Case Study Descriptive Design

According to Slake (1995), Case studies are a strategy of inquiry in which the researcher explores in depth a program, event, activity, process, or one or more individuals. Cases are bounded by time and activity. Researchers collect detailed information using a variety of data collection procedures over a sustained period of time. It is often described as a detailed investigation. One of the reasons to conduct a case study is when you want and your goal is to have an in depth or a holistic knowledge about a certain case or cases. In case study, the aim is to look into an individual case within a real-life context. With this research design, the methods of data analysis and collection is focused on qualitative processes such as observation, in-depth interviews and narratives. The types of Qualitative Case study are Intrinsic Case Study, when the case itself is of interest; Instrumental Case in which the focus and purpose is to illuminate a particular case on a certain issue; and Collective Case in which multiple cases are described and compared to provide insight to an issue. The strength of a Case study is it has holistic nature. However, it has limitations too as it often uses anecdotal information and is subject to researcher’s interpretation. It could also lack control as it has limited ability to determine causal relationships. It could also be persuasive and might bias the public and researchers. In choosing the Case Study design, you need to consider if you want to gain a holistic view of a case, if you have inquiry about how or why a phenomenon occurred but do not have the ability to control its variables and if you are using primarily qualitative measures that primarily assess past occurrences of your research.