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Purpose
Case studies play a critical role in generating hypotheses that can later be tested using more tightly controlled and systematic research strategies. They typically provide an in-depth picture of some complex situation, such as a particular implementation of a pedagogical innovation, allowing the researcher to speculate as to why the given situation unfolded as it did and, hence, what variables or considerations should be taken into account in later investigations. Case studies can also be used as a form of "proof of concept," illustrating how the particulars of a given instruction, technology, and/or analytic framework play out, so to speak, in the real world.Description
A case study is an in-depth and comprehensive examination of a single instance or event of interest in all its complexity. Research capitalizing of case study methods typically seeks to characterize the myriad of variables that shape the particular event examined and the interplay among these variables. Such studies consist of the collection (often of the "think description" or detailed qualitative sort), analysis (traditionally, qualitative analysis, though quantitative measures are also used when the frequency of some particular characteristic sheds light on "how and why"), and presentation (often a holistic understanding of the situation via induction from the data) of detailed information about the specific event of interest. Except in "proof of concept" case studies, most generate conclusions that are limited to the event itself and the directions future research might productively take.
General Requirements
The instance(s) or event(s) studied must be carefully selected to insure that the hypotheses so generated are fruitful for later research. If, for example, the goal is to understand the effectiveness of a given technology for instructional purposes, it is important to select a classroom setting that is representative of the context in which the technology will later be implemented.
Limitations
Case studies are particularly well-suited to situations in which the researcher has little control over the variables that shape the event of interest, but the claims or theories generated from such work are speculative rather than conclusive. Case studies typically generate incredible amounts of data, making analysis somewhat difficult and time-consuming.
Variations
Exploratory Case Studies are case studies conducted before a large-scale investigation is pursued. They allow the researcher to identify, for later research, which variables should be controlled or manipulated, what measures should be used, and which research questions are most important. They are particularly useful when the projected program of research requires vast resources, enabling preliminary specification of what should be investigated and why before large amounts of time and money are invested.
Critical Instance Case Studies are case studies focused on (a) unique situations of interest with little or no generalizability or (b) instances which bear on some universal theory which can be tested through examination of one particular instance.
"Proof of Concept" Case Studies are case studies which illustrate (a) a particular instance of a given pedagogy or technology and its effectiveness or (b) the application of a particular theoretical or interpretive framework to some given situation. In the former case, they illustrate the feasibility or plausibility of the given pedagogy/technology meeting certain requisite goals or accomplishing particular (desirable) ends; in the latter case, they illustrate how a particular analytic approach or theoretical point of view sheds light on features of the situations or "objects" for which they are designed in some novel way.
Example Research Studies
Additional Resources
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