Significance of Case Study Method Dr.

Anila Amber Research Method

SIGNIFICANCE OF CASE STUDY METHOD AS A TYPE OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD

MUHAMMAD ABDULLAH ALI FARHAN

UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI

This document has been submitted for the partial fulfillment as an assignment of course

“Research Method-532” for the degree of “Masters of Psychology” taught by Dr. Anila Amber

at Dept. of Psychology, University of Karachi.

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Significance of Case Study Method Dr. Anila Amber Research Method

ABSTRACT

The target of the current study is to give a careful clarification of a case study, its definition, a
few classifications and favorable circumstances, for which analyst have explained to get greater
illumination of case study. It has been seen that case study as a strategy has much
underestimated in contrast with different types of qualitative methods. From a procedural
perspective that whether case study ought to be considered as research method or just a
research type. What's more, from a stuff perspective, the characteristics of case study method.

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Significance of Case Study Method Dr. Anila Amber Research Method

INTRODUCTION

According to H. Odum, the case study method of data collection is a technique by which

individual factor whether it is an institution or just an episode in the life of an individual or a

group is analyzed in its relationship to any other in the group. Thus, a fairly comprehensive

study of a person (as to what he does and has done, what he thinks he does and had done and

what he expects to do and says he ought to do) or group is called a life or case history. Burgess

has used the words “the social microscope” for the case study method.” Pauline V. Young

describes case study as a comprehensive study of a social unit be that a person, a group, a

social institution, a district or a community. In brief, we can say that case study method is a

form of qualitative analysis where in careful and complete observation of an individual or a

situation or an institution is done; efforts are made to study each and every aspect of the

concerning unit in minute details and then from case data simplifications and conclusions are

drawn.

The case study method is a widely used systematic field research technique in sociology

these days. The credit for introducing this method goes to the field of social investigation goes

to Frederic Le Play who used it as a hand-maiden to statistics in his studies of family budgets.

Herbert Spencer was the first to use case study in his comparative study of different cultures.

Dr. William Healy resorted to this method in his study of juvenile delinquency, and considered it

as a better method over and above the mere use of statistical data. Similarly, anthropologists,

historians, novelists and dramatists have used this method concerning problems pertaining to

their areas of interests. Even management experts use case study methods for getting clues to

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Significance of Case Study Method Dr. Anila Amber Research Method

several organization problems. In brief, case study method has being used in numerous

disciplines. Furthermore, its use is increasing day by day.

Case study was one of the first types of research to be used in the field of qualitative

methodology. Today, they report for a large proportion of the research presented in books and

articles in psychology, history, education, and medicine, to list just a few of the fundamental

sciences. Much of what we know today about the practical world has been shaped by case

study research method, and many of the most precious classics in all disciplines are case study

(Flyvbjerg 2011, p. 302). Case study is mostly used in the social sciences and is found to be

particularly important in practice-oriented fields (such as education, management, public

administration, and social work). But despite this long history and prevalent use, case study

research has received minute attention among the various methodologies in social science

research. According to the authors of the ​Encyclopedia of Case Study Research (​ Mills et al.

2010), only a few texts deal directly with case study as a central subject and no encyclopedic

reference provides a thorough overview of the design and methods in case study research

method as a guidance for students, researchers, and professionals who are trying to

incorporate case studies into a rigorous research project or program. D. A. de Vaus (in Thomas

2011, p. 511) stated, “Most research methods texts either ignore case studies or confuse it with

other types of social research.” From this, we can conclude that in spite of their widespread use

and popularity, case studies are characterized by ambiguities and inconsistencies in

understanding their definition, subjects of investigation, and methodological choice

(Verschuren .2003, p. 121). Case studies are therefore misunderstood as a type, as well as a

method, of qualitative research (Gerring 2004, p. 341).

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Significance of Case Study Method Dr. Anila Amber Research Method

Main characteristics of case study method are as under follow:

Under this method, the researcher is able to take one single social or any unit or more of

such units for any study purpose.

In this method, the selected unit would be studied extensively, in minute details. Usually,

the study lengthens over a period of time just to establish the natural history of the unit for

attaining sufficient information for illustrating accurate supposition.

For the framework of this method, one makes an absolute study of the social unit wrapper

all facts. In the course of this method, one tries to comprehend the difficult factors that are

functioning within that unit as included totality.

Under this method the approach happens to be qualitative and not quantitative. Mere

quantitative information is not collected. All potential attempts only for information

concerning all aspects of life. Likewise, case study enhances our awareness and provides us

a lucid insight into life. For example, beneath this method we not only study how many

crimes a man has done but shall peep into the factors that forced him to commit crimes

when we are making a case study of a man as a criminal. The purpose of the study may be

to recommend ways to change the criminal.

In respect of the case study method an attempt is prepared to be acquainted with the

common inter-relationship of underlying factors.

Under case study method, the performance model with reference to unit is studied directly

and not by an indirect and abstract approach.

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Significance of Case Study Method Dr. Anila Amber Research Method

Case study method results in rich hypotheses alongside with the data which may be

supportive in testing them, and thus it facilitates the widespread information to get

wealthier and richer. In its dearth, comprehensive social science may get handicapped.

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Significance of Case Study Method Dr. Anila Amber Research Method

RATIONALE:

The purpose of the current study is to highlight the significance of case study method as

a type of qualitative research. So that it could be easier for researchers and students to

understand it better and use it for their study.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

1. What is the significance of Case Study Method?

2. What are the main characteristics of case study method?

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Significance of Case Study Method Dr. Anila Amber Research Method

METHODOLOGY:

SAMPLE:

The sources include K. Harling “An overview of Case Study” (2012); Justin Keen

“Qualitative Research: Case study evaluation” (1995); Biba Rebolj “The case study as a type of

qualitative research” (2013); Mark Widdowson “Case Study Research Methodology” (2011);

Saul McLeod “Case Study Method” (2014) and an online e-university source.

PROCEDURE:

This research has been done with an aim to draw an attention on the significance of

case study method as a type of qualitative research. For this, some articles and online research

materials, sites has been visited, reviewed and edited in this research to support the idea of this

study.

DISCUSSION:

The above mentioned literature review revealed that how significant the case study

method is as a type of qualitative research method. As flyvbjerg mentioned in their research

that it uses in psychology, history, education, and medicine etc, it means that it has a wider

scope in term of a qualitative research. Qualitative research methods have developed to serve

the view of those phenomena, mainly when humans are involved, entail composite

communications and are rarely just caused. To comprehend the incident, all features of the

condition need to be measured and this completeness tends to denote that every situation is

distinctive. The qualitative researchers deem many variables in a case or a few cases. They

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Significance of Case Study Method Dr. Anila Amber Research Method

search intensely into a state, unfolding the full array of powers allied with the phenomenon.

They observe advantage in understanding a particular phenomenon and expect that some of

the understanding developed will transfer to other phenomena.

CONCLUSION:

The case study method deepens into one factor and reveals all the possible aspects out

of it. Its uses tell the significant of case study research method. Case study is a

valuable method of research, with distinctive characteristics that make it ideal for many types

of investigations. It can also be used in combination with other methods. Its use and reliability

should make it a more widely used methodology.

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Significance of Case Study Method Dr. Anila Amber Research Method

REFERENCES:

Harling K. (2011, September) SSRN Electronic Journal · September 2012, p. 1

Keen J. (1995, August) Qualitative Research: Case study evaluation. BMJ Clinical Research

August 1995, 444 - 445

McLeod, J. (2010) ​Case Study Research in Counselling and Psychotherapy. L​ ondon, Sage.

McLeod, S. A. (2014, Feb 05). ​Case study method.​ Retrieved from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/case-study.html

Mills et al. (2010) ​Encyclopedia of Case Study Research ​ibid., p. xxxi

Rebolj B. (2013, March). The case study method as a type of qualitative research. JOURNAL

OF CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL STUDIES 1/2013, 29 - 30.

Widdowson M. (2011, January). Case study research methodology. International Journal of

Transactional Analysis Research Vol 2 No 1, 1/2011, 25 – 26

Yin, R. K. (2003). ​Case study research: Design and methods ​(3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks,

CA: Sage.

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