CASE STUDY RESEARCH METHOD

LOGIC OF CASE STUDY

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Based on R.Yin, 2009, Case Study Research, 4th Ed., SAGE.

WHEN TO USE?
How and Why research questions

Researcher has little control over events Focus is on contemporary phenomenon within real-life context

GOALS OF CASE STUDY

Exploratory

Descriptive Explanatory

CRITICISM
Rigor of case study research

Little basis for scientific generalization Too long, result in massive, unreadable documents Cant directly address causal relationships

(R.YIN, 2009, Case Study Research, 4th Ed., SAGE. p.18)

DEFINITION

1. A case study is an empirical enquiry that

investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident.

2. The case study inquiry

copes with the technically distinctive situation in which there will be many more variables of interest than data points, and as one result relies on multiple sources of evidence, with data needing to converge in a triangulating fashion, and as another result benefits from the prior development of theoretical propositions to guide data collection and analysis.

NUMBER OF CASES
Single vs. Multiple

Comparative case method (distinctive form of multiple case study)

DESIGN

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RESEARCH DESIGN OF CASE STUDY

Research design logic linking data to be collected to the initial questions of study Logical connection between questions and findings Example: inter-organizational study

COMPONENTS OF RESEARCH DESIGN

Questions of a study

Propositions Unit(s) of analysis Logic linking the data to the propositions

Criteria for interpreting the findings

ROLE OF THEORY IN DESIGN

Theoretical framework for a study

E.g., organizational theories (theories of bureaucracy, organizational structure and functions; excellence in organizational performance, and inter-organizational partnerships)
Generalizations: statistical and analytic

CRITERIA FOR JUDGING THE QUALITY OF RESEARCH DESIGN

Construct validity: identifying correct operational measures for the concepts being studied Internal validity: seeking to establish a causal relationship, whereby certain conditions are believed to lead to other conditions External validity: defining the domain to which a studys findings can be generalized Reliability: demonstrating that the operations of a study such as the data collection procedures can be repeated, the same results

CONSTRUCT VALIDITY
Problem:
Operational set of measures: objectivity vs. subjectivity

Tactics:
Use multiple sources of evidence Establish chain of evidence Have key informants review draft case study report

INTERNAL VALIDITY
Problem:
Mainly a concern for explanatory case studies
Making inferences in a case study

Tactics:
Do pattern matching Do explanation building

Address rival explanation

Use logic model

EXTERNAL VALIDITY
Problem:
Is this study generalizable? This is a major concern in case studies!

Tactics:
Use theory in single-case studies
Use replication logic in multiple-case studies

RELIABILITY
Problem:
To minimize errors and biases in a study

Tactics:
Use case study protocol Develop case study database

PREPARING FOR DATA COLLECTION

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DESIRED SKILLS
Ask good questions

Be a good listener Be adaptive and flexible Have a firm grasp of the issues being studied
Be unbiased by preconceived notions

PROTOCOL OF INVESTIGATION
Major way to increase the reliability of case study

Guides the investigator in the data collection General content of a case study protocol:
an overview of the project field procedures case study questions

a guide for case study report

COLLECTING CASE STUDY EVIDENCE

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SOURCES OF EVIDENCE
Documentation

Archival records Interviews Direct observation

Participant observation Physical artefacts

DOCUMENTATION
Strengths:
Stable, unobtrusive, exact, broad coverage

Weaknesses:
Retrievability, biased selectivity, reporting bias, and access

Use of documents: to corroborate and augment evidence from other sources An Internet search prior to field visit

ARCHIVAL RECORDS
Strengths:

Same as for documents

Precise and usually quantitative Weaknesses:

Same as for documents

Accessibility due to privacy reasons Often take a form of computer files and records

E.g., organizational records (budget or personnel records) Usefulness of archival records vary: from essential to passive relevance

INTERVIEWS
Strengths:
Targeted, insightful

Weaknesses:
Bias due to poorly articulated questions Response bias Inaccuracies due to poor recall

Reflexivity

DIRECT OBSERVATIONS
Strengths:
Reality, contextual

Weaknesses:
Time-consuming, selectivity, reflexivity, and cost

Observations of meetings, factory work, classrooms, etc.

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
Strengths:
Same as for direct observation
Insightful into interpersonal behavior and motives

Weaknesses:
Same as for direct observation Bias due to participant-observers manipulation of events

PHYSICAL ARTEFACTS
Strengths:
Insightful into cultural features and technical operations

Weaknesses:
Selectivity and availability

E.g., technological device, tool or instrument, a work of art

PRINCIPLE 1: USE MULTIPLE SOURCES OF EVIDENCE

Use of multiple sources is a strength of a case study

Triangulation -> findings are more convincing and accurate

Convergence and nonconvergence of sources

Prerequisites for using multiple sources: costs, knowledge in different data collection methods

PRINCIPLE 2: CREATE A CASE STUDY DATABASE

Way of organizing and documenting the data collected Increases reliability of research Database includes:
case study notes (e.g., results of interviews, observations)
case study documents tabular materials (e.g., survey and other quantitative data) narratives (open-ended answers to the questions)

PRINCIPLE 3: MAINTAIN A CHAIN OF EVIDENCE

To allow an external observer to follow the derivation of any evidence from initial research questions to ultimate conclusions Not only the actual evidence but the circumstances of its collection

ANALYSIS

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GENERAL STRATEGIES
Relying on theoretical propositions

Developing a case description Using both qualitative and quantitative data Examining rival explanations

1. PATTERN MATCHING
Compare an empirically based pattern with a predicted one Can help to strengthen the internal validity A pattern might be related to the variables of the study Example of pattern analysis

2. EXPLANATION BUILDING
Analysis of a case study by building an explanation about the case Mainly relevant to explanatory case studies Explanation building occurs most often in a narrative form Reflect theoretically significant propositions Iterative nature of explanation building Potential problems with explanation building

3. TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS
The ability to trace changes over time is a strength of case studies Single dependent or independent variable Statistical tests are used

Complex time series analysis Chronologies

4. LOGIC MODELS
The model stipulates a complex chain of events over an extended period of time Repeated cause-effect-cause-effect patterns Can be considered as a form of pattern matching

Matching empirically observed events to theoretically predicted events

5. CROSS CASE SYNTHESIS

Applied specifically to the analysis of multiple cases

Cases for synthesis might come from different studies

REPORTING CASE STUDY

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ISSUES IN REPORTING
There is no any stereotypic form Targeting case study reports Structures for case study reports:
Linear-analytic (for all types) Comparative (for all types) Chronological (for all types) Theory-building (for explanatory and exploratory) Suspense (only for explanatory) Unsequenced (only for descriptive)

REFERENCES
R. Yin, 2009, Case Study Research: design and methods, 4th Ed., SAGE.