Case study

Aimed at emerging researchers, including those in developing countries, this book also addresses cutting edge and newly developing research methods, which will be of equal interest to more experienced researchers. Case study is a research design linked with mixed methods and qualitative approaches to research that enables a rich, in-depth exploration of the phenomena of interest within a recognisable boundary such as a person, community, institution or diagnostic group. As a design, it defines what will be studied more than how the phenomena will be studied. Case study research involves a detailed understanding of the complexities of a single case or multiple cases as they occur in the context of real life over time. Methods already discussed in this book, including observation/ethnography, interviews, surveys and clinical audits, are used in case study research. When considering the reason for using a case study design, Stake takes a qualitative, constructivist perspective, seeking to make sense of what is happening rather than applying statistical methods to identify causal factors. From this subjective standpoint, three types of case study can be considered; intrinsic, instrumental and collective.