Research Philosophy And Approaches On Research

In this paper, the definition and description of what a case study is, what are some reasons for using a case study, what are some disadvantages and advantages of this approach? Also included in this paper I will talk about what are some of the ways a researcher can acquire information that can is used for a case study. A case study can be defined as a descriptive account of the behavior, history, and other relevant factors concerning a particular individual (Cozby, Bates, 2012).

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).

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).

A case study is a simple tool researchers can use to gather data.  Within the textbook, a case study is described as a detailed analysis of a selected individual over a span of time (Newman, 2011, sec. 3.2).  Case studies can be quite useful because they are simple, easy to conduct, and require less involvement to achieve a result.  Oftentimes, the researcher will observe an individual and record data over a specific amount of time.

Business researchers utilize various forms of approaches to analyze and obtain information and data, and two of the most popular approaches used are the qualitative research approach and quantitative research approach. Each approach can be beneficial or in some cases may cause inconclusive results depending on the type of research being conducted and what the nature of the study is. The following will assess two different peer reviewed articles: one which uses a qualitative approach and the other a quantitative approach. It

“Case study research allows the researcher to explore the phenomenon under investigation from a variety of perspectives to gain an in-depth, balanced picture of that phenomenon” (Taylor & Gregory, 2015, p. 37). Being able to interview all students enrolled in the program will allow me to gather a variation of viewpoints.

Case study research can be defined as a pragmatic method that works to understand the meaning of lived experiences, events, and interactions for people in particular situations through real-life context (Morese & Richards, 2003). The case study approach can be used for the in-depth investigation of an issue or life event. Case studies can uncover beliefs, attitudes and perspectives of those involved. In this case both teachers and students. The ultimate goal of a case study is to illustrate the complexities

Research questions in case study design begin with ‘how and why’ (Yin, 2003) and determine the type of case study. The main function of the questions is to keep the researcher focused and on track (Zucker, 2001).The following questions fit the planned instrumental, and exploratory/descriptive single case study design:

Researchers have a variety of methods they use to conduct their research. Some of these methods include action research, ethnography and case studies. Of these methods, case studies can be viewed as valuable way to collect data. A case study can be defined in a variety of ways; however, it can be summarized as a form of qualitative research that aims to systematically study the function of a social group, individual or social event in order to effectively grasp the functions of the phenomena using a variety of data-gathering methods (Berg & Lune, 2016). The aim of this paper is to determine how and why researchers may use a case study, by conducting a deeper analysis of this research method. This will be achieved by examining the

Case study research is the in-depth study of instances of a phenomenon in its natural context and from the perspective of the participants involved in the phenomenon. (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2003, p. 436)

This study will be conducted using the qualitative case study method of research. As noted by Merriam (2009), “qualitative researchers are interested in understanding how people interpret their experiences, how they construct their worlds, and what meaning they attribute to their experiences.” As defined by Merriam (2009), “a case study is an in-depth description and analysis of a bounded system” (p. 40). Likewise, defined by Merriam as, “understanding the meaning people have constructed, that is, how people make sense of their world and the experiences they have in the world.” Patton explains qualitative research as:

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.

There are several research approaches available for researchers to choose. Therefore, it is essential that researchers choose the best research approach for their problem statement and purpose. The purpose of this paper is to develop three hypothetical research approaches, compare, and contrast the three research approaches. The three approaches chosen are the case study approach, survey research approach, and the ex post facto approach.

The rich in depth narrative permitted in qualitative data makes it a very attractive method for conducting research. The broad thematic concerns researchers are able to address will allow aspects of the company being research to take on a philosophical approach that is prohibited utilizing a quantitative

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.