CASE STUDY RESEARCH

Inside the Researchers Toolbox Professional Lecture Series Dr Josephine Muir jomuir@injaz.com.au

TURNING POINT?

David Evans How to Write a Better Thesis or Report, Melbourne University Publishing; 1st edition, 1995. $22.50 Robertson Library Level 6 808.066EVA
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Authoritative References
Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, c2009. Level 4 300.722 YIN Yin, R.K. Applications of Case Study Research, Thousand Oakes, Sage: 2003. Yin, R.K. The Case Study Anthology, Thousand Oaks, Sage, 2004. Robert, E. Stake, The Art of Case Study Research, Thousand Oakes, Sage: 1995.

Newbie References...
Hesse-Biber, S. G and P. Leavy The practice of qualitative research, c2011; Los Angeles: SAGE. Los Angeles : SAGE, c2011. Chapter 10 Swanborn, P. G. Case study research : what, why and how?, 2010, London: SAGE.

Definition: Case Study Research

An empirical enquiry that: investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and uses multiple sources of evidence (Yin,1984:23)

Key Features
Qualitative research technique Means of investigating complex phenomenon Anchored in real-life situations Intensive and descriptive Contextual analysis

Why so Wishy-Washy?
dubious historical beginnings multiple and conflicting definitions no standard methodological package is it a method, a methodology, a paradigm or an approach? common parlance

Study or Case Study?

Is your thesis a case study of a particular phenomenon or is it a study of a particular phenomenon? What is the working title of your thesis? In one sentence, what is your thesis about? In one sentence, what are you really interested in finding out about your particular subject? Is it a case study or study???

Study or Case Study?

David Evans How to Write a Better Thesis or Report, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne: 1995. Chapter 8, pp. 73-87. Are you studying a particular phenomena in its own right OR to provide information and insight into a broad range of similar phenomena? Clues thesis title, research aim, discussion and conclusion chapters.

Study or Case Study?

Case Study It will not mention the specific area, topic or case in the aim of your thesis Study It will mention the specific area, topic or case in the aim of your thesis.

It will not mention the specific area, topic or case in the title of your thesis

It will mention the particular phenomena you are studying in the title of your thesis.

It will use your discussion and conclusion chapters to generalise the findings of your research to a broader context.

It will be limited significantly in its ability to generalise the findings.

Thesis Structure
Case Study: Communicating Campaign Messages Effectively Title: Communicating campaign messages effectively. Aim: to analyse effective communication strategies during election campaigns Background: describe campaign communication strategies; review best practice internationally. Method: Hypothesis is that commercial strategies used by pollies to communicate; select case study method; select 1998 AFE (may be select another case?) Results: List key campaign messages their media coverage and the extent to which voters considered these agendas salient. Discussion: generalise findings; develop list of effective communication strategies Study: A Communications Audit of the 1998 Australian Federal Election Title: A communications audit of the 1998 Australian Federal Election Aim: to analyse how effective politicians were in communicating their messages to voters during the 1998 campaign Background: describe and track key campaign messages used by John Howard and Kim Beazley during the campaign Method: demonstrate HOW key campaign messages were traced speeches to media to voters. Results: list key campaign messages their media coverage and the extent to which voters considered these agenda salient Discussion: lessons learned from the 1998 AFE campaign - what worked and what didnt?

How to Conduct Case Study Research?

1. Determine and define the research questions
Look at Elaine Sharplins PhD thesis, UWA, 2008 http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-U2008.0211/public/02whole.pdf multiple site, collective case study design young novices, mature-aged novices, interstate and overseas qualified teachers RQ1: what are the perspectives of teachers in relation to the quality of their worklife? RQ2: How do young novices, mature-aged novices, interstate and overseas qualified teachers deal with their experiences? questionnaires, interviews, observation, journals, documents, field notes and memos

How to Conduct Case Study Research?

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2. Select the cases and determine data gathering and analysis techniques
Geddes, Barbara. 1990. "How the Cases You Choose Affect the Answers You Get: Selection Bias in Comparative Politics." Political Analysis 2:131-150.

3. Prepare to collect the data 4. Collect data in the field (look at Merriam for field note tips - Merriam, S. B. Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco: 1998). 5. Evaluate and analyse the data 6. Prepare the report

What does it look like?

Analysis Goals
how and why questions Triangulation original findings accurate and reliable systematic method for deliberately sorting data cross check and verify data

Analysis Techniques
Holistic interpretation or coding Coding = labels to classify, categorise and assign meaning to your data Initial and focused coding Qualitative software or by hand
Lewis, R. Barry. 2004. "NVivo 2.0 and Atlis.ti 5.0: A Comparative Review of Two Popular Qualitative Data-Analysis Programs." Field Methods 16 (4):439-469.

Master coding sheet

Merriam, Sharan B. 1998. "Chapter 6: Mining Data From Documents." Pp. 112-133 in Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education (Revised Edition). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Good case studies?

.. case studies should be evaluated in terms of the adequacy of the theoretical inferences that can be generated. The aim is not to infer findings from a sample to a population, but to engender patterns and linkages of theoretical importance. Source: Bryman (1989:173)

Critical Issues in Case Study Research

Reliability Construct validity Internal validity External validity Extent to which findings can be extrapolated and generalised
Eisenhart, Margaret A. and Kenneth R. Howe. 1992. "Chapter 14: Validity in Educational Research." Pp. 643-680 in Handbook of Qualitative Research in Education, edited by M. D. LeCompte, W. L. Millroy, and J. Preissle. San Diego: Academic Press. Mathison, Sandra. 1988. "Why Triangulate?" Educational Researcher 17 (2):13-17.

Westgrens Burden of Proof?

is the technique you have used appropriate to the research question? have you applied the technique properly? does your analysis follow the conventions of the technique in your field, or in other social science fields? have you provided a "chain of evidence" in obtaining and archiving data? is your case study tied to appropriate theory?

Five misunderstandings about case study research

Flyvbjerg Five misunderstandings about case-study research http://flyvbjerg.plan.aau.dk/MSFiveMis9.oSageASPUBL.pdf
1. No. 1. General, theoretical knowledge is more valuable than concrete, practical knowledge. 2. No. 2. One cannot generalize on the basis of an individual case; therefore, the case study cannot contribute to scientific development. 3. No. 3. The case study is most useful for generating hypotheses, that is, in the first stage of a total research process, while other methods are more suitable for hypotheses testing and theory-building. 4. No. 4. The case study contains a bias towards verification, that is, a tendency to confirm the researchers preconceived notions. 5. No. 5. It is often difficult to summarize and develop general propositions and theories on the basis of specific case studies.

Is it really for me?

http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR3-2/tellis1.html