Case study research involves an in-depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping statistical survey. It aims to analyze specific issues within the boundaries of a specific environment, situation or organization. The case study research method originated in clinical medicine (the case history, i.e. the patient’s personal history). The case study method explores and investigates contemporary real-life phenomenon through detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions, and their relationships. It gains insight by deliberately focusing on a comparatively small sample. As a form of qualitative descriptive research, the case study looks intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that specific context. Researchers do not focus on the discovery of a universal, generalizable truth, nor do they typically look for cause-effect relationships; instead, emphasis is placed on exploration and description.
When To Use Case Studies
Case studies are useful in a variety of situations including:
- Researchers have little control over events
- A contemporary phenomenon is being examined in a real-life context
- Boundaries are not clear between phenomenon and context
- Knowledge of the phenomenon remains at an early, formative stage
Other situations where case study research is appropriate include where a phenomenon:
- Is broad and complicated
- Involves studying behaviors that cannot be manipulated or controlled
- Wants to cover contextual or complex multivariate conditions and not just isolated variables
- Requires multiple sources of evidence instead of relying on a single source alone
Steps In Conducting Case Study Research
There are several key steps researchers take when conducting a case study:
- Determine and define the research questions – What do you want to learn or understand and why? How will this understanding inform practice, policy, theory or subsequent research?
- Select the case(s) – Determine what you want to analyze and which case will illuminate it. Is it an individual? Group? Organization? Community? Decisions about sampling are important.
- Collect data – Using multiple sources and techniques e.g. observations, interviews, documents, reports. Each method reveals different aspects of empirical reality. Much of the data collection occurs through field work.
- Analyze data – Using approaches that help describe, build explanations and test hypotheses i.e. pattern-matching, explanation-building, time-series analysis, logic models.
- Communicate findings – Developing a detailed report and communicating results clearly.
Characteristics of Case Study Research
Some key characteristics of case study research include:
Characteristic | Description |
---|---|
Particularistic | Focuses on a particular situation, event, program, or phenomenon |
Descriptive | Yields a rich, thick description of the phenomenon under study |
Heuristic | Illuminates the reader’s understanding of phenomenon under study |
Inductive | Involves studying details and themes to derive general conclusions |
Types of Case Study Research
There are different types of case study research including:
Explanatory
Used to explore causation and find underlying principles. May start with an initial proposition or theory which is then supported or disputed by study of a case.
Exploratory
A field study that is sometimes used as a prelude to further study. The research is still defining the questions and hypotheses.
Descriptive
Involves beginning with a descriptive theory, proposition or model about a phenomenon. The case study either explores the theory’s implications in a real-world environment or helps refine and test it. Mostly used in pilot studies to generate hypotheses.
Multiple Case Studies
Involves studying multiple cases simultaneously or sequentially in an attempt to generate a still broader appreciation of a particular issue or phenomenon. Each case must be carefully selected so that it either predicts similar results or produces contrary results but for predictable reasons.
Intrinsic
Aims to learn about a unique phenomenon which is special in and of itself. The sole purpose is to achieve insight into the chosen case.
Instrumental
Examines a particular case to gain insight into an issue or refine a theory. The case itself is secondary to understanding something else.
Collective
Involves studying a group of cases jointly in order to inquire into the population to which the cases belong. May or may not be known populations.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Case Studies
Some key advantages of case study research include:
- Useful when a big sample population is difficult to obtain
- Allows researcher to gain a deeper insight into the topic
- Allows exploring data in more details with a variety of lenses
- Can generate new ideas for research based on its findings
- Permits studying of otherwise inaccessible situations
- Provides insight for further research
Some potential disadvantages or criticisms of case study research are:
- Difficult to generalize findings to wider populations
- Harder to make quantitative predictions as compared to statistical or experimental studies
- Results may be more easily influenced by researcher bias
- Small sample sizes can lead to lack of rigor
- Findings cannot be extended to wider populations with the same degree of certainty
Examples of Case Study Research
Some examples of published case study research include:
- Schon’s (1983) study of an architectural design studio – How do architects design? What approaches do they take?
- Pennington’s (2002) report on the collapse of Barings Bank – What went wrong? How did Nick Leeson break Barings?
- Yin’s (1994) work on the restructure of Chicago city government – How did mayor Daley attempt change?
- Chetty’s (1996) study of a science project in a culturally diverse school – How do children share ideas?
Topics that lend themselves well to case study research include situations where:
- How & why questions are being posed
- The investigator has little control over events
- The focus is on contemporary events
Conclusion
In summary, case study research is an in-depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping statistical survey. It aims to analyze specific issues within the boundaries of a specific environment, situation or organization. Case studies are useful in a variety of situations, in particular where a phenomenon is broad and complex and where studying behaviors cannot be experimentally manipulated. There are different types of case study research including explanatory, exploratory, descriptive and multiple case studies. Key steps when undertaking case study research include determining research questions, selecting cases, collecting and analyzing data, and communicating findings. Advantages of the case study method are gaining a deeper insight into a topic and generating new research ideas. Disadvantages are the inability to generalize to wider populations with certainty and susceptible to researcher bias. Overall, case study research is valuable for gaining in-depth understanding of a complex issue in a real-world context.