372-377


 *  Case study is defined as 'an in-depth investigation of human experience'.
 *  Often takes place in the participant's natural environment.
 *  Hayes and Lemon 1990- interviewing staff in a computer company.
 *  Willig 2001
 *  Cases can be **intrinsic** or **instrumental**
 *  Intrinsic
 *  Represent nothing but themselves
 *  Are interesting on their own right.
 *  Instrumental
 *  More generalist- 'losing a child' or 'being diagnosed with cancer'
 *  Willig 2002
 *  Cases can be **descriptive** or **explanatory**
 *  Descriptive
 *  Generates a detailed description of a phenomenon
 *  Thought that the description will in and of itself create knowledge.
 *  Explanatory
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Aim is to describe AND find possible explanations for the phenomenon under investigation.
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Willig 2001
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Case study should always bee seen in **context**
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Need to include psychological, sociocultural, historical or biological dimensions relevant
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Once case is found, sampling methods are used to find participants.
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Case studies often use triangulation because they are complex.
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Thus thought that using different perspectives will get **rich data** (open to number of interpretations)
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Focus of case study is using multiple techniques, sources, samples etc to gain information.
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Case study is not a research method, but a //research strategy//.
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Strengths
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Opportunity to investigate phenomena that could not be studied otherwise
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Permits insight into social processes in a group
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Stimulates new research
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Frequently contradicts established theory and helps to develop new explanation.
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Weaknesses
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Difficult to define a case study
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Researcher bias
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Memory distortions and effects of social undesirability
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Ethical aspects of the case study method
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Researchers must anonymize participants
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Requires active involvement of participants. This can be time-consuming and involve self-reflection which can cause pain.
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Extent to which findings can be generalized from a single case study
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Has been argued that a case study cannot be replicated and so cannot be used for prediction & generalization. Based on the quantitative tradition.
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Disagreements about this generalization. Usually case study has a small sample which is designed not to be statistically representative. However if other studies show the same findings then can be generalizable (Hammersley 1992)
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Yin 1994
 * <span style="direction: ltr; direction: ltr; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .2902in; margin-left: .375in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: middle;"> Case studies are more 'robust' if results are found to apply to multiple cases, but not to populations as a whole.