1. Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 1

2.   A case study is the study of an issue through one or more cases in a setting or context (a bounded system)  It is an object of study and a product of the inquiry  One case or multiple cases over time can be studied Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 2 Case Study: Definition and Background

3.   Multiple sources of data are used that result from detailed in-depth data collection  The report consists of description of the case and theme development about the case  Case study research is interdisciplinary Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 3 Case Study: Definition and Background

4.   Single instrumental case study - The researcher focuses on a single issue then selects a single case to illustrate the issue  Collective or multiple instrumental case study – The researcher focuses on one issue but selects multiple cases to illustrate the issue that can be purposefully sampled from one site or several sites Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 4 Types of Case Studies

5.   Intrinsic case study – This approach focuses on the case itself because the case presents an unusual or unique situation (e.g., evaluating a program or one particular student who is having difficulty studying) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 5 Types of Case Studies

6.   Determine if a case study is appropriate for the research problem  Identify the case or cases to be studied  What kind of case study is most appropriate  What case or cases will be studied  Select cases that show different perspectives through maximal variation sampling  Engage in multiple forms of data collection including interviews, observations, documents, audio visual materials, participant-observations to develop an in depth understanding of the case(s) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 6 Case Study Research Procedures

7.   Develop a detailed description of the case(s) and common themes in the cases  When using multiple cases describe each case and themes first ( within-case analysis )  Compare cases to look for common themes (c ross- case analysis)  Look for common assertions and meanings within the case  Report the lessons learned from the case regarding the issue of the case (instrumental) or learning about an unusual situation (intrinsic case) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 7 Case Study Research Procedures

8.   Overview of the study  The study described a campus reaction to a gunman incident on a mid-western university campus  The study began with a detailed description of the incident including a description of the city, campus, and the incident  The study used multiple sources of data Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 8 Case Study Example: Asmussen & Creswell 1995

9.   Overview of the study  Five themes emerged: denial, fear, safety, retriggering, and campus planning  The themes were narrowed to two overarching perspectives, an organizational and social- psychological response  A suggestion was made that campuses need to develop a plan to respond to campus violence Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 9 Asmussen & Creswell 1995

10.   Overview of methodology  The problem appropriate for case study (description of a campus response to a gunman incident)  The data was collected through multiple sources  Interviews  Observations  Documents  Audiovisual materials Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 10 Asmussen & Creswell 1995

11.   Overview of methodology  The data was analyzed for codes and themes  The themes were used to form over-arching perspectives that were also related to the literature  The case study structure was followed – the problem, the context, the issues, and lessons learned  The study included practical and useful implications  The authors were reflective about their prior experiences related to the problem (epilogue) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 11 Asmussen & Creswell 1995

12.   Features of case study  The authors identified a case for study  The authors chose an instrumental case to illustrate the problem of potential campus violence  The case was a bounded system  The authors used extensive multiple sources of data to provide a detailed picture of the incident and campus response  The authors spent considerable time describing the context for the case Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 12 Asmussen & Creswell 1995

13.   Case study  Bounded single or collective  Case  Event  Process  Program Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 13 Words to Use in Encoding the Purpose Statement in Case Study

14.  Although scholars have shown that sport is fundamental in constituting and reproducing gender inequalities, little attention has been paid to sport and gender relations in later life. In this article we demonstrate how men exploit women’s labor in the sport of lawn bowls, which is played predominately by older people. (Boyle & McKay, 1995, p. 556) Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 14 The Purpose Statement: A Case Study Example Elements of Case Study Description Specific Case Bounded System demonstrate how men exploit women’s labor in the sport of lawn bowls, predominately by older people

15.   A case study example (Asmussen & Creswell, 1995)  The authors posed five central guiding questions in the article  What happened?  Who was involved in response to the incident?  What themes emerged during the eight-month period that followed this incident?  What theoretical constructs helped us to understand the campus response?  The questions focused on the development of a description of the incident, the emergence of themes, and finally theoretical constructs Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 15 The Central Question

16.   Description of the case and its setting  If there is a chronology of events, find evidence for each step  Determine how the case or incident fits into the larger situation  Approaches to analysis and interpretation  Categorical aggregation: the researcher collects instances from the data to look for issue-relevant meanings  Direct interpretation: the researcher looks at a single instance and draws meaning from it Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 16 Analysis Within the Approaches to Inquiry: Case Study (Stake 1995)

17.   Approaches to analysis and interpretation  Cross-case analysis: the research studies two or more cases to look for similarities between the two  Naturalistic generalizations: the researcher notes what can be learned for individuals or a larger population from the case Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 17 Analysis Within the Approaches to Inquiry: Case Study (Stake 1995)

18.  Entry vignette  Introduction (problem, questions, case study, data collection, analysis, outcomes)  Description of the case(s) and its (their) context  Development of issues  Detail about selected issues  Assertions  Closing vignette (Adapted from Stake, 1995) Reporting Structures

19.   Writer opens with a vignette so the reader can get a feel for the time and place of the study  The issue is identified along with the method and purpose  Extensive description of the case  Key issues are presented so the reader can understand the complexity of the case Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 19 Case Study: Overall Rhetorical Structure (Stake, 1995)

20.   Several issues are probed further  Assertions are presented  The writer ends with a closing vignette to remind the reader that this is one person’s encounter with a complex case Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 20 Case Study: Overall Rhetorical Structure (Stake, 1995)

21.   Vignettes  Description – from broad to narrow  Relative balance of description, themes, and interpretation  Use chronologies in the description  End with “lessons that I learned” – assertions or generalizations Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 21 Case Study: Embedded Rhetorical Structure

22.   Identifying cases to study  Identifying whether a single case or multiple cases are needed  Selecting an appropriate purposeful sampling strategy  Having access to multiple sources of data  Deciding how the boundaries of a case might be constrained by time, events, or processes Creswell Qualitative Inquiry 2eCase Study 22 Case Study Challenges