In the design of a case study, it is important to plan and design how you are going to address the study and make sure that all collected data is relevant. A case study on one or two specific countries becomes a powerful and focused tool for determining the social and economic pressures driving this. In a case study, you are deliberately trying to isolate a small study group, one individual case or one particular population.įor example, statistical analysis may have shown that birthrates in African countries are increasing. The first foundation of the case study is the subject and relevance. Research should be thorough and note taking should be meticulous and systematic. This may be an attempt to test a theory with a typical case or it can be a specific topic that is of interest. The advantage of the case study research design is that you can focus on specific and interesting cases. The general public has little interest in pages of statistical calculations but some well placed case studies can have a strong impact. It is important to ensure that you realize that a case study cannot be generalized to fit a whole population or ecosystem.įinally, one peripheral point is that, when informing others of your results, case studies make more interesting topics than purely statistical surveys, something that has been realized by teachers and magazine editors for many years. Whilst many 'physical' scientists avoid case studies, for psychology, anthropology and ecology they are an essential tool. The argument between case study and statistical method also appears to be one of scale. Whilst a pure scientist is trying to prove or disprove a hypothesis, a case study might introduce new and unexpected results during its course, and lead to research taking new directions. The other main thing to remember during case studies is their flexibility. It is valid to conduct case studies but they should be tied in with more general statistical processes.įor example, a statistical survey might show how much time people spend talking on mobile phones, but it is case studies of a narrow group that will determine why this is so. The truth probably lies between the two and it is probably best to try and synergize the two approaches. On the other hand, it is argued that a case study provides more realistic responses than a purely statistical survey. Some argue that because a case study is such a narrow field that its results cannot be extrapolated to fit an entire question and that they show only one narrow example. The Argument for and Against the Case Study Research Design H.M.: An example of a study using the case study research design. Scientists are sometimes guilty of becoming bogged down in the general picture and it is sometimes important to understand specific cases and ensure a more holistic approach to research. ![]() You may come out with a great computer model for describing how the ecosystem of a rock pool works but it is only by trying it out on a real life pool that you can see if it is a realistic simulation.įor psychologists, anthropologists and social scientists they have been regarded as a valid method of research for many years. The case study research design is also useful for testing whether scientific theories and models actually work in the real world. Whilst it will not answer a question completely, it will give some indications and allow further elaboration and hypothesis creation on a subject. It is a method used to narrow down a very broad field of research into one easily researchable topic. Basically, a case study is an in depth study of a particular situation rather than a sweeping statistical survey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |