To Case Study or

Not to Case Study,

That is the Question.

COM 304 Research & Writing MethodsDr. Feigenbaum

Week 5A Valentine’s Day Themed Lecture

Lecture Summary1. What is a case study?

2. Is a case study right for me?

3. How do I select a case study?

Performing a case study is like shining a spotlight on an individual person, group or object

“Case studies focus on one (or just a few) instances of a particular phenomenon.”

(p 52)

“[They provide] an in-depth account of events, relationships, experiences or processes occurring in that particular instance.”

(p 52)

“[A case] can be based on things like an individual, an organization, an industry, a workplace, an educational programme, a policy or a country.”

(p 52)

A case study illuminates the general by looking at the particular.

Mass Study vs. Case Study

Mass Study vs. Case Study

Focus on a particular case

Interview a small sample of site users

Conduct a visual and

textual analysis of the website

Create a questionnaire

targeted at site users

Gather background stats and available user

data

Register as a user and do

ethnographic research

Register as a user and do participant-observation

Multiple Methods help

Magnify Processes, Relationships and Experiences

Is Case Study right for me?

“The case study approach works best when the researcher wants to investigate an issue in depth and provide an explanation that can cope with the complexity and subtlety of real life situations.”

A Case Study is a serious commitment to an individual (unit of analysis).

Is Case Study right for me?

•Do I want to be able to use and develop multiple methods?

•Am I ready to focus and work on one thing in-depth?

•Would I like to learn a lot about a specific example?

•Can I deal with the complexities that will arise?

•Will I get excited to discover the subtleties?

Choosing Mr. Right Case Study

Requires a conscious and deliberate choice.

Should be based on specific attributes the researcher wants to investigate.

Is NOT randomly selected.

Needs to have clear and distinct boundaries.

You must have explicit reasons why you’ve chosen this case.

Choosing a particular case

Typical Instance

Extreme Instance

Test-site for theory

Testing a Theory:

People are most likely to be attracted to and enter a committed relationship with partners that are ethnically and culturally similar to themselves.

Test-site for theory

Test-site for theory (least likely instance)

Is this Case Study right for me?

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONSA matter of convenience (Mr. Right now)

Intrinsically Interesting (BFF)

The study is part of commissioned research (arranged marriage)

There are unique opportunities (gold digger)

Going from the particular to the general

From particular to general

• Identify significant features on which comparison with others in the same set of examples can be made.

• Show how the case compares with others in the set of examples in terms of significant features.

How do you relate the case?

1. Physical attributes (style, representations, images, features)

2. Historical attributes (developments and changes)

3. Institution attributes (organizations, policies, procedures)

Case Study Speed Dating