1. By Person-Redmond and Walker

2. • Most widely used approach in qualitative inquiry
• Represents a basic form of qualitative research
• Used to study ALMOST any topic or type of phenomenon
with the entire range of data collection and analytic
methods used by qualitative researcher
• Basic elements appear in specialized approaches to
qualitative research
• Called qualitative research traditions
• Learning the case study approach makes it easier to
understand the purposes and methods of other
approaches to qualitative research.
• Play a role in mix-methods research.

3. • Case study is defined as
• The in-depth study of
• One or more instances of a phenomenon
• In its real-life context that
• Reflects the perspective of the participants involved in
the phenomenon.
• Study of Particular Instances
• Phenomenon
• Case
• Unit of analysis
• Focus

4. • In-Depth Study of the Case
• Substantial amount of data is collected about the
specific case selected to represent the phenomenon
• Data is in the form of words, images, or physical objects
• Quantitative data can also be collected
• Data is often collected over an extended time period
• Several methods of data collection are used
• Study of a Phenomenon in Its Real-Life Context
• Involve fieldwork in which the researcher interacts with
study participants in their natural settings

5. • Representation of Emic ad Etic Perspectives
• An effort to portray truthfully the etic perspective of
researchers as well as the emic perspective of the
research participants
• Emic perspective- participants’ viewpoint
• Etic perspective-case study researchers perspective as
investigator or an outsider

6.  To produce detailed descriptions of a phenomenon
 Researcher attempts to depict a phenomenon and
conceptualize it.
 Depiction can focus on various phenomena.
 The meaning that the research participants ascribe to their
life possible outcomes, contextual factors that influence their
lives, a series of events and their possible outcomes, or new or
unusual in society.
 Thick description-statements that re-create a situation
and as much of its context as possible, in addition to the
meanings and intentions inherent in that situation.
 Construct
 Themes

7.  To develop possible explanations of it
 Explanations are referred to as patterns
 Meaning that one type of variation observed in a case study is
systemically related to another observed variation
 Relational pattern and causal pattern
 To evaluate the phenomenon
 Responsive evaluation, fourth-generation evaluation, quasi-
legal models of evaluation, and expertise-based evaluation
(Discussed more in chapter 17)

8.  Standard designs for quantitative research have
evolved.
 Standard designs can be used as “blueprints” of
methods and sequential steps for starting new
research.
 There is no true-of case study design.
 Design is determined by the researcher conducting the
study and is specific to the phenomenon being studied.

9.  Formulating a Research Problem
 Step 1- Identify a problem that interests you and that is
worthy of study.
 Step 2-The research problem needs to be translated into
explicit questions or objectives.
 Selecting a Case
 Key issue- the decision concerning what you want to be
able to say something about at the end of the study.
 Cases that are qualitative are selected by a purposeful
sample process

10.  Defining the Role of the Case Study Researcher
 Obtain necessary institutional review and approval
 Obtain permission from site or sites in which the research will
be conducted.
 Quantitative researchers
 Specify precise procedures for data collection and analysis
 Play limited role in data collection; use assistants to collect data.
 Qualitative researchers (case study researchers)
 Data collection is more complex; procedures are standardized
 Primary “measuring instrument”
 Like to interact closely with research participants, attend social
events in the field settings, and use empathy and other
psychological processes to grasp the meaning of the phenomenon
as it is experienced by individuals and groups in advance of the
setting.

11.  Gaining Entry
 Identifying appropriate sites is a critical step
 Issues can include
 Identifying people within the field setting with whom to make
initial contact
 Selecting the best method of communication
 Deciding how to phrase your request
 Being prepared to answer questions and address concerns.
 Addressing Ethical Issues
 Utilitarian ethics
 Deontological ethics
 Relational ethics
 Ecological ethics

12.  One method can begin case study and gradually shift
to, or add other methods
 Personal Involvement in the Data-Collection Process
 The extent to which they should disclose their personal
experiences, feelings, or beliefs to field participants
during data collection.
 Subjectivity audit- involves taking notes about
situations connected to one’s research that arouse strong
positive or negative feelings
 Objective evidence that their views are incorrect.

13.  Analyzing Data during Data collection
 Data collection is emergent.
 Two strategies can be facilitated
 Making records of field contacts
 Contact summary sheet
 Document summary form
 Thinking “finish-to –start”
 Thinking through the entire research project at the very
beginning
 Ending Data Collection
 Involves practical and theoretical considerations
 Practical- time and budgetary constraints or observation of
participants running thin

14.  Theoretical considerations
 Exhaustion of sources
 Saturation of categories
 Emergence of regularities
 Overextension

15.  Three types of approaches commonly used to analyze
case study data:
 Interpretational- is the process of examining the case study
data closely in order to find constructs, themes, and
patterns that can be used to describe and explain the
phenomenon being studied.
 Structural – is the process of examining case study data for
the purpose of identifying patterns inherent in
discourse, text, events, or other phenomena.
 Reflective-is the process in which the researcher relies
primarily on intuition and judgment in order to portray or
evaluate the phenomenon.

16.  Researchers must consider if the research is meeting
the needs of the users (Strategies 1-5)
 Researchers must consider the thoroughness of the
data collection (Strategies 6-10)
 Researchers must ensure there were sound research
methods used (Strategies 11-17)

17. Meeting the Users’ Needs Thorough Data Collection
1. Usefulness 6. Triangulation of data
2. Participatory Models sources, analysts, and
3. Chain of Evidence
theorist
7. Contextual
4. Truthfulness and
reporting style completeness
8. Long-term observation
5. Quasi-statistics
9. Rich data
10. Representative check

18. Reflect Sound Research
Design
14. Intervention and patter
11. Coding Checks checking
12. Disconfirming case 15. Comparison
analysis 16. Peer Examination
13. Member checking 17. Research reflection

19.  Researchers must also consider the quality of the case
study in terms of its validity and reliability.
 Construct Validity
 Internal Validity
 External Validity
 Reliability

20.  According to Gall, Gall, and Borg (2007) the term
applicability, rather than generalizability, is more
appropriate for this goal of qualitative research
because it is based on different processes and types of
evidence.
1. Use purposeful sampling so that the case may apply
to other similar cases.
2. Unit of analysis can be using a random sample
3. Comparison of cases or settings in relation to an
existing theory.

21.  Case study research is unique in that it is not until the
phase of writing up or reporting the research that the
researchers finalize their identification of the specific
case or cases that the study concerns.
 Two main types of Reporting Styles
 Reflective- use of writing characterized by literary
devices and strong presence of researchers voice.
 Analytic- objective writing style (researchers voice is
silent or subdued)

22. Advantages
Case Study research
 brings a case to life in a way that is not possible using
the statistical methods
 helps readers to compare cases with their own
situations
 reveals the researcher's perspective, thus enabling
readers to determine whether the researcher has the
same perspective on the phenomenon as they do
 Is ideally suited to investigating outliers and other
unusual phenomena

23. Disadvantages
Case Study research
 Is difficulty of generalizing the findings to other
situations
 Is ethical problems can arise if it proves difficult in the
report to disguise the identity of the organization or
individuals that were studied
 Is highly labor-intensive and require highly developed
language skills

24. Gall, Meredith D., Gall, Joyce P., & Borg, Walter R.
(2007). Educational research (8th Edition), A B
Longman Publishing, ISBN: 0-321-08189-7