Case studies are a qualitative research method that focus on one unit of study (Merriam, 1998). This chapter seeks to clearly define case studies, explore their weaknesses and strengths, and discuss when and for what research questions they are most appropriate to use as an educational research method. Defining a Case Study
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What is the purpose of a case study?
Case studies are good for describing, comparing, evaluating and understanding different aspects of a research problem. A case study is an appropriate research design when you want to gain concrete, contextual, in-depth knowledge about a specific real-world subject.
What's new in the case study handbook?
In The Case Study Handbook, Revised Edition, William Ellet presents a potent new approach for efficiently analyzing, discussing, and writing about cases.
How do you write a case study?
In writing up the case study, you need to bring together all the relevant aspects to give as complete a picture as possible of the subject. How you report your findings depends on the type of research you are doing.
What are the characteristics of a good case study?
A good case study should have the potential to: Unlike quantitative or experimental research, a strong case study does not require a random or representative sample. In fact, case studies often deliberately focus on unusual, neglected, or outlying cases which may shed new light on the research problem.
What is a case study in class?
What Are Case Studies? A case is basically a story. A case recounts events or problems in a way that students can learn from their complexities and ambiguities. The students can learn from the original participants in the case, whether it is business people, doctors, or other professionals.
What do case studies include?
Case studies tend to focus on qualitative data using methods such as interviews, observations, and analysis of primary and secondary sources (e.g. newspaper articles, photographs, official records). Sometimes a case study will also collect quantitative data.
What is an example of a case study?
Prospective case study methods are those in which an individual or group of people is observed in order to determine outcomes. For example, a group of individuals might be watched over an extended period of time to observe the progression of a particular disease.
How do you present a case study in class?
Several steps must be taken before actually writing anything:Choose the situation on which to write.Gather as much information as possible about the situation.Analyze all of the elements surrounding the situation.Determine the final solution implemented.Gather information about why the solution worked or did not work.
What are the types of case study?
Types of Case StudiesIllustrative Case Studies. These are primarily descriptive studies. ... Exploratory (or pilot) Case Studies. ... Cumulative Case Studies. ... Critical Instance Case Studies. ... Individual Theories. ... Organizational Theories. ... Social Theories. ... Strengths.More items...
What are the 3 methods of case study?
He has helpfully characterised three main types of case study: intrinsic, instrumental and collective[8]. 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.
Where can I find case studies?
There are a few noteworthy sites that provide free online access to case studies, including:MIT Sloan School of Management LearningEdge Case Studies.The New York Times Case Studies.The Case Centre - Free Case Collections.
How do you answer a case study example?
There are several steps to writing an answer to a case study assignment:STEP 1: READ THE CASE STUDY AND QUESTIONS CAREFULLY. • ... STEP 2: IDENTIFY THE ISSUES IN THE CASE STUDY. ... STEP 3: LINK THEORY TO PRACTICE. ... STEP 4: PLAN YOUR ANSWER. ... STEP 5: START WRITING YOUR CASE STUDY ANSWER. ... STEP 6: EDIT AND PROOFREAD. ... STEP 7: SUBMIT.
How do you write a case study sample?
Drafting the CaseIntroduction. Identify the key problems and issues in the case study. ... Background. Set the scene: background information, relevant facts, and the most important issues. ... Evaluation of the Case. Outline the various pieces of the case study that you are focusing on. ... Proposed Solution/Changes. ... Recommendations.
What are case study questions for students?
During the course of the case study, the types of questions may vary....DuringWhat is the problem?What is the cause of the problem?Who are the key players in the situation? What is their position?What are the relevant data?
What is case study?
Case studies are a qualitative research method that focus on one unit of study (Merriam, 1998). This chapter seeks to clearly define case studies, explore their weaknesses and strengths, and discuss when and for what research questions they are most appropriate to use as an educational research method.
What are the different types of case studies?
According to Merriam (1998), the types of case studies in educational research can be separated into four main categories: (1) ethnographic, (2) historical, (3) psychological and (4) sociological. In short, ethnographic case studies focus on how people behave in cultural settings, such as the culture within a classroom.
What are the criticisms of case studies?
Many critiques of case studies align with critiques of qualitative research methods in general. These include the time-consuming nature of data collection and analysis, the increased risk of researcher bias , and the lack of generalizability that could influence credibility (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004). As mentioned previously, case studies use a variety of qualitative research techniques, which often require a researcher to spend large amounts of time collecting data, finding the appropriate way to code and organize data, and analyzing the data to make sound conclusions. Some critics remark that qualitative research methods are more susceptible to data cherry-picking, when a researcher only presents evidence that matches their own position. Some are concerned that qualitative research is more susceptible to a researcher’s assumptions and biases. Frequently, policy-makers, administrators, and other leaders look to quantitative data for decision-making and view qualitative data as being too specific to just one context. This is perhaps the weakness that is most relevant to case studies.
What are the characteristics of case study research?
27). Boundaries require researchers to scope their study. Researchers choose a bounded context which can contain a person, an organization, a class, a policy, or any given unit of study. Boundaries also help a researcher to define what will not be included in the study. If a researcher cannot state a limit to the number of participants or the amount of time their research requires, then it does not qualify as a case study (Merriam, 1998). Continuing with the example of your childhood neighborhood, you would need to decide what phenomenon in the neighborhood to focus on. If you chose to study the types of interactive play that occur in the neighborhood park, you would need to specify a length of time for the study and limit your observations to only what occurs in the boundaries of the park.
Why should a researcher use case studies?
A case study is a method that suits many beginning researchers, because the scale is small and the context is focused.
Why does external validity increase when patterns are found across cases?
The external validity, or generalizability, increases when patterns are found across cases because the sample size increases and the case results either confirm or negate each other. Thus, a researcher may choose to conduct a cross-case analysis if they plan to select and research multiple cases.
Why do researchers need boundaries?
Boundaries require researchers to scope their study. Researchers choose a bounded context which can contain a person, an organization, a class, a policy, or any given unit of study. Boundaries also help a researcher to define what will not be included in the study.
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Why is case dialogue important?
The case dialogue helps the reader understand what the case interview sounds like and the case debrief provides a lot of learnings that the reader can take away. The only potential issue with these practice cases is that they are not entirely representative of the types of cases you’ll see in real case interviews.
What is case weights?
Case Weights is a decent workbook to practice your case interview skills. Although it goes into detail on how to approach the nine different components of the case interview, some of the strategies are unnecessarily complicated.
What is case masters?
Case Masters is a decent case interview book to practice working through various different kinds of case interviews. While the cases are detailed and thorough, the pacing and style may not be representative of actual cases you’ll see in a consulting interview. Instead, the book focuses on providing more challenging cases to help you identify weakness areas. Because of this and the fact that there are only eight practice cases, you’ll likely need to supplement this book with other case interview books to get more practice.
What is Embrace the Case Interview?
Unlike many other case interview books, Embrace the Case Interview covers how to write an outstanding resume and cover letter. The tips are helpful, but are not as comprehensive or detailed as many of the consulting resume and cover letter guides online that you can read for free.
What is case interview secret?
Case Interview Secrets is the book I primarily used to land my job offer at Bain. It provides great explanations on fundamental case interview concepts. The book paints a clear picture of why case interviews are used, what to expect, and how interviewer’s evaluate candidates.
Why is it important to read case interview books?
Therefore, the case interview books you choose to read are critical in determining the efficiency in which you master case interviews.
Do case interviews cover basic information?
We do not recommend Case Interviews for Beginners. While it does provide basic and helpful information on case interviews, there are many other case interview books that do a much better job of it. There are no unique strategies or pieces of information in this book that other case interview books do not cover.
Defining A Case Study
In the book The Art of Case Studies, Robert E. Stake (1995) defines case study as “the study of the particularity and complexity of a single case, coming to understand its activity within important circumstances” (p. xi). Like other qualitative research methods, case studies provide a holistic view of their context…
Weaknesses of Case Studies
- Many critiques of case studies align with critiques of qualitative research methods in general. These include the time-consuming nature of data collection and analysis, the increased risk of researcher bias, and the lack of generalizability that could influence credibility (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004). As mentioned previously, case studies use a variety of qualitative researc…
Strengths of Case Studies
- Despite the common critiques of case studies outlined previously, the rich and holistic detail provided by case study has many advantages for researchers and other stakeholders. Complexities of a phenomenon within one case or context should be analyzed in depth, which requires time to observe, describe, and analyze. Other research methods would not provide this …
Cross-Case Analysis
- Also called collective, multicase, or comparative case studies, a cross-case analysis looks for similarities and differences between multiple case studies (Merriam 1998). Although a standard case study may have subunits, such as multiple students in a classroom, a cross-case analysis generally takes on a larger scope, such as multiple classrooms or multiple schools. A compellin…
When to Use Case Studies
- With the strengths and weaknesses of case studies in mind, I will now discuss when it is most appropriate to use case study as a qualitative research method in education. Recall that the most defining characteristic of a case study is its boundaries. It follows that a researcher should use case study as their research method when it is feasible and advantageous to set clear limits aro…
Conclusion
- Just as it is compelling to attempt to describe one aspect of your childhood neighborhood, case studies are a valuable way of looking at the world, because they allow a researcher to set boundaries and focus on one unit of study. Although case studies are susceptible to common criticisms of qualitative research methods like small sample size, the rich detail they provide hel…
References
- Johnson, R. B., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational Researcher, 33(7), 14-26. Merriam, S. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Rowley, J. (2002). Using case studies in research. Management Research News, 25(1), 16-27. Stake, R. (19…
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