What is a Case Study?

 Both a method of analysis and a specific research design for examining a problem
 Relies on a single case rather than a population or sample

There are three (3) primary types of case studies.

 Key cases – Those which are chosen because the researcher has a particular interest in it or the
circumstances surrounding it.
 Outlier cases – Those that are chosen because the case stands out from other events,
organizations, or situations, for some reason, and social scientists recognize that we can learn a
lot from those things that differ from the norm.
 Local knowledge – When the researcher has already amassed a usable amount of information
about a given topic, person, organization, or event, and so is well-poised to conduct a study of
it.

Within these types, a case study may take four (4) different forms.
 Illustrative – Descriptive in nature and designed to shed light on a particular situation, set of
circumstances, and the social relations and processes that are embedded in them.
 Exploratory – Also known as pilot studies. This type of case study is typically used when a
researcher wants to identify research questions and methods of study for a large, complex
study.
 Cumulative – Those in which a researcher pulls together already completed case studies on a
particular topic.
 Critical instance – Conducted when a researcher wants to understand what happened with a
unique event and/or to challenge commonly held assumptions about it that may be faulty due
to a lack of critical understanding.

The Case Method as a Learning Tool

In most disciplines, studies are required to prove a hypothesis. These studies are usually very
large in nature, with the goal of proving a hypothesis. With a case study, a narrow topic is chosen
that can prove or disprove an idea, question, or hypothesis. Often, case studies are used alongside
a larger formal study or are used on their own.

Advantages of a Case Study:

 Case study method is responsible for the intensive study of a unit.
 Case studies are one of the best ways to stimulate new research.
 Case studies have the ability to give insight into phenomena that cannot be learned in any
other way.

Disadvantages of a Case Study:

 Many studies cannot be replicated, and therefore, cannot be corroborated.
 When conducting a case study, it is very possible for the author to form a bias.
 Any classification is not possible due to studying a small unit.
 Case studies can be very time-consuming.
 Case study method may have errors of memory or judgment.
 With small studies, there is always the question of ethics. Sometimes, because the researcher
became so invested in the study, people questioned whether a researcher would report
unethical behavior if they witnessed it.

How to do a Case Study?

While there is no one (1) definitive "Case Method" or approach, there are common steps that
most approaches recommend to be followed in tackling a case study.

Beforehand, get:
 the case study,
 formulate guiding questions that will need to be answered; and
 do some readings that have relevance to the case subject.

Identifying a case to investigate involves more than choosing the research problem. A case study
encompasses a problem contextualized around the application of in-depth analysis,
interpretation, and discussion, often resulting in specific recommendations for action or for
improving existing conditions.

Once you have your topic, it is time to start planning and developing the study. This process will
be different depending on what type of case study you are planning to do. Also, it is time to ask
yourself what questions you want to answer with the study.

The advantage of the case study research design is that you can focus on specific and interesting
cases. This may be an attempt to test a theory with a typical case or it can be a specific topic that
is of interest. Research should be thorough, and note-taking should be meticulous and systematic.

The first foundation of the case study is the subject and relevance. In a case study, you are
deliberately trying to isolate a small study group, one individual case or one particular
population.

The most important parts of the case study are:

 The case study's questions
 The study's propositions
 How information and data will be analyzed
 The logic behind the propositions
 How the findings will be interpreted

The study's questions should be either a "how" or "why" question, and their definition is
the researcher's first job. These questions will help determine the study's goals.

Not every case study has a proposition. If you are doing an exploratory study, you will not have
propositions. Instead, you will have a stated purpose, which will determine whether your study is
successful, or not.
 How the information will be analyzed will depend on what the topic is. This would vary
depending on whether it was a person, group, or organization.

When setting up your research, you will want to follow these case study protocol:
 An overview of the case study, including the objectives, topic, and issues
 Procedures for gathering information and conducting interviews
 Questions that will be asked during interviews and data collection
 A guide for the final case study report

When deciding upon which research methods to use, these are the most important:
 Documents and archival records
 Interviews
 Direct observations
 Indirect observations, or observations of subjects
 Physical artifacts and tools

Documents could include almost anything, including letters, memos, newspaper articles, Internet
articles, other case studies, or any other document germane to the study.

Archival records can include military and service records, company or business records, survey
data or census information.

Before beginning the study, you must have a clear research strategy. Your best chance at success
will be if you use an outline that describes how you will gather your data and how you will
answer your research questions.

It is best if you make yourself a short list of 4 or 5 bullet points that you are going to try and
address during the study. If you make sure that all research refers back to these then you will not
be far wrong.

Then, choose at least two (2) data sources. These sources could include interviews, Internet
research, and fieldwork or report collection. The more data sources used, the better the quality of
the final data.

The researcher then must formulate interview questions that will result in detailed and in-depth
answers that will help meet the research goals. A list of 15-20 questions is a good start, but these
can and will change as the process flows.

The interview process is one of the most important parts of the case study process. But before
this can begin, it is imperative the researcher gets informed consent from the subjects.

The process of informed consent means the subject understands their role in the study, and that
their story will be used in the case study. You will want to have each subject complete a consent
form.
The researcher must explain what the study is trying to achieve, and how their contribution will
help the study. If necessary, assure the subject that their information will remain private if
requested, and they do not need to use their real name if they are not comfortable with that.
Pseudonyms, a fictitious name used to hide one’s identity, are commonly used in case studies.

With a case study, even more than a questionnaire or survey, it is important to be passive in your
research. You are much more of an observer than an experimenter and you must remember that,
even in a multi-subject case, each case must be treated individually and then cross case
conclusions can be drawn.

Analyzing results of a case study tends to be more opinion based than statistical methods. The
usual idea is to try and collate your data into a manageable form and construct a narrative around
it.

Use examples in your narrative whilst keeping things concise and interesting. It is useful to show
some numerical data but remembers that you are only trying to judge trends and not analyze
every last piece of data. Constantly refer back to your bullet points so that you do not lose focus.

It is always a good idea to assume that a person reading your research may not possess a lot of
knowledge of the subject so try to write accordingly.

In addition, unlike a scientific study which deals with facts, a case study is based on opinion and
is very much designed to provoke reasoned debate. There really is no right or wrong answer in a
case study.