Introduction
Case studies are an important research method in areas where innovations are studied. They enable us to study contemporary and complex social phenomena in their natural context. Over the years researchers working from both epistemological perspectives have addressed important methodological issues. A case study is expected to capture the complexity of a single case, and the methodology which enables this has developed not only in the social sciences, such as psychology, sociology, anthropology, and economics, but also in practice-oriented fields such as environmental studies, business studies, social work and Counselling. (Yin 1994)
Croty (1998, p2) explains that there are four questions which are basic elements of any
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Kenny & Groteleuschen (1984)
Yin (1993) has identified some specific types of case studies: Exploratory, Explanatory, and Descriptive. Stake (1998) included three others: intrinsic, instrumental and collective. An intrinsic case study is typically undertaken to learn about a unique phenomenon. The researcher should define the uniqueness of the phenomenon, which distinguishes it from all others. In contrast, the instrumental case study uses a particular case (some of which may be better than others) to gain a broader appreciation of an issue or phenomenon.
History of the Case study
It is generally believed that the case-study method was first introduced into social science by Frederic Le Play in 1829 as a handmaiden to statistics in his studies of family budgets. Les Ouvriers Europeens (1879) in . .
The use of case studies for the creation of new theory in social sciences has been further developed by the sociologists Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss who presented their research method, Grounded theory, in 1967.
The popularity of case studies in testing hypotheses has developed only in recent decades. Case studies have also been used as a teaching method and as part of professional development, especially in business and legal education. The problem-based learning (PBL) movement is such an example. When used in (non-business) education and professional development and are often referred to as critical incidents.
A case study is an intensive type of research that involves a process in which detailed information is collected
A case study involves in-depth research and documentation of one person or more than one person. Researchers gain a large insight into the case when it’s not as many people compared to surveys, which is one of its strengths. The advantages of a case study are a deeper understanding of the patient, and the researcher doesn’t ‘t have to do anything against his or her ethics. The disadvantages of a case study are time consumption, and it’s hard to generalize since case studies are usually unique cases unlike anything else. Case studies, surveys, and naturalistic observations are all descriptive research methods, since they cannot make predictions or determine causality.
A case study is “a method of analysis and a specific research design for examining a problem” (University of Southern California, 2010). It can be used to analyze a person, place, event, or other subjects in order to help discover mitigating issues, misconceptions, failures, trends, or recommendations (USC, 2010). Case studies will be used to gain a better understanding of situations and topics to help others make better policies, procedures, and decisions (USC, 2010).
A case study is a puzzle that has to be solved. The first thing to remember about writing a case study is that the case should have a problem for the readers to solve. The case should have enough information in it that readers can understand what the problem is and, after thinking about it and analyzing the information; the readers should be able to come up with a proposed solution. Writing an interesting case study is a bit like writing a detective story. You want to keep your readers very interested in the situation.
43.Case Study: an observational technique in which one person id studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles.
These two Case Studies come from a National Center on Case Studies. I think that a case study approach is very useful in applying knowledge and this is what makes you learn it better. They may be a little daunting when you read them but I will help you go through them. Please ask for help so this topic becomes more enjoyable for you.
An in-depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping statistical survey. Case study research is a method that was used to narrow down a very broad field of research into one easily researchable topic.
Case studies are one of the first types of research to be used in the qualitative methodology and repeating the study several times will lead to the increased reliability of the study (Starman, 2013). This methodology is appropriate because it will allow for data collection results to be generalized based on the theoretical propositions and not the population (Harrison et al. 2017).
“Case studies are stories. It presents a realistic, complex, and contextually rich situations and often involve a dilemma, conflict, or problem that one or more of the characters in the case must negotiate”,
The authors used a descriptive case study which is a methodological approach that can use a number of different methods to conduct an instrumental investigation that is bounded by place and time. Case study research asks questions of ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ in a non controlled or non artificial environment to analyse existing, real life situations with all their complexity
The basic methodology of the current investigation is a qualitative case study method, in which the author writes subjective observations and details about a case or cases, which are then related to a more general subject (in this case, the importance of altruism). Case study methods tend to concentrate on how the general experiences of the case instances are able to be applied to a larger statistical body. The case study methodology is a tried and true method with a
Now, case studies are considered to be more of an in-depth study that uses many approaches and data sources of a solo case. Percy, Kostere, & Kostere, (2015, p. 19) stated that when we do a single case study, we do not mean a case study of one person, but instead we mean a study of a solo research/topic questions. From time to time there is a quantity of cases that are reported and studied together. The cases in a
In case study research, an investigator studies an individual or small group of individuals with an unusual condition or situation. Case studies are typically clinical in scope. The investigator (often a clinical sociologist) sometimes uses self‐report measures to acquire quantifiable data on the subject. A comprehensive case study, including a long‐term follow‐up, can last months or years.
A case study is a specific instance that is frequently designed to illustrate a more general principle (Nisbet and Watt, 1984). Hitchock and Hughes (1995) further suggest that the case study approach is particularly valuable when the researcher has little control over evens. Case studies strives to portray ‘what it like’ to be a particular situation, to catch up reality and ‘thick description’ (Geertz, 1973) of participants’ lives experiences of, thoughts about and feelings for a situation. They involve looking at a case or phenomenon in its real-life context, usually employing many types of data (Robson, 2002). It is important in case studies for events and situations to be allowed to speak for themselves, rather than to be largely interpreted, evaluated or judged by the researcher. In this respect the case study is akin to the television documentary. Case studies can make theoretical statements, but, like other forms of research and human sciences, these must be supported by the evidence presented.
The term ``case method ' ' has come to refer to a wide range of teaching styles and objectives that can be adopted within the use of case studies for teaching (Dooley and Skinner, 1977). It has been proposed that the case method can be used to: . gain illustration of particular points, issues or managerial principles; . provide managers with a neutral situation in which they are free to explore problems (because they are not their own); . relate theory to practice; . confront the complexities of specific situations; . develop analysis and synthesis; . develop self-analysis, attitudes, confidence, responsibility; . develop interpersonal skills, communication and listening; and . develop judgement and wisdom and enliven teaching. The method may gain the student 's intellectual and emotional involvement and assist the long-term retention of understanding and bring realism into instructional settings (Romm and Mahler, 1991; Osigweh, 1989; Smith, 1987; Christensen and Hansen, 1987; Dooley and Skinner, 1977). The case method is not without its limitations. Cases may be limited in the extent to which they present the realities of an organization. Yin (1989) comments that a case need not reflect a complete or accurate rendition of actual events; its purpose is to establish a framework for discussion among students. Similarly Towl (1969) describing case writing at Harvard Business School