Case Study Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case

Case Study Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 1

Case Study: Definition and Background A case study is the study of an issue through one or more cases in a setting or context (a bounded system) It is an object of study and a product of the inquiry One case or multiple cases over time can be studied Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 2

Case Study: Definition and Background Multiple sources of data are used that result from detailed in-depth data collection The report consists of description of the case and theme development about the case Case study research is interdisciplinary Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 3

Types of Case Studies Single instrumental case study - The researcher focuses on a single issue then selects a single case to illustrate the issue Collective or multiple instrumental case study – The researcher focuses on one issue but selects multiple cases to illustrate the issue that can be purposefully sampled from one site or several sites Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 4

Types of Case Studies Intrinsic case study – This approach focuses on the case itself because the case presents an unusual or unique situation (e. g. , evaluating a program or one particular student who is having difficulty studying) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 5

Case Study Research Procedures Determine if a case study is appropriate for the research problem Identify the case or cases to be studied What kind of case study is most appropriate What case or cases will be studied Select cases that show different perspectives through maximal variation sampling Engage in multiple forms of data collection including interviews, observations, documents, audio visual materials, participant-observations to develop an in depth understanding of the case(s) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 6

Case Study Research Procedures Develop a detailed description of the case(s) and common themes in the cases When using multiple cases describe each case and themes first (within-case analysis) Compare cases to look for common themes (cross -case analysis) Look for common assertions and meanings within the case Report the lessons learned from the case regarding the issue of the case (instrumental) or learning about an unusual situation (intrinsic case) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 7

Case Study Example: Asmussen & Creswell 1995 Overview of the study The study described a campus reaction to a gunman incident on a mid-western university campus The study began with a detailed description of the incident including a description of the city, campus, and the incident The study used multiple sources of data Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 8

Asmussen & Creswell 1995 Overview of the study Five themes emerged: denial, fear, safety, retriggering, and campus planning The themes were narrowed to two overarching perspectives, an organizational and socialpsychological response A suggestion was made that campuses need to develop a plan to respond to campus violence Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 9

Asmussen & Creswell 1995 Overview of methodology The problem appropriate for case study (description of a campus response to a gunman incident) The data was collected through multiple sources Interviews Observations Documents Audiovisual materials Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 10

Asmussen & Creswell 1995 Overview of methodology The data was analyzed for codes and themes The themes were used to form over-arching perspectives that were also related to the literature The case study structure was followed – the problem, the context, the issues, and lessons learned The study included practical and useful implications The authors were reflective about their prior experiences related to the problem (epilogue) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 11

Asmussen & Creswell 1995 Features of case study The authors identified a case for study The authors chose an instrumental case to illustrate the problem of potential campus violence The case was a bounded system The authors used extensive multiple sources of data to provide a detailed picture of the incident and campus response The authors spent considerable time describing the context for the case Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 12

Words to Use in Encoding the Purpose Case Study Statement in Case study Bounded single or collective Case Event Process Program Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 13

The Purpose Statement: A Case Study Example Although scholars have shown that Elements of Case sport is fundamental in constituting Study and reproducing gender inequalities, little attention has been paid to sport and gender relations in later life. In how men this article we demonstrate how exploit women’s labor in the sport of lawn bowls, which is played predominatelyby byolderpeople. predominately (Boyle & Mc. Kay, 1995, p. 556) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e • Description • Specific Case • Bounded System Case Study 14

The Central Question A case study example (Asmussen & Creswell, 1995) The authors posed five central guiding questions in the article What happened? Who was involved in response to the incident? What themes emerged during the eight-month period that followed this incident? What theoretical constructs helped us to understand the campus response? The questions focused on the development of a description of the incident, the emergence of themes, and finally theoretical constructs Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 15

Analysis Within the Approaches to Inquiry: Case Study (Stake 1995) Description of the case and its setting If there is a chronology of events, find evidence for each step Determine how the case or incident fits into the larger situation Approaches to analysis and interpretation Categorical aggregation: the researcher collects instances from the data to look for issue-relevant meanings Direct interpretation: the researcher looks at a single instance and draws. Creswell meaning from it Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 16

Analysis Within the Approaches to Inquiry: Case Study (Stake 1995) Approaches to analysis and interpretation Cross-case analysis: the research studies two or more cases to look for similarities between the two Naturalistic generalizations: the researcher notes what can be learned for individuals or a larger population from the case Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 17

Reporting Structures Entry vignette Introduction (problem, questions, case study, data collection, analysis, outcomes) Description of the case(s) and its (their) context Development of issues Detail about selected issues Assertions Closing vignette (Adapted from Stake, 1995)

Case Study: Overall Rhetorical Structure (Stake, 1995) Writer opens with a vignette so the reader can get a feel for the time and place of the study The issue is identified along with the method and purpose Extensive description of the case Key issues are presented so the reader can understand the complexity of the case Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 19

Case Study: Overall Rhetorical Structure (Stake, 1995) Several issues are probed further Assertions are presented The writer ends with a closing vignette to remind the reader that this is one person’s encounter with a complex case Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 20

Case Study: Embedded Rhetorical Structure Vignettes Description – from broad to narrow Relative balance of description, themes, and interpretation Use chronologies in the description End with “lessons that I learned” – assertions or generalizations Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 21

Case Study Challenges Identifying cases to study Identifying whether a single case or multiple cases are needed Selecting an appropriate purposeful sampling strategy Having access to multiple sources of data Deciding how the boundaries of a case might be constrained by time, events, or processes Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2 e Case Study 22