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Case Study - notes

Research Methodology (Visvesvaraya Technological University)

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY PROJECT

TOPIC: CASE STUDY

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

Dr. Navneet Arora Ashmin Goel
BA LLB (sem-6)
15/18
Sec-A

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Case study
Case study can be defined as the background, development, current condition and environmental
interaction of one or more individuals, groups, communities, businesses or institutions is observed, recorded
and analyzed for stages of patterns in relation to internal and external influences (Zirath, 1999 as cited in
Odoh And Chinedum ,2014).
A case study is a research method for gaining a comprehensive, multi-faceted understanding of a
complicated subject in its real-world setting. It is a well-established research strategy that is widely employed
across many fields, especially in the social sciences. A case study can be described in a variety of ways, but
the main principle is that it must investigate an event or phenomena in depth and in its natural setting. It is
frequently referred to as a "naturalistic" design, as opposed to a "experimental" design (such as a
randomised controlled trial), in which the investigator attempts to exert control over and regulate the
variable(s) of interest.
Recognized as a tool in many social science studies, the role of case study method in research becomes more
prominent when issues with regard to education (Gulsecen & Kubat, 2006 as cited in Zainal, 2007), sociology
(Grassel & Schirmer, 2006 as cited in Zainal, 2007) and community based problems (Johnson, 2006 as cited in
Zainal, 2007), such as poverty, unemployment, drug addiction, illiteracy, etc. were raised.
While a case study can be either quantitative or qualitative, or even a combination of both but most case
studies lie within the realm of qualitative methodology.

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Characteristics of case study

1. A descriptive study
a. I.e. the data collected constitute descriptions of psychological processes and events, and of the contexts in which they
occurred (qualitative data).
b. The main emphasis is always on the construction of verbal descriptions of behaviour or experience but quantitative data
may be collected.
c. High levels of detail are provided
2. Narrowly focused.
a. Typically a case study offers a description of only a single individual, and sometimes about groups.
b. Often the case study focuses on a limited aspect of a person, such as their psychopathological symptoms.
3. Combines objective and subjective data
a. i.e. the researcher may combine objective and subjective data: All are regarded as valid data for analysis, and as a basis for
inferences within the case study.
i. The objective description of behaviour and its context
ii. Details of the subjective aspect, such as feelings, beliefs, impressions or interpretations. In fact, a case study is uniquely able
to offer a means of achieving an in-depth understanding of the behaviour and experience of a single individual.
4. Process-oriented.
The case study method enables the researcher to explore and describe the nature of processes, which occur over time.

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Principles of case study

1. Use of multiple sources- The utilisation of a single data gathering source does not provide
sufficient evidence for generalisation. However, gathering information from multiple sources
is considered a major strength of the case study technique, since it helps to improve the
findings' reliability and validity.
2. Maintain a chain of evidence-The evidence from which the case study's conclusions are based
must not only be expressed and particular cases cited, such as a criminological investigation in
a criminal case in court, but it must also be preserved for a period of time so that the
evaluators may verify the source and evidence.
3. Record data: The information might be documented in the form of scribbled notes during
observations and interviews, or it might be tape-recorded in minute detail. If only a few notes
are taken during the interview/observation, complete notes can be written later as soon as
possible.

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Category of case study

According to Yin, case studies can be of three categories, namely exploratory, descriptive and
explanatory case studies.
1. Exploratory: exploratory case studies set to explore any phenomenon in the data which
serves as a point of interest to the researcher. In this case study also, prior fieldwork and small
scale data collection may be conducted before the research questions and hypotheses are
proposed. A pilot study is considered an example of an exploratory case study (Yin, 1984;
McDonough and McDonough, 1997 as cited in Zainal, 2007) and is crucial in determining the
protocol that will be used.
2. Descriptive- descriptive case studies set to describe the natural phenomena which occur
within the data in question, for instance, what different strategies are used by a reader and
how the reader use them. McDonough and McDonough suggest that descriptive case studies
may be in a narrative form. An example of a descriptive case study is the journalistic
description of the Watergate scandal by two reporters (Yin, 1984 as cited in Zainal, 2007) .

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3. Explanatory:
explanatory case studies examine the data closely both at a surface and deep level in
order to explain the phenomena in the data. For instance, a researcher may ask the
reason as to why a student uses an inferencing strategy in reading. On the basis of the
data, the researcher may then form a theory and set to test this theory (McDonough and
McDonough, 1997 as cited in Zainal, 2007). Furthermore, explanatory cases are also
deployed for causal studies where pattern-matching can be used to investigate certain
phenomena in very complex and multivariate cases.

Other researchers also mention about other categories of case study. For instance,
according to McDonough and McDonough (1997) other categories include interpretive
and evaluative case studies. Through interpretive case studies, the researcher aims to
interpret the data by developing conceptual categories, supporting or challenging the
assumptions made regarding them. In evaluative case studies, the researcher goes
further by adding their judgement to the phenomena found in the data.

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Intrinsic, instrumental and collective case studies

In defining case studies, Stake distinguishes three types, the intrinsic, the instrumental and the collective.

Intrinsic case studies

• represent nothing but themselves. The cases in intrinsic case studies are chosen because they are interesting
in their own right. The researchers want to know about them in particular, rather than about a more general
problem or phenomenon.

Instrumental case studies

• constitute exemplars of a more general phenomenon. They are selected to provide the researcher with an
opportunity to study the phenomenon of interest. The research question identifies a phenomenon (e.g.
stress, bereavement, fame etc) and the cases are selected in order to explore how the phenomenon exists
within a particular case. In this design, individuals who are experiencing the phenomenon under investigation
are all suitable cases for analysis

Collective case study

• In a collective case study, the researcher coordinates data from several different sources, such as schools or
individuals. Unlike intrinsic case studies which set to solve the specific problems of an individual case,
instrumental and collective case studies may allow for the generalisation of findings to a bigger population.

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WHEN TO USE A CASE STUDY APPROACH ?

According to Yin (1994 as cited in Nakrani,2013), a case study design should be considered when:

(a) The focus of the study is to answer “how” and “why” questions;

(b) You cannot manipulate the behaviour of those involved in the study;

(c) You want to cover contextual conditions because you believe they are relevant to the phenomenon under
study;

(d) The boundaries are not clear between the phenomenon and context.

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HOW TO CONDUCT THE CASE STUDY?

1. Defining the case:
Carefully formulated research question(s), informed by the existing literature and a
prior appreciation of the theoretical issues and setting(s), are all important in Defining
appropriately and succinctly defining the case.( Stake, 1995 as cited in Crowe, S., the case
Cresswell, K., Robertson, A., Huby, G., Avery, A., & Sheikh, A. 2011) Pertinently, each
case study should have a pre-defined boundary that clarifies the nature and time
period covered by the case study (i.e., its scope, beginning and end), the relevant
social group, organisation, or geographical area of interest to the investigator, the Selecting the
case(s)
types of evidence to be collected, and the data collection and analysis priorities.
2. Selecting the case(s)
The decision on how to select the case(s) to study is a very important one that
merits some reflection. Preparation, data collecting, and producing individual case
reports are all part of this process (in case it is a multiple-case study). This has the benefit Collecting the
data
of allowing comparisons across multiple cases and/or replication. The selected case study
site(s) should allow the research team access to the group of individuals, the
organisation, the processes or whatever else constitutes the chosen unit of analysis
for the study. As a result, accessibility is critical; the researcher must get to know Analysing,
interpreting
the case study site(s) well and work cooperatively with them. If they are to be useful and reporting
and address the research question (s), selected cases must be not case studies
just interesting but also welcoming to the inquiry.

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3. Collecting the data

` The case study methodology often entails the collecting of many sources of information,
employing a variety of quantitative (e.g. questionnaires, audits, and analysis of routinely gathered
healthcare data) and more commonly qualitative procedures to generate a full understanding of
the issue (e.g. interviews, focus groups and observations). The use of multiple sources of data
(data triangulation) has been advocated as a way of increasing the internal validity of a study (i.e.
the extent to which the method is appropriate to answer the research question)(Stake, 1995 as
cited in Crowe, et al. 2011).
An underlying assumption is that data collected in different ways should lead to similar
conclusions, and approaching the same issue from different angles can help develop a holistic
picture of the phenomenon .
4. Analysing, interpreting and reporting case studies
Typically a case study database will include a multitude of different evidence from different
sources. Data analysis of this rich resource is based on examining, categorizing and tabulating
evidence to assess whether the evidence supports or otherwise the initial propositions of the
study. The preferred strategy for analysis is to use the propositions that encapsulate the objectives
of the study, and which have shaped the data collection.
When reporting findings, it is important to provide the reader with enough contextual information
to understand the processes that were followed and how the conclusions were reached. In a
collective case study, researchers may choose to present the findings from individual cases
separately before amalgamating across cases. Care must be taken to ensure the anonymity of both
case sites and individual participants (if agreed in advance) by allocating appropriate codes or
withholding descriptors.

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Advantages of case study

1. Comparatively flexible emphasize exploration rather than prescription or prediction. Data
collection is flexible enough to allow a detailed description of each individual case to be
developed.
2. Inclusive-allows researchers to begin with broad questions and try different methods in order
to narrow their focus as their experiment. Variations in terms of intrinsic, instrumental and
collective approaches to case studies allow for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of
data.
3. Emphasis on context-specialize in “deep data” or “thick description”. The examination of the
data is most often conducted within the context of its use, that is, within the situation in which
the activity takes place. A case study might be interested, for example, in the process by which
a subject comprehends an authentic text.
4. Vividness and concreteness-carry a powerful intellectual and emotional impact on the readers.
The detailed qualitative accounts often produced in case studies not only help to explore or
describe the data in real-life environment, but also help to explain the complexities of real-life
situations which may not be captured through experimental or survey research.
By including both quantitative and qualitative data, case study helps explain both the process and
outcome of a phenomenon through complete observation, reconstruction and analysis of the cases
under investigation (Tellis, 1997 cited as Nakrani,2013)

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Criticisms of case studies

1. Time consuming- take time to include different research methods in order to get an
inclusive case study . case studies are often labelled as being tooling, difficult to
conduct and producing a massive amount of documentation (Yin, 1984 cited as
Nakrani,2013 ).
2. High investment- involve learning more about the subjects being tested since it
emphasize on “deep data”.
3. Case studies are biased.- Case studies are considered to be influenced by the
subjectivity of researcher and hence are believed to be biased. Every research
method, including the scientific method involves some form of subjectivity.
4. Generalization -case studies provide very little basis for scientific generalization
since they use a small number of subjects, some conducted with only one subject. A
common criticism of case study method is its dependency on a single case
exploration making it difficult to reach a generalizing conclusion (Tellis, 1997 cited
as Nakrani,2013).
5. Yet one more argument against the case study is that it has no
representativeness, i.e, each case studied does not represent other similar
cases.

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Conclusion
Case study research entails more than just looking into a specific person or event. This
method can be used to deal with a wide range of circumstances, from simple to complex. It
allows the researcher to answer "how" and "why" questions while also taking into account
how a phenomenon is influenced by the context in which it exists. A case study is a
wonderful opportunity for a novice researcher to get amazing insight into a subject. It
allows the researcher to collect information from a range of sources and combine it to
highlight the case. The case study approach has long been criticized for its lack of rigour and
the researcher's tendency to interpret data in a biased manner. Grounds for establishing
reliability and generality are also subjected to skepticism when a small sampling is
deployed. Case study research is sometimes disregarded as just being effective as an
exploratory technique. Despite these objections, scholars continue to use case studies in
examinations of real-life scenarios involving social concerns and concerns.
Case studies from various disciplines and domains are widely reported in the literature.

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References
1. Crowe, S., Cresswell, K., Robertson, A., Huby, G., Avery, A., & Sheikh, A. (2011). The case
study approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 11(1). Retrieved from
https://bmcmedresmethodol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2288-11-100#
2. Nakrani, A. (2013). Case study as a research method. Retrieved, from
https://www.academia.edu/41655785/CASE_STUDY_AS_A_RESEARCH_METHOD
3. Odoh, M & Chinedum E. (2014). Research Designs, Survey and Case Study. IOSR Journal
of VLSI and Signal Processing (IOSR-JVSP). 4(6). Retrieved from
http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jvlsi/papers/vol4-issue6/Version-1/C04611622.pdf
4. Schexnayder, J. ,Comeaux C., and Dasgupta S.(2021).Creativity, Cognition, and the case
study method. Retrieved, from
https://www.academia.edu/9136662/CREATIVITY_COGNITION_AND_THE_CASE_STUDY_METHOD
5. Zainal , z. (2007). Case study as a research method. Retrieved, from
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11784113.pdf

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