whats a case study

whats a case study

Importance of Case Studies in Research

1. Definition and Purpose of Case Studies

In terms of generalization, the issue for case study researchers is that the accumulation of a series of case studies to a general understanding lacks a specific set of guidelines. A judgment upon the quality of case study as a method can be made, however, through effective case selection and the use of a clear and understandable pattern to link the different instances.

The principal argument in favor of case studies is that they provide a detailed analysis of a situation which is based on the best available evidence. The method is also nonintrusive and can provide a means of understanding complex phenomena. This can then provide a platform for a comparison with the findings of other research, therefore leading to the formulation of propositions. A recent push behind the conduct of case studies has been a desire to, within the constraints of case study research, gather a wealth of data that can be used to make inferences to a wider population. This is a direct response to the old critique that case study analysis often erred on the side of a good story but provided little theoretical input.

At a general level, the reasons behind carrying out case studies and their potential advantages seem to be well understood and extensively logical in nature. Nevertheless, when it comes down to planning and executing the research, case study details are often difficult to pin down. This can be due to a number of reasons such as that it becomes clear that the case is ‘not worth’ investigating (i.e. it is not interesting, informative or it is too typical of something else to be considered an issue).

When a researcher desires to gain a better understanding of a specific situation (such as how a decision is made) or set of circumstances (such as the implementation and consequences of a policy), case study methods are the most appropriate way to answer the research question. This stems from data collection being primarily observational or the researcher obtaining a broad and detailed understanding of the case. Case studies are the best method to answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions and when the researcher has little control over events.

2. Benefits of Conducting Case Studies

High in applicability and low in complexity. Case studies have a place among many levels and varieties of methods. They are often chosen as a means of conducting preliminary research that does not need a large-scale research project. They have been employed at all levels of research from the casual descriptive exploratory study (study 3, 4) to the in-depth explanatory analysis of a complex international phenomenon (study 1), and can be used to generalize inductively to a theoretical proposition. Much of this work is done in the context of natural settings of the phenomena in question. When the distinction is made between internal and external, meticulously detailed case studies are no stranger to malady and follow their subjects with similar methodology. And with increasing avenues for research come increasing quality of EPowD when choosing accessible populations or comparing select results in the analysis of rival events (study 9) or when aiming to support a poorly performing generalized data model at the outset of theory development. Case studies are also testable on the basis of separate and integrated research designs. Seldom bound by methodological guidelines, case study fields are pieced together on the basis of many simultaneous or sequential projects. Step by step and longitudinal case studies are the primary choice of design as the unit of EPowD may continue for measured time and changes therein can be monitored and theorized extensively in comparison to the unit rate of change data from a statistical design.

3. Steps to Conduct a Successful Case Study

There are probably a few questions that were found during the preliminary readings. These questions are used in guiding the reader to the case analysis, and they help the reader understand and learn about the topic. The questions that were drafted in the mind after reading the case can be vital. Write these questions down, and they can be used as your research and later revised and evolved into defining why each question is important for the case study. Brainstorm the areas in which you want to respond and then transform the questions into statements. The questions now will help to direct the research by providing a clear understanding of the problem.

The first step in a case study is to determine and define the research questions. While preparing to write the case study, you must employ the scientific method to obtain information. The case study must have a “case” which is the object of study. The “case” could be an individual, event, a phenomenon, or an activity. The research questions must address the “what,” “how,” and “why” questions, and they should be open-ended questions.

Determine and define the research questions

Steps to conduct a case study: Implementation

4. Examples of Successful Case Studies

The WHO definition of a case study in the Methods section of a clinical research proposal is as follows: A study on one occasion involves exposure of the agent and latent or manifest disease, to determine the extent of biological change induced and its ability to initiate disease. This type of study can be specific or exploratory into the cause and effect of diseases.

Many of you are aware of the epizootic that affected most of southern UK. The cause of this was foot and mouth disease. There are too many points to list of what a case study will do for this situation, but basically it will involve finding out how the disease spread in different areas and what damage was caused at each farm. This is not to mention the case studies that are to take place to see how to predict and prevent such an incident happening again. This research is vital. The best strategy to employ at this part of research is to compare several different studies in the same area to one another.

Case studies are a valuable way of gaining deeper insight into specific phenomena in the field. The world is full of case studies in research, and one common example is in the medical sector. In order to find new medicines, it requires people to take part in the research of such medicines. This medicine will be given to one subject, and then the symptoms and side-effects are observed. If no problems are encountered, then the same medicine will be given to another subject and so on. This is a typical case study in which something specific and rare (new medicine) is being observed in a group of people to find some sort of cause and effect for the research of pharmacists in the future.

5. Conclusion: Case Studies as a Valuable Research Method

Case study research can provide a detailed understanding of a particular instance of a complicated issue and evidence about the factors which are important within that instance. Stein argues that a common misperception about case study research is that it is not appropriate for providing good quality research results. Stein postulates that this misperception originates from the fact that there are no clear-cut procedures in the context of teaching research methods for doing a case study. This leads to students and researchers making attempts at case study research without full preparation or understanding. This, in turn, leads to poor quality case studies and reinforcement of the belief that case study research is not a rigorous research method.

These instances underline the argument that case studies are an important research method in their own right. They are not only a useful way to illustrate a research topic and to extend and enrich the research itself, but they are also a rich source of in-depth information for future studies of all kinds. This is an important point and one that advocates of case studies are arguing with increasing force in the context of evidence-based policy and practice. As with Ayres and Braithwaite, later case study research is seen as a valid research strategy in its own right. This is a particularly pertinent issue in a research and policy context where it is increasingly expected that research evidence will provide a convincing explanation not only of what works within a particular program or policy but the mechanisms by which change occurs.