Case Research (Case Study) - a method of intensively studying a phenomenon over time within its natural setting in one or a few sites.
Key Decisions in Case Research
Conducting Case Research
Interpretive Case Research Exemplar: the best way to learn about interpretive case research is to examine an illustrative example.
Positivist Case Research Exemplar: case research can be used in a positivist manner to test theories or hypotheses.
Define research questions
Select case sites
Create instruments & protocols
Select respondents
Start data collection
Conduct within-case data analysis
Conduct cross-case analysis
Build & test hypotheses
Write case research report
Is this the right method for the research questions being studied?
What is the appropriate unit of analysis for a case research study?
Should the researcher employ a single-case or multiple-case design?
What sites should be chosen for case research?
What techniques of data collection should be used in case research?
Strengths of Case Research: 1). can be used for either theory building or theory testing; 2). research questions can be modified during the research process if the original questions are found to be less relevant or salient; 3). can help derive richer, more contextualized, & more authentic interpretation of the phenomenon of interest.
Weaknesses of Case Research: 1). it involves no experimental control, so internal validity of inferences remain weak; 2). quality of inferences derived from case research depends heavily on the integrative powers of the researcher; 3). because the inferences are heavily contextualized, it may be difficult to generalize inferences from case research to other contexts or other organizations.
Positivist Case Research is often criticized for: 1). lacking in controlled observations; 2). controlled deductions; 3). replicability; 4). generalizability of findings - the traditional principles of positivist research.
Karl Popper's 4 Requirements of Scientific Theories: 1). theories should be falsifiable; 2). theories should be logically consistent; 3). theories should have adequate predictive ability; 4). theories should provide better explanations than rival theories.