Beginning the chapter on case studies Lune and Berg (2017) introduce various definitions of the concept offering several examples while tying some of the best into one operational version. My own paraphrased meaning for case study describes an intensive, systematic investigation of a single individual, group, community, or any unit which the researcher examines as part of a broader category it belongs to within a real-world context. Case studies seem to vary themselves in size from single individuals being studied to worldwide events. These studies can be complex or simple in nature and use various lines of action for collecting data (Lune and Berg 2017). The specific kind of data used, which types of data to combine and which methods used to collect the data are dependent upon the topic of the case study. One element that helps classify the study is the larger setting it fits into resulting in the subcategory characteristically specific of a case study. Examines part of a broader category. Lune and Berg (2017) explain how to extract the essence of a case study by asking ourselves the question, “what is this a case of”? Explaining phenomena about a subsection in a larger population could be useful as case studies auditing the public education system to determine gaps in student performance. In relation to Business a study conducted in a department retail store dividing the individual sections into case studies would assist in analyzing differences in revenue and assessing where improvement is most needed, for example.
The case study format is exemplary of structural functionalism theory in sociology which shows the working parts such as roles, institutions, structures, etc. of a society each serves a function that works to ensure it is a structurally successful system. In this same way a case study is taking closer examination into a subcategory within a larger collective to reach solutions beneficial to all parties involved. In addition to the structural setting of a case study the research conducted is aimed at topics that tend to support the success of society structures and how they function. When conducting case studies, researchers have an opportunity to focus in on the subject matter which provides more in-depth detailed descriptions for data collection (Lune and Berg, 2017). Holistic in nature, these descriptions can be used to investigate the study habits of an entire Freshman class beginning college. Within those Freshmen case studies, student athletes could a subcategory to study due to the extra demands making studying harder for them. The Freshman basketball players could represent another case study done to examine how game in practice schedules interfere with their study habits, this style of layered Research is known as an embedded case study (Lune and Berg 2017). Another example of an embedded case study would be on multiple. Branches of a corporation, like my daughter’s daycare. The Country Home Learning Center she goes to is one of many locations in San Antonio and if there was going to be an audit of the teachers at this institution all locations would be subject to the same data collection methods and analyzed separately allowing for individual results available for comparisons of all from the collective results by each location.
There are three distinct types of case studies intrinsic, instrumental, and collective (Lune and Berg 2017). The first type of case study is different from most because it is research about an intrinsic quality of the subject that warrants closer examination and explanation. Instrumental case studies single out a specific issue that the researcher will focus on alone with one case study that will provide insight or refine a theoretical explanation. This seems helpful when research is evaluating a new hypothesis or idea like how assisting American immigrant families with resource allocation improves their overall quality of life. As for example, our professor conducted research on this topic and once benefits were received by the families to determine the outcome it made sense to continue observing families to refine the data and make conclusions about the study. The authors emphasize a unique quality of this style noting that researchers undertake instrumental studies to advance other research interests (Lune and Berg 2017). “Multiple, cross, comparative, and contrast case studies are the various ways to describe the third category of collective case studies (Lune and Berg. 2017). Case studies amassed on one topic appear more legitimate in this style by compounding several instrumental case studies and using them together to replicate or contrast previous cases. Quantity is the idea here to amass a multitude of instances where replication is successfully achieved using the same research model. The benefits of the collective case study would be the compelling evidence of validity from multiple replications, providing deeper insight, and expanding on a broader theory.
Research Design is a major theme throughout the work of Lune and Berg (2017) claiming as the key to successful application of Qualitative research methods. Case studies require additional instruction for designing an experiment relying on what style your research question is suited for. You first determine whether it is instrumental, intrinsic, or collective cases study and strategically choose from the options a design method appropriate for your research. For instance, exploratory case studies are less planned and used as a prototype for a more comprehensive study in the future. For studies more casual in nature, explanatory cases are more appropriate to build theory, evaluate it, and then expand upon said theory. When a research study is developing a theory for something new and unexplainable, the way to explain this phenomenon is to compare it against cases that have relative content. Descriptive case studies are also theory based in that a researcher will define this theory and use it as the studies framework. When researchers lack a quality theory designing the experiment, a “theory of action” can be substituted temporarily as a rough draft to help move the research along until a proper theory is formed (Lune and Berg 2017). Social scientists would be wasting their time if the case studies provided no scientific benefit. Specifically, case studies are beneficial in their ability to explore new concepts. The ability to spur on new research studies is helpful for forming hypothesis and gaining rich content about the case study. A warning to consider when assessing the scientific elements regarding the researcher’s case study, qualitative research has trouble standing up to the scientific standard objectivity. The best way to provide objectivity in qualitative studies is to ensure your study is designed in a way that is easily replicated by other researchers. If the design model is replicable and other researchers can reproduce the same conclusions the results are proven due to intersubjective reliability (Lune and Berg 2017). What this means is because qualitative research is subjective in nature to measure these intangible concepts social scientists rely on intersubjectivity to argue that if a research study produces definition and assumptions, we agree they are valid, and the conclusions drawn from them are also valid. The idea is that if there is any disagreement on what claims a researcher has presented the only way to challenge these ideas and conclusions is to conduct the same experiment and dispute the claims. All research is tested in this way and the objectivity is accounted for in case studies as it is other methods of research. Another burden of case study research is the question of generalizability, Lune, and Berg (2017) explain the concept as determinant of existing ability to apply the results from a case study to broader groups or situations. Relativity Is the measurement that answers this question and considering that people are creatures of habit not extreme in their pattern’s consistency from one person to the next this is indication that case studies of groups and situations will prove to have scientific value because they are bound to be relative in some capacity.
The case study method can also be used to study organizations (Lune and Berg 2017). As with individuals and situations this study can be done on a specific department or as an inclusive model that gives equal attention to all subunits of the organization. Larger case studies utilized for research of online groups fall into the community case study category. This is not including large cities, states, or nations. In fact, only group groups that share an interest or collective identity are considered in community studies. Even if there is no delineation of space that exists as long as the group members identify as a community, they are considered one. Topics of a community case studies can be specific phenomena found there or general and equal. Descriptive analysis of the activities that occur, who in the community partake in these activities, what forces bind this community together are the questions community cases aim to answer, according to Lune and Berg (2017). In addition to the methods we have considered community case studies rely heavily on maps. A visual tool map provides valuable information about a community and its surroundings. If I were to investigate a community, my question would involve discovering what was the main issue needing attention in this community? No matter what the answer is, a map would help me devise the planning to fix the issue.
Howard Lune, Bruce L. Berg (2017) Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences 9th Edition (QRMSS), Pearson
Education.
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