Case Study Research Method

CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY

RESEARCH METHOD

LOGIC OF CASE STUDY

LOGIC OF CASE STUDY

PLAN

PLAN _DESIGNDESIGN

PREPARE PREPARE COLLECT COLLECT  ANAL  ANALYZEYZE SHARE SHARE

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

LOGIC OF CASE STUDY

LOGIC OF CASE STUDY

PLAN

PLAN _DESIGNDESIGN

PREPARE PREPARE COLLECT COLLECT  ANAL  ANALYZEYZE SHARE SHARE

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

WHEN TO USE?

WHEN TO USE?

•

• “How” and “Why” research questions“How” and “Why” research questions

•

• Researcher has little control Researcher has little control over eventsover events

•

• Focus is on contemporary phenomenon withinFocus is on contemporary phenomenon within

real-life

GOALS OF CASE STUDY

GOALS OF CASE STUDY

• • ExploratoryExploratory • • DescriptiveDescriptive • • ExplanatoryExplanatory

CRITICISM

• Rigor of case study research

• Little basis for scientific generalization

• Too long, result in massive, unreadable documents • Can’t directly address causal relationships

DEFINITION

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

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

NUMBER OF CASES

• Single vs. Multiple

• Comparative case method (distinctive form of

DESIGN

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)

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 study’s

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

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

RELIABILITY

• Problem:

• To minimize errors and biases in a study

• Tactics:

• Use case study protocol

PREPARING FOR DATA COLLECTION

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

COLLECTING CASE STUDY EVIDENCE

SOURCES OF EVIDENCE

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

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,

PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION

• Strengths:

• Same as for direct observation

• Insightful into interpersonal behavior and motives

• Weaknesses:

• Same as for direct observation

PHYSICAL ARTEFACTS

• Strengths:

• Insightful into cultural features and technical operations

• Weaknesses:

• Selectivity and availability

• E.g., technological device, tool or instrument, a

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,

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

ANALYSIS

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

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

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

5. CROSS CASE SYNTHESIS

• Applied specifically to the analysis of multiple cases • Cases for synthesis might come from different

REPORTING CASE STUDY

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)