6. Case Studies

Question 1

What are Case studies

Answer 1

• Intensive descriptions of a single individual or case.
• Allows researchers to analyse unusual cases in lots of detail (eg. Milner et al’s study of HM).

Question 2

STRENGTHS of Case studies

Answer 2

• Rich data - researchers have the opportunity to study rare phenomena in a lot of detail.
• Unique cases - can challenge existing ideas & theories, & suggest ideas for future research.

Question 3

WEAKNESSES of Case studies

Answer 3

• Casual relationships - cause-and-effect of a relationship cannot be established.
• Only studying a single case makes generalising the results extremely difficult.
• Ethics - informed consent can be difficult to obtain in some cases.