Case
Studies in Research
Case studies are a powerful weapon that adds
credibility to the research. This strategy approach for an empirical inquiry to
investigate a phenomenon and always involves exploratory-involving investigations
into an incident (Crowe, 2011).
Seth Godin says while addressing the significance of
a case study.
“If you wait until there is another case
study in your industry, you will be too late!”
The case study approach helps to tell the worth of
work to the world in an effective way. Case studies go beyond simple
testimonials by considering real-life examples.
What
are case studies?
A case study is like an in-depth and extended
example that is used to illustrate a particular argument. However, in a more
academic sense, a case study can be defined as,
“a
method for developing a complete understanding of a process, program, event, or
activity.”
(Wholey
et al., 1994).
A case study can be thought about as a way of
approaching a research topic.
A case study is basically a detailed story of
something. It includes a beginning of the matter, an explanation of what
happened next, and finally the resolution. A great case study is often
saturated with research to back up the points made. A compelling case study is
a powerful asset to solicit the research.
Case studies are self-contained stories.
Just like a good story, a case study has a
beginning, a middle, and an end.
Case studies may not be the most exciting content,
but they can be the most effective. The case studies vary in terms of style,
tone, and format.
Case studies can integrate both quantitative and
qualitative information and they can do it from a variety of sources. Case
studies tend to focus on qualitative information to give an in-depth picture of
the issue being studied and the broader environment (Crowe, 2011).
Case studies can be used for several purposes;
including, defining the questions and hypothesis of a subsequent study, presenting
a demonstration of an event within its context, or establishing a cause and
effect relationship.
Categorization
of Case studies
Case studies are conducted in a variety of academic fields.
It is generally categorized in the following three
ways; exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory.
An exploratory case study helps to define the
questions and hypothesis of a subsequent research study. For example, this case
study involves in-depth research and analysis. The results put forward by this
type of case study, other researchers can use this to conduct further research.
A descriptive case study, also termed as an
illustrative case study, demonstrates a complete description of an event within
its context of research. The research report presents nuanced, descriptive, and
contextual specificities of an event under study (Crowe, 2011).
Whereas, an explanatory case study establishes a cause
and effect relationship, focusing on the causes of producing effects. This
means that this study examines the particular outcomes generated from a certain
set of circumstances.
Main
steps to Design A Case Study
Step I
The Problem: Designing a case study to know the
‘what’ and ‘why’ of researching.
Step II
The potential solutions: Choosing an appropriate study
method (for example, surveys, questionnaires, research interviews, document analysis,
historical research, etc.).
Step III
The Evaluation: Analysis of the collected data.
Step IV
The Results and Conclusion: Finalize the case study
report that brings research findings and limitations of the study to light.
Probably, the case studies use pieces of evidence
from multiple sources, that includes document analysis, interviews, and
research surveys.
The unit of analysis is the base for any case study.
It is the
Case studies usually offer insights that may not be
achieved by any other research approach.
How
to choose an appropriate research study?
Different questions need to be answered within the
context of the study. The type of questions helps to select the best-fit
research strategy. Some areas under.
|
Choosing a
Research strategy |
|
|
Research Questions |
Appropriate Strategy |
|
How,
Why |
History |
|
How,
Why |
Case
study |
|
Who,
Where, What, How much, How many |
Survey |
|
How,
Why |
Experiment |
What
are Case studies Used For?
Case studies help to describe and explore phenomena
happening in the everyday context. This helps to understand the pathways
emerging from any new event. It helps to recognize more detailed insights on
the gaps present in past research. This will ultimately help to develop more
fine research (Rowley, 2002).
The epistemological standpoint of the researcher
provides a way to approach any case study. The researchers could either choose a
critical, interpretive, or positivist approach.
Case studies are usually considered when the other
research approaches found misfit in any sense like seems inappropriate or
insufficient to answer the research questions.
Important Constructs of a Case Study
There are mainly three major constructs for any
research study. These include generalization validity and reliability.
Generalization is a very important component. It is
based on the replication of the research study. This is only performed when the
case study is appropriately informed by theory. For case studies in particular
it is an analytical generalization in which a previously developed theory is used
as a template by which the results of the case study are compared.
Another important factor is that replication can be
claimed if more than one case supports the same theory.
The more the case studies exhibiting replication the
greater the rigor that helps to establish a theory.
To add the quality in the social research validity
and reliability tests have been widely performed.
Internal Validity is
for causal studies. It establishes a causal relationship.
Construct Validity helps
to establish correct operational measures for the concepts being studied. It
links the data collection questions to the possible measures of research
questions.
External Validity helps
in establishing the domains through which the study outcomes can be
generalized.
Reliability is crucial in any research. It
demonstrates that the established procedures can be repeated with the same
findings. This can be achieved by keeping records and documenting the
procedures appropriately.
Potential
Pitfalls
As with any other research strategy, the case study
approach is not without limitations. Oftenly, the case studies face critics for
lacking generalizations in the results, that is, unable to produce such
findings that are transferable to other research settings (Crowe, 2011).
Another issue includes the collection of a bulk
amount of irrelevant data or very scanty in the other case that adds no value.
Some ethical concerns might also be there.
Setting boundaries to a case can also be a
limitation.
Ways
to Avoid Limitations
The criticism of generalizability can be mitigated
by introducing theoretical sampling; as in pursuing any particular conceptual
framework.
Transparency in research achieves through describing
the sufficient detail of the steps involved while selecting any case, gathering
data, choosing the method of study, and the researcher’s extent of involvement.
Flexibility matters a lot. It is crucial to focus on
the research questions while collecting data and have the pace to explore more
relevant information.
Also, it is critical to gain in-depth knowledge from
the empirical literature to avoid the lack of generalizability in the research.
Considering triangulation, and the respondent
validation facilitates to alleviate the lack of rigor from the case study.
Ethical issues can be reduced by taking consent from
the research participants. If there is a threat to breach of any confidential
information, then the feature of anonymity needs to be ensured.
References
Crowe,
S., Cresswell, K., Robertson, A., Huby, G., Avery, A., and Sheikh, A. (2011).
The Case Study Approach. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 11(100).
Mowbray,
C.T., Bybee, D., Collins, M.E., and Levine, P. (1998). Optimizing evaluation
quality and utility under resource constraints. Evaluation and Program
Planning, 21(1), 59-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-7189(97)00045-1
Rowley,
J. (2002). Using Case Studies in Research. Management Research News,
25(1).
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