissions procedures?

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Stage 3. Design decide on data gathering and
analysis techniques

• Case study methodology involves using multiple
  sources and techniques to gather your data. You
  decide in advance what evidence/data, what
  gathering methods and what analysis methods will
  enable you to answer your research questions.
• You may gather qualitative or quantitative data.
  Data gathering methods can include
  questionnaires, interviews, document analysis,
  observation, collection and analysis of physical
  artifacts. Cohen Manion 1994110 note the
  popularity of participant observation techniques.

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• Does your design commit you to gathering
  systematically the sort of data needed to answer
  your research questions?
• Are your plans a logical follow-through of the
  research questions with regard to the type/s of
  data, methods used for collecting, the analysis
  and presentation of the data?
• Have you included a suitable measure of
  triangulation?

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Stage 4. Design prepare to collect data

• It is essential to be systematic in your
  organization of data to prevent being overwhelmed
  by it, particularly if you may have data from
  multiple sources.
• One of your design tasks is to prepare in advance
  for recording, filing, sorting, storing, and
  retrieving your data for analysis with suitable
  protocols and procedures.
• Are you clear how your data will be labelled,
  categorised, filed and retrieved to inform your
  lines of enquiry?

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Stage 5. Collect data in the field

• As a researcher you will observe systematically
  the object of the case study. During this time
  you may find it necessary to renegotiate
  arrangements you have made or modify your data
  collection tools. The flexibility of case study
  research allows this, but if you make changes you
  must record them systematically.

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• Exemplary case studies use field notes or a
  research diary and databases to categorize and
  reference data so that it is readily available
  for subsequent reinterpretation. These notes
  record feelings and intuitive hunches, pose
  questions, and document the work in progress.
  You may use them in your final account. They may
  warn of impending bias because of the detailed
  exposure of the client to special attention, or
  give an early signal that a pattern is emerging.
  Keep your field notes / research diary separate
  from the data being collected and stored for
  analysis.

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Stage 5. Evaluate and Analyze the Data

• You should plan to interpret and analyse your raw
  data in a variety of ways in order to find
  linkages between the case/s studied and the
  outcomes based on and led by your original
  research questions. The case study method, with
  its use of multiple data collection and analysis
  methods, will offer you opportunities to
  triangulate data in order to strengthen your
  research findings and conclusions. If you have
  collected quantitative data and qualitative data
  you will try to use these two types to
  corroborate and support each other. It will be
  important to remain open to new opportunities and
  insights at this stage.

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• Are you confident that you have demonstrated the
  accuracy and reliability of your findings?

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Step 6. Report and discuss your findings

• This should be based on and led by the initial
  research questions. Further discussion and
  exploration of the issues raised can add more
  value to the dissertation. Also, the methodology
  itself should be discussed.
• Have you critically examined your work and been
  open and honest in considering weaknesses?

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• Bassey M 1999 Case study research in
  educational settings. Buckingham Open
  University Press
• Graham B 2000 Case Study research methods.
  London Continuum
• Yin R (2003). Case study research design and
  methods 3rd ed London Sage Publishing