Case Studies Flashcards
1
Q
Case study
A
- Qualitative research method, an in-depth study of a human experience ( individual / group / company )
- Involves mixed methods > uses triangulation ( because it is using more than 1 method )
- particular is presented in the general > general is often presented in the particular
2
Q
Intrinsic case studies
A
- represent nothing but themselves
- focuses on resolving/better understanding of ONE specific case
Strength - allow in depth study and provide different perspectives for one thing
E.g.
look at implementation of a new sudent - to student counseling program at a school that has a bullying problem - no goal of generalizing findings goal is to investigate the affectiveness of x on y
E.g.
No goal of generaizing findings, but to investigate effectiveness of the program in that specific school.
3
Q
Instrumental case studies
A
- represent more general phenomena of interest
- goal of casw studie is to draw conclusion that may be applied outside that original case
4
Q
What should a case study include?
A
Researcher should include dimensions that are relevant to the phenomenon under investigation
- psychological dimensions
- sociocultural dimensions
- historical dimensions
- biological dimensions
5
Q
Where does the data come from?
A
Can come from:
- number methods
- semi-structured interviews
- participant observtion
- diaries
- personal notes ( e.g letters, photographs, notes )
- official documents ( e.g cinical notes, case study, appraisal reports)
- questionnaires
6
Q
How is triangulation used?
A
- using different perspectives can result in rich data and better all - round understanding of the situation
- conclusion based on multiple sources are considered more credible
E.g.
Research in resilience observations in a group of street children, they might use focus groups, semi-structured interviews, observations + account from adults in the community, newspaper articles on street children.
7
Q
Strengths
A
- Provide rich data
- The use of triangulation that increases credibility of findings
- Provide researchers the possibility to investigate cases that could be set up in research labs
- Can contradict established theories and help to develop new theories.
E.g.
case study of severely deprived Czech twins, who showed remarkable recovery when they were placed in a caring social environment. Challenging the established theory that the early years of life determined human social development. This case and similar studies of deprived children have shown that some (but not all) children are resilient, and this has sparked research into factors that promote resilience.
8
Q
Limitations
A
- Case studies cannot be replicated
- single case studies cannot be generalized to wider population
- Potential risk for researcher bias in a case study ( how? The researchers belief can influence the way the data is collected and analyzed)
- qualitative data depend to a large extent on people’s perception and memory. Reliance on memory when reconstructing the case history could be subject to distortion. As well as, participants can change answers to appear more socially acceptable
9
Q
Generalizing from a single case study
A
- single case study cannot be of any value outside the case because it cannot be replicated, it cannot be used for prediction, and the results cannot be generalized
- single case study may be used for inferential generalization ( the findings can be applied to similar settings if the researcher has provided a “rich-thick” description of the phenomenon and the context)
= referred to as transferability - Results in a single case study can be generalized to existing theory ( theoritical generalization ). If able to replicate the pattern found in the single case sutdy, then the theory derived from the single case sutdy gains robustness ( abilitiy to withstand or overcome adverse conditions or rigorous testing )
10
Q
Emic
A
- it is intristic > just about me
- Phonemic
11
Q
Etic
A
- universal classification > zoomed out / comparing
- phonetic
