1. Week 5 Research Methodology NJ Kang
Case Studies
Week 5 Research Methodology
NJ Kang

2. Experiment = investigation or enquiry.
True Experiments and Quasi-Experiments.

3. Real life situations = True Experiments.
Two main hallmarks
Subjects, Samples and Populations
The random allocation of the subjects to different experimental conditions.

4. 2. The random allocation of the subjects to different experimental conditions.
Randomly (all members of the pool had equal chances of being selected, whether this pool is representative of pensioners in general is another matter) choose half a group under one condition and the other to another condition.

5. 3) Quasi-Experiments
Less stringent requirements as to allocation and sampling than true experiments.
The use of already existing groups such as school classes for the different conditions of the experimental study, rather than pupils being randomly allocated to new classes from within a year group for the purpose of the study.

6. 4) Studying Cases
Case study is a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence.
The case is studied in its own right, not as a sample from a population.

7. What is a Case Study?
“A strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence”
(Robson, 1993, p. 146)
A Case Study may be…
Descriptive
Exploratory
Explanatory
Focussed on
Process - how was it done?
Outcome - does it work?

8. Designing Case Studies
Not necessarily studies of individuals.
A strategy for doing research
which involves an
1) empirical investigation of
2) a particular contemporary phenomenon
within its 3) real life context using
4) multiple sources of evidence.
Case
Single or multi person cases

9. Case studies
Can be done on a group, on an institution, on a neighbourhood, on an innovation, on a decision, on a service, on a programme and on many other things.
Individual case study,
Set of individual case studies
Community studies.
Social group studies,
studies of organizations and institutions
Studies of events, roles and relationships.
Read the introduction of articles and select which study?

10. Types of Case Study Individual Case Study
Stanley, the ‘jack-roller’ - Shaw.
Set of individual case studies
Three general practice surgeries compared
Community Studies
Family and Kinship in East London, The Azande in the Sudan
Social Group Studies
Outsiders - Becker on Marijuana smokers and musicians
Studies of organizations and institutions
Working for Ford - Benyon; National Front - Fielding
Studies of events, roles and relationships
Housewife - Oakley; Cuban Missile Crisis
"jackrolling," that is, robbing drunks.

11. Basic Types of Case Study Design
Spatial Variation
Temporal Variation No
Yes
One
None 1
2 Single case study – diachronic
Within case
3 Single case study – synchronic
4 Single case study – synchronic & diachronic
Several
Cross-case & within-case
5 Comparative Method
6 Comparative Historical
Many
Cross-case
7 Cross sectional
8 Time-series cross-sectional
9 Hierarchical
10 Hierarchical time-series
Shaded cells are case study research designs
From Gerring, John (2007) Case Study Research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 28.

12. Designing a case study A conceptual framework;
A set of research questions;
A sampling strategy;
To decide on methods and instruments for data collection.

13. Developing a conceptual framework (CF)
Aspects, dimensions, factors, variables of a case study and their presumed relationships.

14. Conceptual Framework Displays the important features of a case study
Shows relationships between features
Makes assumptions explicit
Selective
Iterative
Based on theory
Takes account of previous research
Includes personal orientation
Includes overlaps and inconsistencies

15. Why do you need CF?
It forces you to be explicit about what you think you are doing.
To be selective on which are the important features; which relationships are likely to be of importance or meaning; and hence, what data you are going to collect and analyse.

16. Developing a set of Research Questions in a Case study
Ask questions about a case using theories or your own experiences or both.
List questions and select answerable ones
Link between questions and research methods that can answer to your RQs.
Think of your data analysis strategy.

17. Research Questions Consistent with conceptual framework
Covers conceptual framework thoroughly
Structured and focussed
Answerable
Forms basis for data collection

18. Sampling Settings = where
Actors = who, why chose this person, what are the implication of other person?
Events = settings, processes,
Processes = in what situation

19. Data collection in case study
1. Observation
Participant observation :
Systematic observation
Simple observation
2. Interview
Open-ended interview
Focused interview
Structured interview
3. Use of documents and records

20. A case study
Is not a survey, where reliability relies crucially on the characteristics of the data collection instruments.
The case study relies on the trustworthiness of the human instrument rather than on the data collection techniques per se.

21. Types of Case Study Holistic Case Studies:
A case study of an individual, an institution
Multiple Case Studies.

22. Holistic Case Studies:
A case study of an individual, an institution which remained global rather than seeking to look at and analyse the different functioning of separate sub-units within the institution.

23. The critical Case
: this occurs when your theoretical understanding is such that there is a clear, unambiguous and nontrivial set of circumstances where predicted outcomes will be found.
put an investigation of a certain phenomenon under a certain theoretical hypothesis.
Use of experiment is to clarify the theory and hypothesis not to make change on something. E.g. verification of Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Application in TESOL?

24. The extreme case
It investigate how one sample of person or situation works in a certain situation. (a person’s recovery of a trauma)
It include the ‘if it can work here it will work anywhere’ scenario, a new approach is tried under ideal circumstances, perhaps to obtain understanding of how it works before its wider implementation

25. Multiple case studies Gathering a sample of cases
Doing multiple experiments
Replication of an initial experiment
Seek to complement the first study by focusing on an area not originally covered.
Build upon the first experiment,
Like multiple surveys for that matter;
Or even for multiple studies involving a range of different research strategies.

26. Why select a single case?
Critical case (test case)
Theory well developed. Case will confirm or refute theory. E.g. Festinger et al. When Prophesy Fails
Extreme or unique case
Common in clinical cases. E.g. Fielding - National Front
Representative or typical case
Capture the circumstances of the everyday. E.g. Lynd & Lynd - Middletown study.

27. Methods and Instruments
Observation
Participant observation
Ethnography
Systematic observation
Interview
Open-ended
Focussed/semi-structured
Structured
Documents/Records
E.g. minutes of meetings, patient records, diaries…
Etc.

28. Analysis of Data Prepare (lots of data)
May start during data collection
How will the data be organised?
What analysis strategy will you use?
Follow theoretical propositions
Develop descriptive framework

29. Problems for Validity Unreliable self-report data
Unsubstantiated observations
Post-hoc, unsystematic summaries
Speculation and overgeneralization

30. Common pitfalls Token literature review Premature theorizing
Phase slippage

31. Ethnographic Studies
1) a Written description 2)the implicit rules and traditions of a group. 4)involvement with, 5)a rich, or thick description 6)interprets 7)their own perspective.

32. Ethnographic Studies
Is differentiated by some from the case study approach.
This approach seeks to provide a 1)Written description of 2)the implicit rules and traditions of a 3) group.
Through 4)involvement with the group, tries to work out these rules
The intention is to provide 5)a rich, or thick description which 6)interprets the experiences of people in the group from 7)their own perspective.

33. Ethnographic studies need
The questions that the study is asking,
The data that are collected, and
The conclusions drawn.

34. Exploratory and confirmatory
Exploratory: Pre-structured or emergent,  tight pre-structuring is just not possible  trying to get some feeling as to what is going on in a novel situation.
Confirmatory: a detailed pre-structured case study . need to have explanation of some phenomenon,
Case study don’t need limit itself to confirmation of suggested relationships.

37. Homework
Find two articles that implement different types of case study design respectively and summarize these studies.
Read chapter 7 & 8