There are different types of qualitative research methods like an in-depth interview, focus groups, ethnographic research, content analysis, case study research that are usually used. Case studies typically seek to answer questions beginning with “how” or “why.” To do a case study in qualitative research, carefully select a specific subject and use appropriate data collection methods and analysis to attempt to understand the subject and surrounding circumstances -- also called context. I’ve been in the department now approximately a year and a half. A case study’s design can be considerably less predetermined than many other forms of research, evolving in many ways dependent on the nature of the eventual case (Thomas, 2011). In the view of Yin, “the case study represents an empirical research that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, and includes a method comprehensive, with the logic of planning, gathering and data analysis.†Can include both single case studies as multiple, as well as quantitative approaches and qualitative research. 5. The value of the case study approach is well recognised in the fields of business, law and policy, but somewhat less so in health services research. Stake R. Multiple case study analysis. Some researchers argue that aggregation and interpretation are included in analysis, as well. A case study can be understood as a type of empirical research that aims to describe and analyze data gained through observations of one or more cases. Formulate your research question. It is based on an in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event. The e-book covers all stages of writing a dissertation starting from the selection of the research area to submitting the completed version of the work before the deadline. The case study method has grown into a valuable qualitative research method. By using multiple sources of data (and both qualitative and quantitative data) researchers may attain the richest possible understanding of a case. (Stake, 2005). In qualitative research, the context informs the research question. Qualitative research methods are designed in a manner that help reveal the behavior and perception of a target audience with reference to a particular topic. The posting below looks at, as the title suggests, the strengths and limitations of case studies research. Besides, case study research design can be used with other research strategies to address related research questions in different phases of a research project, and yet a further strategy would be to start with exploratory case study research and then to test the emerging findings in wider survey-based research (HARTLEY, 1994, p.215, 2004, pp.326-327). According to Baxter and Jack (2010) qualitative case study is an approach to research that facilitates exploration of a phenomenon within its context using a variety of data sources. An explanatory case attempts to identify a causal relation between the context and the behavior. Case studies are a popular research method in business area. Quantitative data … This is a qualitative case study conducted under an interpretive research paradigm. (Parkinson & Drislane, 2011) An explanatory study attempts to answer the "why" question behind a phenomenon, again without manipulating any aspect of the behavior. Perhaps because a case study focuses on a single unit, a single instance, the issue of generalizability looms larger here than with other types of qualitative research. However, some methods are more commonly used in one type or the other. This paper describes the features of a well designed case study and gives examples showing how qualitative methods are used in evaluations of health services and health policy. The case study is one of the widely used types of q ualitative research methods that evolved over the last few years. A case study is a detailed study of a specific subject, such as a person, group, place, event, organization, or phenomenon. [2] [3] Another suggestion is that case study should be defined as a "research strategy", an empirical inquiry that investigates a phenomenon within its real-life context. In a case study, you are deliberately trying to isolate a small study group, one individual case or one particular population. Example: “Impact of increasing levels of multiculturalism on marketing practices: A case study of McDonald’s Indonesia.”, Exploratory case studies aim to find answers to the questions of ‘what’ or ‘who’. 12.7. Unlike ethnographic research, case studies do not necessarily focus on cultural aspects of a group or its members. This includes an array of quantitative and qualitative research tools, ranging from desk-based literature reviews to in-depth case studies. Case studies aim to analyze specific issues within the boundaries of a specific environment, situation or organization. Use a case study to investigate a research question in which the subject of the study and the context of the study are intertwined. Time-series analysis, cross-case synthesis and logic models are methods of analyzing data. She is currently teaching at a middle school. Case studies are characterized by setting, context or environment, and holistic data collection methods and are used to inform theories, design future studies and develop interventions based on context. Selecting an appropriate case study design depends on the research question, and the research question dictates the data collection method or methods. Qualitative Research through Case Studies will help students improve the quality of their work through introducing a wide range of traditions, including interpretive approaches such as grounded theory, dramaturgical analysis, ethnomethodology and conversation analysis and political approaches such as critical discourse analysis, feminism and postmodern ethnography. When the approach is applied correctly, it becomes a valuable method for health science research to develop theory, evaluate programs, and develop interventions. 1. Case Study Model. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand administrators’ management of various student behaviors, collection of building-level data around student conduct, and use of such data to It is from Chapter 3, Qualitative Case Study Reseaarch in the book Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation by Sharan B. Merriam. For example, statistical analysis may have shown that birthrates in African countries are increasing. Because this study method covers both qualitative and quantitative approaches, significant studies are made in the field. A case study research paper usually examines a single subject of analysis, but case study papers can also be designed as a comparative investigation that shows relationships between two or more subjects. A case study is a research approach in which one or a few instances of a phenomenon are studied in depth. Case studies, as a research design, are also being conducted across disciplines and research traditions. 4. Qualitative case study methodology provides tools for researchers to study complex phenomena within their contexts. Given the time and cost restraints of many projects the more in-depth methods are often perceived as time consuming and frequently dismissed. Exploratory case study data collection method is often accompanied by additional data collection method(s) such as interviews, questionnaires, experiments etc. A descriptive study follows the subject to describe and analyze the context and setting in an attempt to explain the behavior in question. Case studies may involve both qualitative and quantitative research methods. A case study research design usually involves qualitative methods, but quantitative methods are sometimes also used. Issues to be explored, nature and exact number of participants, plans for recruitment and methods of data collection can be difficult to describe with complete certainty until case selection, or even later. The first foundation of the case study is the subject and relevance. A case study is a research method common in social science. Single-subject research provides the statistical framework for making inferences from quantitative case-study data. Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). ). Studies in business research belonging to this category usually describe culture or sub-culture, and they attempt to discover the key phenomena. From an ontological perspective, unlike the position of the positivist paradigm in which there is the belief that there is only one truth and that objective reality does exist independent of human perception, this study employs the constructivist view of reality and the essence of phenomenon. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand administrators’ management of various student behaviors, collection of building-level data around student conduct, and use of such data to make student-level and building-level decisions for improvement. qualitative case study to answer the research questions that frame this study. Case studies are commonly used in social, educational, clinical, and business research. Case Study: A Strategic Research Methodology. Name: Course: Lecturer: Date: Introduction. As well as, a case study has an opportunity to bend several methods into justified research design. "Case study research is a qualitative approach in which the investigator explores a bounded system (a case) or multiple bounded systems (cases) over time through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of information (e.g., observations, interviews, audiovisual material, and documents and reports) and reports a case description and case-based themes" (ibid. Case study two: qualitative research. Written data may be coded by identifying relevant points and examined for patterns. The case study research design is also useful for testing whether scientific theories and models actually work in the real world. Researchers may also use documentation or archival files to create a whole picture of the context at question. New york: The Guildford Press, 2006. The methods used to study a case can rest within a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method investigative paradigm. According to its design, case studies in business research can be divided into three categories: explanatory, descriptive and exploratory. 1. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Education, Explore state by state cost analysis of US colleges in an interactive article, TESOL: Qualitative Research: Case Study Guidelines, The Qualitative Report: Qualitative Case Study Methodology: Study Design and Implementation for Novice Researchers. qualitative case study to answer the research questions that frame this study. [Qualitative research is] research using methods such as participant observation or case studies which result in a narrative, descriptive account of a setting or practice. Unlike ethnographic research, case studies do not necessarily focus on cultural aspects of a group or its members. A case study is, perhaps, the most widely used methodology due to its flexibility.Data for qualitative researches are typically obtained from different sources such as focus groups, interviews, observations of real-life settings, and documents. A case study may be defined as an in-depth exploration of a phenomenon, an individual process or an event based on the context that uses multiple techniques for data collection and analysis. Focus groups: asking questions and generating … The most frequently used qualitative research methods are one-on-one interviews, focus groups, ethnographic research, case study research, record keeping, and qualitative observation. Qualitative research methods. This paper describes the features of a well designed case study and gives examples showing how qualitative methods are used in evaluations of health services and health policy. Res Nurs Health 1996;19:525–9. It is quite likely, as Stake (1994) points out, that researchers doing case study research are calling it by another name. Qualitative case study is a research methodology that helps in exploration of a phenomenon within some particular context through various data sources, and it undertakes the exploration through variety of lenses in order to reveal multiple facets of … Case study research: design and methods. View transcript. Qualitative case study methodology provides tools for researchers to study complex phenomena within their contexts. In this study, case study design which is one of the qualitative research methods was used. In qualitative methodologies, such as case study, grounded theory, and phenomenology, you can improve the validity of your findings if you use one of various forms of triangulation.Here is an excellent and comprehensive definition of “triangulation” from Thomas A. Schwandt in his book, The Sage Dictionary of Qualitative Inquiry, 3rd edition, Sage Publications, (2007):“Triangulation is a means of checking the integrity of the inferences one draws. Case studies do have certain disadvantages that may include lack of rigor, challenges associated with data analysis and very little basis for generalizations of findings and conclusions. When the approach is applied correctly, it becomes a … The case study model looks into the single subject in-depth to elaborate it in a more comprehensive way. Case study is a research methodology, typically seen in social and life sciences. A descriptive study would highlight both the setting and the subjects' reactions in an attempt to better understand the effects of the setting. The subjects of a case study may be an individual, a family, a classroom, organization or business, a single town or city. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2003. The research question not only dictates the methods of data collection, but also the methods of data analysis. In the view of Yin, “the case study represents an empirical research that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, and includes a method comprehensive, with the logic of planning, gathering and data analysis.†Can include both single case studies as multiple, as well as quantitative approaches and qualitative research. According to Maxwell (2005), the roles of a researcher in a qualitative research depend on the characteristics of qualitative research, which include naturalistic inquiry, holistic perspective, inductive analysis, qualitative data, personal contact and insight, unique case orientation, dynmic systems, empathetic neutrality, context sensitivity, subjectivity and design flexibility.A qualitative … There are two key Single-subject research provides the statistical framework for making inferences from quantitative case-study data. References . with open-ended questions or descriptions of what you observe). Qualitative Research Design Case Study . Most importantly, the case study method essentially forces people to make a decision about the question being studied, then defend their position through the use of facts. Example: “A study into differences of leadership practices between private and public sector organizations in Atlanta, USA.”. For example, a descriptive study may be used to answer the research question, How does a student with ADHD respond to the inclusion setting? As a qualitative research method, case studies should be used when the behavior, intervention or independent variable is not manipulated. Sociologists using these methods typically reject positivism and adopt a form of interpretive sociology. One type of qualitative research involves doing case studies, or examining the relationship between a phenomenon and a single person or group in-depth and over time. 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