This document provides an overview of case study research. It discusses key aspects of case studies such as their use in qualitative research to investigate phenomena in real-life contexts. Case studies allow for an in-depth and holistic examination of situations and can utilize multiple data sources. The document outlines different approaches to case study research by scholars like Yin and Stake and provides examples of possible case study topics. It also addresses issues like research design, data analysis and reporting for case studies.

2.  Qualitative research denies positivist claim
that there is one objective truth to be
uncovered through process of research
(Cohen et al)
 Meaning is found through engaging with
realities in our world (Crotty)
 Case studies used in large number of social
science research theses/dissertations
(Yin)

3.  Because you want to investigate a certain
phenomena (learning situation, technology
for learning) with a certain group of
people/person
 The case = the people/person

4.  Allows for exploration
 Takes a holistic view of a situation
 Accessibility/convenience (situations where
sampling can be difficult)
 Flexible
 Watch out.....data can be huge/unwieldy......

5.  Case study is among 5 approaches to qualitative
enquiry (Creswell)
 Seminal researchers: YIN, STAKE
Cohen et al also present case study
 Yin more structured approach to research than Stake
 Stake interpretative, brings his own outlook
*Slightly different approaches among Yin/Stake to structuring of case, but
all have similarities , find which model fits your research

6.  Case is within bounded environment
 Multiple forms data collection
 Validity checking

7.  Single organisation - school: what is happening with a
particular tool/strategy
 A particular community - rural village ongoing
issue/dispute
 On a particular group ......... Issue to a group
 An individual - career criminal - examination designed
to understand motivations of a career criminal
 A decision – merging to 2 schools, why was decision
taken, how was it implemented , what was outcome
 An event – an election campaign
(Henn et al)

8.  “A case study is an empirical study that investigates
a contemporary phenomenon in depth and with its
real-life context” (Yin, 2009, p18)
 Case is a bounded system, i.e. learning
situation/group = case (Stake)
 Cases are units of investigation
..individuals..communities..groups (Henn et al)
 (A case can be a group of students, a group of teachers, 1 teacher, 1 student)

9.  Develop holistic and meaningful
characteristics of real life event
 Investigate:
 Small group behaviour
 Managerial cycles
 Neighbourhood change
 School performance
(Yin 2009)

10. Stake does not see the case study as a method,
but suggests that mixed methods inform the
case
 Case is not the method, It is the object of
study (Stake, 1995)
 (ie the group or the individual)

11. Read case study examples
 What is the case?
 What is the research question?
 Single or multiple case?
 How was data collected?
...........................................

12.  No minimum size for case study
 (can be 1 person to lots of people!)
 Sometimes research is small
 Much of action research is case study
(Henn et al: research can be small)

13.  Case study is not sampling, can’t understand
other cases from it
 Often only weak generalisations made
(however sometimes generalisations
inevitable)
 Lack of rigour can be problematic
 Sometimes too long, massive unreadable
documents!

14.  Qualitative - emphasis on interpretation
 All researchers are influenced by their
experience (Stake)
 For assertions we draw on understandings
deep within us
 Good case study is reflective , patient, willing
to see other views...triangulation

15.  Research comes from looking for a problem
 Identify a case study
 Identify an issue in the case study
 How can we better understand the case – this
needs to overarching approach for the case

16.  What is your suggested case?
(sometimes it is easier to define what your case
is not!)

17.  Case – Issue –Data – Analysis – Assertion
 This could lead to thinking that data could solve
an issue, not really
 Assertion really initiates further work

18.  Rigorous methodological approach
 Thorough literature review
 Posing research questions
 Explicit procedures of doing research
 Acknowledge strengths/ limitations of case
study research
(Yin)

19.  6 common sources evidence
 Documents, archival records, interviews, direct
observation, participant observation, physical
artefacts ...photos, video...
 Need to master different data collection
procedures (Yin)

20.  Main methods
 Observation
 Interview
 Document review
 Survey
 Focus groups (Stake not a fan! Prefers
interviews)

21. 1. Use multiple sources of evidence
 Triangulation
1. Create a case study database
 Keep your data organised
1. Maintain chain of evidence
 Clear line of discovery, time line, transparent
processes to outside reader of case study
(Yin 2009)

22.  What kind of validity are you aiming for?
 How can you say something is valid?
 Case study – no right or wrong (Cohen et al)
 Confirmed by multiple sources/participant
evidence
 Evidence is: trustworthy, credible,
confirmable

23.  How is your interpretation valid?
 Researchers role is to interpret events
 Interpretation is subjective
 In methodology acknowledge that a
limitation of case study research is that it is
Interpretative and subject to researcher

24.  How do you analyse data generated?
 What does data tell you?
 Stake, Yin: strategies
 Read your data
 Perform categorical aggregation (Stake)
 Find instances of themes, subthemes, major
themes
 Perform constant comparison
 Reading your data and trying to find contradictory
evidence

25.  Member-checking, Keeps validity
 Redundancy, question is asked in various
ways
 Effort to assure that right information and
interpretation obtained
 Does phenomenon remain the same at other
times?
 (Case study can be informed from quantitative or
qualitative data alone)

26.  Cases using multiple sources of evidence
rated more highly (Yin)
 Validity
 Researcher gains more skills in data
collection techniques

27.  Takes more time (more expense)
 Greater expertise in data collection
techniques, more work needed

28.  How will you perform triangulation?

29.  Weak generalisations made (however
sometimes generalisations inevitable)
 Petite generalisations (Stake)

30.  Stake: ‘ethical side of case studies is mainly a
privacy business’
 Don’t invite over exposure- (falling cup of
coffee story!)
 Anonymity of participants
 Are there other ethical issues?

31.  ‘The Quintain’ – issue common across all multiple
case studies
 Multiple case studies don't have to be comparative
 [Stake - example of education (pre-school) case
studies across Europe]
 Sometimes intent of multiple case study is to seek
generalisability – however generalisability is weak
with any case study

32.  May/may not be in final report
 Once off unusual event (unplanned data that
occurs from a particular event)
 Telephone interview...
 General chat

33.  Stake recommends vignettes
 A brief description/story
 Episode to illustrate an aspect of the case
 Gives audience a story that they recognise
 Dialogic, experiential
 We should not have too much of contrast
between case study and vignette

34.  Know your audience – who are your
audience?
 What will audience look for?
 Multiple types of audience need multiple
types written report (Yin)
 1st
write-up MSc
 2nd
write-up more journal focussed

35.  Design for audience – readers of your proposed
journal
 MSc – important to know style/formatting of your
chosen journal
 Word limit, referencing styles, Structure – abstract,
introduction, methodology, findings from data,
conclusions, further work....
 ALT-J (Research in Learning Technology) style:
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=096

36.  You cannot begin writing early enough
 After literature review
 Draft the bibliography/references
 Draft the methodology (how data will be
collected)
 Writing means rewriting! (Yin)

37.  The case study must
 Be significant
 Be complete
 Consider alternative perspectives
 Display sufficient evidence
 Be composed in engaging manner

38.  Cohen, Manion, Morrison (2007) Research methods in education
London; New York: Routledge.
 Creswell, J.W. (2007) Qualitative inquiry and research design :
choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks : Sage
Publications, 2007.
 Crotty, M (1998) The foundations of social research : meaning and
perspective in the research process London: SAGE.
 Henn, M; Foard, N; Weinstein, M (2010) A Critical Introduction to
Social Research 2nd
Ed SAGE Publications Ltd.
 Stake, R.E. (1995) The art of case study research, Thousand Oaks,
Calif.; London: Sage.
 Yin, R.K. (2009) Case study research : design and methods,
Thousand Oaks, Calif. Sage Publications.