TIFFANY KARNEY ELENI DERESIN SPCD 505 OCTOBER 31, 2013 Case Study

Definitions What is a case?  A case can be an individual, a group, a community, or it can be more in depth by observing multiple cases about a topic with similarities like single mothers In order to understand case study, one must understand a case.  One which investigates the above to answer specific research questions and which seeks a range of different kinds of evidence, evidence which is there in the case setting, and which has to be abstracted and collated to get the best possible answers to the research questions (Gillham, 2000, pp. 1-2)

Definitions Cont. The case could be a child. It could be a classroom of children or a particular mobilization of professionals to study a childhood condition. The case is one among others. In any given study, we will concentrate on the one. The time we spend concentrating on the one may be a day or a year, but while we concentrate we are engaged in case study…The case is a specific, a complex, functioning thing (Stake, 1995, p. 2)

Definitions Cont. A single entity, a unit around which there are boundaries. I can “fence in” what I am going to study. The case then, could be a person such as a student, a teacher, a principal; a program; a group such as a class, a school, a community; a specific policy; and so on. (Merriam, 1998, p. 27)

Key Terms Sampling  After choosing the case, it is then important to begin sampling. Sampling is choosing who, what, when, and why (Merriam, 1998; Gerring, 2007). Internal Validity  How well the findings from a research study matches reality (Merriam, 1998; Gerring, 2007).

Key Terms Triangulation  A process of using multiple perceptions to clarify meaning, verifying the repeatability of an observation or interpretation (Stake, 2005, p. 454). Reliability  When findings of research can be repeated (Merriam, 1998).

Key Terms  External validity  refers to research that can be reconstructed outside of the original research setting. In case study research, external validity is considered low because of the reliance on context (Yin, 1994).  Idiosyncratic Theory  case studies are considered to be idiosyncratic because the data are specific to the group being studied (Tight, 2009).

Key Terms  Qualitative research  is research that is aimed at assessing a characteristic instead of a measurement (Patton, 1980).  Generalizability  is the ability for research to be generalized to other areas.

Evaluation Criteria According to McMillan and Wergin (2010), when evaluating research that uses a case study method, the following criteria can be used:  Is the problem, or phenomena being researched stated clearly and restated after the data have been collected?  Is the process by which the data was gathered clear and understandable? Does the data collection process make sense? Was the process well thought out and executed?  Have the researchers made their bias’s clear, have they accounted for bias in their research design?

Evaluation Criteria  Were the researchers involved in the observations and interviews? Did they have any perceived influence on the participants and the results?  What methods of data were collected and analyzed? Were the methods appropriate for the questions being studied? How long did the researchers spend collecting the data?  Did the researchers present the findings in a manner that was concise and transparent but still interesting?

Evaluation Criteria  Did the researchers include direct quotes and specific examples when analyzing the data?  Do the conclusions that are drawn make sense given the data that are presented? Do the researchers appear to be biased in their interpretations and reporting of the data?  Does the narrative include examples of how the data could be generalized? (p. 92)

References Gillham, B. (2000). Real world research: Case study research methods. New York, NY: Continuum. Gerring, J. (2007). Case study research: Principles and practices. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education: Revised and expanded from case study research in education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Stake, R. E. (2005). Qualitative case studies. In Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.), The sage handbook of qualitative research (3 rd ed., pp ). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. pp McMillan, J. H., & Wergin, J. F. (2010). Understanding and evaluating educational research (4 th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. Patton, M. Q. (1980). Qualitative evaluation methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Tight. M. (2009). The curious case of case study: a viewpoint. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 13(4), Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research design methods (2 nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.