Updated on: 5th May 2020
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Case study in Research

A case study is a research methodology which the researcher utilizes for performing an in-depth analysis of people, situations, or phenomena. Ph.D. Scholars often search for suitable techniques for keeping their research project focussed and manageable They can perform case study research for achieving objectives. Our professionals are providing the step-by-step procedure that you can utilize for performing case study research.

Case study in Research

What is the meaning of the case study?

A case study is a detailed study of a particular subject such as even, people, enterprises, etc. It is a research methodology which researcher generally utilizes for performing investigation in the field of education, social science, education. The case study can also be considered as a research design that includes Qualitative methods but in few cases researchers can also use Quantitative research. It is most suitable for providing a description, making a comparison, evaluation, and differentiation. The case study method in research is also appropriate to apply when you intend to develop an understanding of different aspects of the research problem.

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 When to do a Case Study?

You can perform case study research when you intend to develop in detail knowledge about real-world situations.  It is a case study method of research that enables the researcher to identify important meaning, characteristics, and importance of subject or issue.

A case study is considered a good selection of methods when you are writing a thesis or dissertation. It is the case study technique that enables the investigator to remain focus and manage large scale research by utilizing limited resources. You can utilize a complex case study if you intend to identify or develop a detailed understanding of one subject. Researchers can use multiple case studies for making comparisons between different aspects of problems in research.

Example of a case study

Research Questions Case Study
What is the ecological influence of Wolf reintroduction? Case study of Wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone national park.
How do popular politicians utilize narrative about history for gaining support? Case studies of Prime Minister in Hungary
How could tutor employ active learning strategies for teaching students with different learning capabilities? Case study of domestic educational institution which promotes active learning.
What are the key benefits and disadvantages of wind farms? Case study of 4 Wind farm development projects in different parts of the nation.
How important marketing strategies help in changing the relationship between organizations and consumers? Case study of a marketing campaign that the iPhone company has organized.
How do experiences of work in the Gig Economy differ by race, gender, and age? Case study of Uber Driver in London

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How to do a case study in Research?

The 4 steps of doing a case study in research are:

Step 1: Selecting a case

Firstly, you need to write a problem statement and research questions. After that you are required to select a particular case on which you want to emphasize.  The characteristics of good case study research design are that it has capabilities to:

  • Help in gaining insight into a particular subject.
  • Challenge theories and assumptions.
  • Provide practical courses of action for resolving a specific issue.
  • Give new directions for performing research in the future.

Note: A strong case study method does not need a representative sample.  It is a case study method that mainly concentrates on such cases which are generally neglected by other researchers.

Outlying case study: Example

During 1960, a person name Roseto has discovered a low rate of cardiovascular disease among people in the US. It is a very crucial case study that helps in developing understanding about existing neglected causes for heart attack. You can also make a selection of more representative cases for exemplification of a specific category, experience.

Representative case study: Example

At the time of the 1920s, 2 sociologists utilize Muncie, Indiana as a case study of a particular American city which supposedly exemplified the changing Culture of the US on time.

Step 2: Develop a theoretical Framework

The case study emphasizes more concrete information than general theories; they should usually have few connections with theory in the field. It is integrated into existing knowledge about the subject. Aim of your case study is to:

Exemplify A theory by showing the way it explains the case on which research is to be executed.

Expand: you can expand theory by uncovering new concepts and ideas which are required to be incorporating.

Challenge a hypothesis: by doing the identification of outlier case that does not fit with established assumptions. You are required to perform a literature review of sources relevant to the topic and after that you need to develop a theoretical framework. It is the tactics that will help you in making sure that analysis of the case has strong academic grounding.  You should identify concepts and theories, as this strategy will provide you an ease in guiding analysis and interpretation.

Step 3: Data collection

There are several research methods that you can use for gathering information related to the subject.  Case study research design mainly emphasizes on accumulating qualitative information.  The different techniques which are utilized by the researcher for gathering the qualitative primary data in case study research are interviews, observations, etc.   In the case of study research, secondary information is gathered by analyzing the photographs, articles in newspapers, official records, etc.  In the context of case study research, you can also gather quantitative research.

Mixed method Case study: Example

In the context of a case study of the establishment of wind farms in rural areas, the researcher gathers information about employment rates and revenue earned by companies.  Investigator has also gathered information about the opinion of people.  Analysis of domestic and national media coverage has been done for making the final decision related to the construction of wind farms in rural areas.  The main purpose of performing case study research is to develop an in-depth understanding of the case and its background information.

Step 4: Description and analysis of case

About writing up a case study, you are requiring to integrate different aspects of a particular subject.  At this step of doing case study research, it is very much essential for you to report research findings based on the type of research that is executing. Few case studies are structured like a standard scientific paper that consists of different sections for methodology, discussion, and results.

You can also utilize the narrative style for writing case studies.  By using the narrative style for writing a case study researcher intends to develop an understanding of different aspects of specific cases.  They also want to analyze the meaning and importance of a particular case.  The different types of technology which can utilize for analyzing the case are textual analysis or Discourse analysis.

Note: If you conducting a case study or another type of research also, then it is very much essential for you to provide background information about that particular case. You also relate specific cases with existing theories or literature. A researcher can make case study research more interesting by discussing the way specific case fits into the wider debate.

Conclusion

It has been concluded from the above that by case study research method is very much useful for gathering in detail information about phenomenon or situations. Another fact which has been found from above is that by using the case study technique you can identify different aspects of the issue.

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Author Bio:

Angela Wong

Hi Guys, Happy to help you in research paper writing. I am post graduate from SUSS and now involved in providing assistance to Singapore students for making research projects during masters and Phd scholars. You can consult me for marketing, management, finance, accounting or any kind of research paper writing query.