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Dear All,
There are multiple definitions and understandings of the case study; by which it is a “systematic inquiry into an event or a set of related events which aims to describe and explain the phenomenon of interest”
The key features of a “case study” are its scientific credentials and its evidence base for professional applications.
The case study should have a “case” which is the object of study. The “case” should
n be a complex functioning unit,
n be investigated in its natural context with a multitude of methods, and
n be contemporary.
The terms “case study”, “case review” and “case report” are used loosely in the scientific and professional literature.
A “case review” might emphasize a critical reappraisal of a case. A “case report” might refer to a summary of a case or to the document reporting a case, as in case law or medicine.
The unit of analysis can vary from an individual to a corporation. While there is utility in applying this method retrospectively, it is most often used prospectively. Data come largely from documentation, archival records, interviews, direct observations, participant observation and physical artifacts.
Case study as a research method is often indexed in most undergraduate research textbooks as neither quantitative nor qualitative. Little attention is paid to the usefulness of this method, with an average of two pages devoted to this research approach.
Case study method is indexed in many introductory research textbooks and is often taught in qualitative research methods courses that discuss a variety of methods. These may include grounded theory, phenomenology, discourse analysis and case study, for example. Besides, case studies are the preferred strategy when “how” and “why” questions are posed.
Reasonable goals for the learner would be to
- explore and understand the philosophical and aesthetic paradigms that are foundational to qualitative research methods,
- compare and contrast the distinctions among selected methods,
- evaluate traditional and emerging qualitative designs within their disciplinary area, and to
- apply methods and techniques. Using a step-wise approach student will learn how to design studies, generate data, analyze and interpret the data and disseminate findings.
There are many considerations prior to embarking on case study method but at the onset it should be clear that no other descriptive method is possible or will get the level of description the researcher is looking for, except case study method.
Time in the field, lengthy interviews and transcription and analysis are all factors that should be thought out well in advance of engaging with participants.
It was found that the case study design must have five components:
n the research question(s),
n its propositions,
n its unit(s) of analysis,
n a determination of how the data are linked to the propositions and
n criteria to interpret the findings.
It is concluded that operationally defining the unit of analysis assists with replication and efforts at case comparison.
It was emphasized that the number and type of case studies depends upon the purpose of the inquiry: an instrumental case study is used to provide insight into an issue; an intrinsic case study is undertaken to gain a deeper understanding of the case; and the collective case study is the study of a number of cases in order to inquire into a particular phenomenon.
Many research experts stated that that irrespective of the purpose, unit of analysis, or design, rigor is a central concern. They suggest that, while proponents of multiple case studies may argue for replication, using more than one case may dilute the importance and meaning of the single case.
The purposes of case study research may be exploratory, descriptive, interpretive and explanatory. Articulating the purpose of the research will inform the remainder of the case study design.
A)- Strategy: Developing a protocol will serve as a frame of operation and include all the necessary elements in the proper conduct of students’ research. The following list illustrates a common case study protocol that guides the researcher’s methodology:
1- Purpose and rationale for case study
n Significance of the phenomena of interest
n Research questions
2- Design based on the unit of analysis and research purpose
3- Data collection and management techniques
n Field methods
n Transcribed notes and interviews
n Mapping of major concepts: Mapping the data from multiple data sources is an important task, by thinking in metaphors, and creating simplistic models and thematic maps were essential activities in data management.
n Building typologies
n Member checking
4- Describe the full case
5- Focus the analysis built on themes linked to purpose and unit of analysis
6- Analyze findings based on the purpose, rationale, and research questions
- Case perspective
- Disciplinary perspective
- Cross-case comparison
- Write up the case from an emic perspective
- Biography, autobiography, narratives
7- Establishing rigor: which is built into this process by focusing the strategies used to generate meaning from the qualitative data.
- Credibility: that answers if the findings of the study make sense? Are they credible to the people we study themselves or others
- Transferability: to know if our conclusions are transferable to other contexts? How far can they be generalized? This can be done by contrasting external validity to transferability or fittingness.
- Dependability: which asking if the researcher’s processes were consistent and reasonably stable over time and across researchers and methods.
- Confirmability: the role of the case study researcher to test and confirm his/her findings in order to indicate the findings are valid and the procedures are rigorous.
B)- Sample is another important component in teaching case study method; by emphasizing unit of analysis and description of the sample.
- When the unit of analysis is an individual, for example, an important concept to consider is life history.
- The case study researcher may be somewhat of a biographer focused on a phase or segment of the life of an individual.
- The single case may focus on/employ a single unit of analysis or multiple units of analysis.
C)- Methods and Analysis: Iterative Processes; by allowing students anopportunity to move in and out of the literature before, during and after the casestudy has begun. It is important for students to understand that method and analysisoccur simultaneously in case study research. There are three stages to illustrate this process:
Stage1 - Describing Experience: in which the researcher creates interview questions prior to the first interview, which serve as a script for moving the interviewer closer to eliciting experience and meaning from participants in each succeeding interview. The questions should be broad and loosely structured, following the intent of the research questions. Next, the interview questions are accompanied by a list of possible sources of data.
Stage2 - Describing Meaning: the researcher consults the literature and links the research questions and methods to the philosophical framework. Multiple perspectives were reviewed from social constructionism, medical sociology, existential analysis and symbolic interactionism.
The first level is labeled "meaning of signs and symbols" and represents a micro-level perspective on meaning. While the second level is "meaning of people, things and events in a person's life"
Stage3 - Focus of the Analysis: Generalization of case study findings is limited to the case itself or types of cases. However, attention to selected details enhances the analysis and increases clarity of reasoning.
An important technique used to incorporate rigor into the study design is the use of the negative case to serve as a study "control". The use of the extreme case, the deviant case, and the normal case are helpful for making points of comparison.
D)- Writing Up the Case
There are some suggestions new case study researchers may find useful prior to writing up their findings.
- The first is to spend some time at the outset reading “good” case studies. Course assignments should include adequate time and support for students to complete pilot studies and practice writing, both excellent ways to develop the "artistic" expertise required of such writing.
- Other strategies include joining a writing group, participating in writing retreats and soliciting English or literature experts to begin reading one’s writing.
- The second stage of analysis focused on mapping meaning. Here theoretical support came from a model based on the symbolic interaction perspective. This model assisted in mapping the meaning demonstrated in the transcripts across the three phases of the trajectory and across the levels of meaning.
The third stage focused the analysis on three important notions: how experience was tied to a physiologic state, how it carried consequences, and how it compared with the typical illness trajectory.
Best wishes,
Lubna al-Sharif
