What Is Case Study :-

A case study is a detailed analysis of a specific person, group, event, or situation, typically
conducted for research or educational purposes. It involves an in-depth examination of
various aspects, aiming to provide insights, solutions, or a better understanding of the subject
under scrutiny.
A case study is a research method used to examine a particular subject or situation in depth
over a specified period. It involves collecting and analyzing comprehensive data about the
case, which can be an individual, group, organization, event, or phenomenon. Case studies
are commonly utilized in various fields, such as business, psychology, sociology, and
education, to understand complex issues, explore real-life situations, and provide practical
insights. They often involve qualitative and/or quantitative data collection methods, including
interviews, observations, surveys, and document analysis, to gain a holistic understanding of
the case and draw conclusions.

 Types Of Case Study focusing on uncovering patterns or

 Illustrative Case Studies: These are
descriptive in nature and aim to
provide a detailed understanding of
a particular situation or
phenomenon.
 Exploratory Case Studies: These
are conducted to investigate a new
or unexplored subject area, often
used as a preliminary research
method.
 Explanatory Case Studies: These
focus on explaining causal links
between variables and outcomes,
aiming to answer the "how" and
"why" questions.
 Descriptive Case Studies: These
aim to describe a particular event,
program, or situation, often
trends.
 Collective Case Studies: Involving
multiple cases, these studies
compare similarities and
differences across cases to draw
broader conclusions or
generalizations.
 Intrinsic Case Studies: Conducted
for the sake of understanding a
particular case in-depth, with no
intention of generalizing the
findings.
 Instrumental Case Studies: These
studies are performed to gain
insights into a particular issue or
problem and provide a basis for
developing a broader theoretical
framework.
Brief note on Different case study
Multiple case studies are used for different
purposes. The main purpose of case
studies is to analyse problems within the
boundaries of a specific organization,
environment, or situation.
Many aspects of a case study such as data
collection and analysis, qualitative
research questions, etc. are dependent on
the researcher and what the study is
looking to address.
Illustrative Case Study
An illustrative case study is used to
examine a familiar case to help others
understand it. It is one of the main types of
case studies in research methodology and
is primarily descriptive.
In this type of case study, usually, one or
two instances are used to explain what a
situation is like.
Exploratory Case Study
An exploratory case study is usually done
before a larger-scale research. These types
of case studies are very popular in the
social sciences like political science and
primarily focus on real-life contexts and
situations.
Case studies can be divided into the
following categories:
 Illustrative Case Study
 Exploratory Case Study
 Cumulative Case Study
 Critical Instance Case Study
 Descriptive Case Study
 Intrinsic Case Study
 Instrumental Case Study
Let’s take a look at the detailed description
of each type of case study
This method is useful in identifying
research questions and methods for a large
and complex study.
Cumulative Case Study
A cumulative case study is one of the main
types of case studies in qualitative
research. It is used to collect information
from different sources at different times.
This case study aims to summarize the past
studies without spending additional cost
and time on new investigations.
Critical Instance Case Study
Critical instances case studies are used to
determine the cause and consequence of an
event.
The main reason for this type of case study
is to investigate one or more sources with
unique interests and sometimes with no
interest in general.
Descriptive Case Study
When you have a hypothesis, you can
design a descriptive study. It aims to find
connections between the subject being
studied and a theory.
After making these connections, the study
can be concluded. The results of the
descriptive case study will usually suggest
how to develop a theory further.
Intrinsic Case Study
Intrinsic studies are more commonly used
in psychology, healthcare, or social work.
So, if you were looking for types of case
studies in sociology, or types of case
studies in social research, this is it.
The focus of intrinsic studies is on the
individual. The aim of such studies is not
Pros And Cons Of Case Study:-
Pros:-
1. In-depth understanding: Case studies
allow for a detailed analysis of a particular
situation, event, or phenomenon, enabling
researchers to gain a comprehensive
understanding of complex issues.
2. Rich data collection: Case studies
involve collecting a wide range of
qualitative and quantitative data, including
only to understand the subject better but
also their history and how they interact
with their environment.
Instrumental Case Study
This type of case study is mostly used in
qualitative research. In an instrumental
case study, the specific case is selected to
provide information about the research
question.
It offers a lens through which researchers
can explore complex concepts, theories, or
generalizations.
interviews, observations, documents, and
artifacts, which provide a holistic view of
the research topic.
3. Contextual analysis: With case studies,
researchers can study a subject within its
real-life context, taking into account
various factors and variables that may
influence the outcomes or behaviour under
study.
4. Development of theories: Through
careful analysis and interpretation of data
from case studies, researchers can develop
or refine theoretical frameworks or
propose new hypotheses for further
investigation.
5. Explanatory power: Case studies can
effectively explain and highlight the causal
relationships, mechanisms, and underlying
reasons behind specific outcomes or
phenomena.
subjectivity and biases in data collection,
analysis, and interpretation, potentially
leading to less objective findings.
3. Time and resource-intensive:
Conducting comprehensive case studies
can be time-consuming and resource-
intensive due to the collection, analysis,
and interpretation of a vast amount of data,
which may limit the feasibility of
conducting multiple case studies.

4. Lack of causality determination: While

Cons:-
1. Limited generalizability: The findings
from a case study may not be easily
applicable to other contexts or populations
due to the unique characteristics of the
specific case being examined, limiting the
generalizability of results.
2. Subjectivity and bias: Case studies can
be influenced by the researcher's
case studies can highlight correlations and
associations, they often struggle to
establish definitive causal relationships
between variables, as they primarily focus
on a single or limited number of cases.
5. Ethical considerations: Ethical concerns
may arise when conducting case studies,
particularly in terms of privacy,
confidentiality, potential harm to
participants, and informed consent,
requiring careful attention and adherence
to ethical guidelines.

Conclusion:-
Case studies are valuable research methods that provide a holistic understanding of specific
phenomena. The choice of the case study type depends on the research question and
objectives. While case studies offer rich insights, they also have limitations, such as potential
bias, lack of generalizability, and the time-consuming nature of in-depth analysis.
Researchers should carefully consider the purpose of their study and select an appropriate
case study type to meet their research goals.

References:
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-write-a-psychology-case-study-2795722#toc-types-
of-case-studies

https://gptgo.ai/en