case study definition

case study definition

The Importance of Case Study in Research

1. Introduction

A case study is a research strategy and an empirical inquiry that investigates a phenomenon within its real-life context. Case studies are based on an in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event to explore the causes of underlying principles. They may be considered to be a preliminary form of research that can help generate novel ideas but have a low probability of generalization. What is now thought to be the first example of a case study is a young Freudian scholar’s work, the ‘Rat Man,’ and was published in 1909. This has caused the case study method to become increasingly popular in the field of Psychology since empirical research methods were only then critiqued using criteria of science. In research, case studies are being conducted to investigate the decisions nurses make when preparing hazardous drugs. The researcher has authority based on their personal experiences and perceptions in this study, and the case study will unfold a real-life phenomenon using an in-depth report of the nurse’s understanding of her environment, the decision to carry out her actions, and the outcomes of these actions. This is the first stage of developing a framework to help with a better understanding of the decision-making concept, something that is not attainable in a variable-based experiment. At the minute, most of case study research is considered to be an alternative to the use of higher an individual relationship between the treatment and research its effects or an experiment testing the causal hypothesis. The case study converges on understanding the dynamics present within an individual instance. The versatility of case study research to be able to examine the complexities and issues of non-linear causality is to be noted. However, the increased use of the method during the 1990s has raised many structural and generalizability concerns.

2. Definition and Purpose of Case Study

The primary purpose of case study is to understand a case and its integration with relevant issues. What is a case? The answer is what we want to achieve, it can be anything: people, an institution, a program, an event, etc. and the method is we want to understand it. Case study helps in understanding the complex issues around the cases so that it will extend knowledge and it may be new ideas about something we already know or a situation we didn’t understand. Finally, it can enable future researchers with a foundation to conduct further research.

According to Thomas (1925), case study is the most detailed and intensive study of a single case and suggests the need for a methodology to understand and answer the questions. It is a method of finding out, be it what is hidden or what we did not know. Case study captures human interest. It is easier to write a good case study if a lot of interest is involved. A case study can capture the reader’s attention, increase the interest and research, and help in answering it.

Case study is a comprehensive study of a social unit, be it a person, a group of people, an institution, a community, a social process or event. It is a method of learning from the complexity of a case by understanding its activity within important circumstances. Case study helps in bringing the understanding of a complex issue or object. It can extend experience or add strength to what is already known through previous research. Case study emphasizes detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions and their relationships. It provides the base for evaluation and helps in understanding the issues. On doing this, the researcher gets a direction where to start and where to go. The research may also continue for an extended period of time, so processes and developments can be studied as they happen.

3. Benefits of Conducting Case Studies

Case studies have been shown to be more effective if a sequential and detailed analysis of an issue is conducted. It will provide a definite direction to the event. This can be useful not only for the person conducting the study, as it can give a solution to a problem, but also for a decision maker basing his decision on the analysis of the event. For example, a manager might have to change the approach of achieving something if he feels that his method is not giving the desired results. He can compare events to that described in the case study and then decide the best way to get the results.

Before going in for a full-scale investigation, it may be useful to have a pilot study, for example, a case study. The result of which is used to identify any problems in the research plan and to assess how well the plan will work. This in itself is a simple form of a case study, and its results are very useful in planning for future research.

As the writer has to express an explanation for every action of every character, it makes the case study more detailed with all the analysis of every aspect. This happens to be the main advantage a case study holds over other methods. In a situation where a lecturer has to explain to his students what mistakes were made by a group in solving a problem, he can simply present a situation and with minimum guidance, his students will be able to understand the issue. Being self-explanatory, a case study doesn’t require an effort to convince someone that it means something.

Phenomena occurring within a given time frame can better be explained with a case study. It presents a description of the event in sequence as its effect is still lasting. If the students are learning about a historical event, they can probe the relevance of an issue related to the event. For example, the students studying about American history can use a case study to probe into the issue that led to the joining of the American Civil War.

As elaborating real life circumstances is one of the important aspects of case study writing, it will develop the imagination of the readers about the typicality of a situation. The decision of a writer, like why a particular method of implementing a solution has been chosen, is an important aspect that will be reflected by the case study reader, and it will make the study more realistic.

4. Steps in Conducting a Case Study

Select the cases and determine data gathering and analysis techniques. During the design phase, researchers must determine the selection of the cases to be studied and establish data gathering and data analysis techniques. It will involve deciding whether the study is to be single or multiple, and finding the common types of information to be obtained from the targeted cases. Proposals for data collection and management will be elaborated and then carried out. Researchers will then consider the data analysis plan, and finally prepare for reporting the study’s results. These activities all require that the researcher select the best of several available procedures, thus trade-offs will have to be made. This is an important question, but in many case study projects it was decided by an interest in the cases, and the desire to use multiple methods in the case investigation.

5. Conclusion

From the varying position of research in social sciences to the methods of data collection and analysis, Yin’s book demonstrates a rich text of case study research. Though the volume will no doubt provoke controversy and contrary opinion, there is no doubt that it provides a valuable mining of common pitfalls and errors within much current social science research. It carries an elegant and sometimes plodding style through complex areas of study and it contains a wealth of examples to at least guide future researchers more competently than in the past. Yin’s experience in the field is evident and it provides those less experienced with a look into the efficiency and poise with which real research must be conducted. Though every type of research will contain flaws and errors, it is ultimately the consequences of these errors and the complexity of avoiding them which dictate the true value of a method. Case study provides the opportunity to reduce such error to a minimum and the long-awaited Volume 5 of this book should prove to be a deserving addition to his prior editions.