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International Journal of Qualitative Methods 6 (2) June 2007 Redefining Case Study RobVanWynsbergheandSamiaKhan Rob VanWynsberghe, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Human Kinetics/Dept. of Educational Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Samia Khan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Curriculum Studies, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Abstract: In this paper the authors propose a more precise and encompass- ing definition of case study than is usually found. They support their defini- tionbyclarifyingthatcasestudyisneitheramethodnoramethodologynora research design as suggested by others. They use a case study prototype of their own design to propose common properties of case study and demon- strate how these properties support their definition. Next, they present sev- eral living myths about case study and refute them in relation to their definition. Finally, they discuss the interplay between the terms case study and unit of analysis to further delineate their definition of case study. The target audiences for this paper include case study researchers, research de- sign andmethodsinstructors,andgraduatestudentsinterestedincasestudy research. Keywords: qualitative methdology, heuristic, research design Citation VanWynsberghe, R. & Khan, S. (2007). Redefining case study. Inter- national Journal of Qualitative Methods, 6(2), Article 6. Retrieved [date] from http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/6_2/vanwynsberghe.pdf 2 VanWynsberghe, Khan REDEFINING CASE STUDY hat is a case study? Why is it so regularly in- an alternative definition that might address several of voked in educational and other social science these conundrums. Wresearchandyetsoirregularly, randomly, and poorly defined? Case study is variously defined as a Theconundrumofthecasestudy method, methodology, or research design (Bassey, 1999;Merriam,1988;Orum,Feagin,&Sjoberg,1991; Thepastthreedecadesofscholarshiponcasestudyre- search have produced more than 25 different defini Yin, 1994). It is used as a catch-all category for a vari- - ety of research methods, methodologies, and designs tions of case study, each with its own particular and as a result, loses its meaning. In this paper we ad- emphasis and direction for research. Three definitions dress the problematic definition of the case study. We that exemplify the range include the following. also propose a more precise and encompassing defini- tionthatreconcilesvariousdefinitionsofcasestudyre- Acasecanbedefinedtechnicallyasaphenome- search: case study is a transparadigmatic and nonforwhichwereportandinterpretonlyasin- transdisciplinary heuristic that involves the careful de- gle measure on any pertinent variable. lineationofthephenomenaforwhichevidenceisbeing (Eckstein, 2002, p. 124) collected (event, concept, program, process, etc.). By transparadigmatic, we mean that case study is Acasestudyisanempiricalinquirythatinvesti- relevant regardless of one’s research paradigm (i.e., gates a contemporary phenomenon within its postpositivism, critical theory, constructivism). By real-life context,especiallywhentheboundaries transdisciplinary,wearesuggestingthatcasestudyhas between phenomenon and context are not no particular disciplinary orientation; that is, it can be clearly evident. (Yin, 2003, p. 13) used in social science, science, applied science, busi- ness, fine arts, and humanities research, for example. Acase study is a problem to be studied, which Weregard heuristic at its most general level as an ap- will reveal an in-depth understanding of a proach that focuses one’s attention during learning, “case” or bounded system, which involves un- construction, discovery, or problem solving. Eckstein derstandinganevent,activity,process,oroneor (2002),forexample,usedthetermheuristictodescribe moreindividuals. (Creswell, 2002, p. 61) a special type of case study that employs analytic in- duction to discover or “find out” the essence of the Eckstein’s (2002) definition offers a technical ex- case. The heuristic in Eckstein’s case study is analytic planation in which the case is a focused object of inter- induction, as analytic induction is the recommended est, a relevant variable. For example, a possible case approach for focusing one’s attention on the case. We study or phenomenon under investigation could be suggest that there are several heuristics involved in electoral systems, where the pertinent variable is the case study research, and we propose that these general parliamentary election and the single measure heuristics serve continually to focus one’s attention on of the pertinent variable is the outcome of six such locating or constructing the unit of analysis (the phe- elections in Britain. Yin’s (2003) definition appears nomenonforwhichevidenceiscollected). less technical, but it is still a naturalistic one. It invites In the following sections we substantiate our pro- theresearchertoengageinanynecessaryethnographic posed definition by examining whether case study is a workthatwilldelineatetheeventorconceptofinterest method,methodology,orresearchdesign.Wethenuse fromthebackdrop.Exemplarycasestudies,according aprototypeofcasestudytopresentcommonproperties to Yin (2004), include Head Start: The Inside Story of ofthecasestudyandsuggesthowthesepropertiessup- America’s Most Successful Educational Experiment port our proposed definition. Next, we superimpose (Zigler & Muenchow, 1992), where preschool pro- Flyvbjerg’s (2001) presentation of social science grams for lower income children were examined by myths on our proposed definition of case study. Ad- participant observation within and beyond the Head dressing these myths reveals case study—understood Start program. Creswell’s (2002) definition, on the according to our definition—as quintessential social other hand, appears to call for the researcher to start science. Finally, we confront the tension between the - withaquandary,thatwillinvokelayersofunderstand caseincasestudyandtheunitofanalysisand,indoing ingaboutthesysteminwhichtheproblemresides.The so; further authenticate our proposed definition of case system becomes the case, and the researcher chooses study.Ourintentioninthispaperisnottosettletheulti- - anevent,activity, or process within this system to illu - mate issue of what is a case study but to identify sev minateit. AnexampleofCreswell’sdefinitionatwork eral conundrums associated with its use and to suggest is the case of a campus response to a student gunman (Asmussen & Creswell, 1995). This case study de- International Journal of Qualitative Methods 6 (2) June 2007 http://www.ualberta.ca/~ijqm/ VanWynsberghe, Khan REDEFININGCASESTUDY 3 scribed the immediate and subsequent response by ance to the researcher on how to proceed with the re - campusofficials to a graduate student who opened fire search in terms of number of variables to study, types in his science class. The case study of the campus re- of controls, and sampling techniques. If a case study sponse to a student gunman illuminated a larger prob- werearesearchdesign,itwouldalsobeabletoprovide lem of escalating campus violence involving guns in researcherswithsuchaprescriptiveplan.Becausecase the United States. study does not offer a prescriptive guide for how to proceed with the business of collecting, analyzing and Method,research design, or methodology? interpretingdata,wedonotconsidercasestudyasare - search design. In addition to the wide range of definitions of case Thus,weareleftwiththepossibilitythatcasestudy studyassuggestedintheabovesection,currentdefini- is a methodology. The term methodology, like case tions also refer to case study as a method, strategy, re- study, has little definitional clarity and is commonly search design, or methodology. To call case study a usedinterchangeablywiththetermmethod.Forexam - method (a term commonly confused with methodol- ple, Sjoberg, Williams, Vaughn, and Sjoberg (1991) ogy)wouldimplythatcasestudyisatechnique,proce- defined methodology as “the analysis of the intersec- dure, or means for gathering evidence or collecting tion (and interaction) between theory and research data. Examples of well-known research techniques in- methodsanddata”(p.29).Ontheotherhand,Harding clude interviews, participant observations, and docu- (1987) defined methodology as a theory and analysis mentanalysis. Merriam (1988) defined case study as a of how research should proceed. It includes accounts method or means in the following definition: of how “the general structure of theory finds its appli- cations in particular scientific disciplines” (p. 3). The case study offers a means of investigating Methodology, according to Harding’s definition, must complexsocialunitsconsistingofmultiplevari- be situated in the context of the dominant paradigm: ables of potential importance in understanding the natural sciences. For example, feminism qualifies the phenomenon. (p. 41) as a methodology because in part, it privileges tech- niques (e.g., intensive interviews) that elicit evidence Wecontendthatcasestudyisnotamethodbecause fromtheindividualabouthowherexperiencespeaksto casestudyresearcherscannotactuallycollectdatapre- thebroadpatternsofinteractionthatgiverisetosystem scriptively using case study. Instead, researchers em- inequalities. Providing a rationale for the intensive in- ploy various research methods such as the ones listed terview involves discussing how the social sciences above, which act to build or uncover the case. More- generate new knowledge and how a feminist approach over, despite the existence of many different types of is a challenge to the natural science paradigm. case study (e.g., exploratory, explanatory, extreme, multisite, critical, theory confirming, intrinsic, instru- Stake(2005)severedcasestudyfrommethodol- mental, ethnographic, longitudinal, and deviant), none ogybystating,“Casestudyisnotamethodolog- of them require specific data collection procedures. ical choicebutachoiceofwhatistobestudied.” Second, case studies have also been referred to as (p. 438) research designs. For example, Gerring (2004) stated, This quote is also salient because it exemplifies the Case study isa...research design best defined confusion associated with the terms methodology and asanintensivestudyofasingleunit(arelatively case study. Stake’s definition is noteworthy because, bounded phenomenon) where the scholar’s aim as we discuss at some length in this paper, the re- is to elucidate featuresofalargerclassofsimilar searcher does not choose the case; rather, the research phenomenon. (p. 341) process, and specifically the interaction between case and unit of analysis, guides a “choice of what is to be Aresearch design is an action plan that guides re- studied.” search from the questions to the conclusions and in- Stake’s (2005) discussion of case study suggests - cludes steps for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting that the case studyisnotamethodology.Casestudyar evidence according to pre-established propositions, guably does not appear to provide a theory or analysis units of analyses, a logic for linking the data to the of howresearchshouldproceed.Itispossibletocreate propositions, and application of set criteria for inter- or instantiate a theory from a case study. However, in pretingthefindings(Yin,2003).Thedouble-blindpla- this scenario, case study is not a methodology because cebo experiment is a familiar example of an it does not provide a parsimonious theory of how re- experimental research design. It provides clear guid- search should proceed with conceptually coherent International Journal of Qualitative Methods 6 (2) June 2007 http://www.ualberta.ca/~ijqm/ 4 VanWynsberghe, Khan REDEFINING CASE STUDY methodsandaccompanyingdatacollectionprocedures dents and their teacher unfolded naturally without that map onto the theory. interventions from the researcher. Thus, it appears that case study is not a method, a research design, or a methodology. The next section is Feature4:Boundedness.Casestudiesprovideade- anefforttoprovideaprototypeviewofthetypicalcase tailed description of a specific temporal and spatial study. This exercise provides support for our proposed boundary (Merriam, 1988). Attending to place and definition. time brings context to the structures and relationships that are of interest. The classroom, for example, is spa- Aprototypeviewofcasestudy tially bound in a formal institutional setting with an es- tablished space, set schedule, shared expectations, and Aprototype of case study delineates the properties or often a prescribed curriculum. These boundaries en- features that are necessary (but insufficient in and of able classroomresearcherstodevelopfocusedhypoth- themselves) for the research to be categorized as case esesbycircumscribingwhatisinsideandoutsideofthe study. A prototype view offers a way of thinking about case. case study that allows for variability. It presents a de - fensible, rather than a definitive, take on case study Feature 5: Working hypotheses and lessons (Sternberg & Horvath, 1995). We suggest seven com- learned.Researcherscangenerateworkinghypotheses monfeaturesinaprototypicalcasestudyKhan(2007). and learn new lessons based on what is uncovered or constructed during data collection and analysis in the Feature 1: Small N. The case study calls for an in- case study (Eckstein, 2002; Lincoln & Guba, 2000). tensiveandin-depthfocusonthespecificunitofanaly- The entity or phenomenon under study emerges sis and generally requires a much smaller sample size throughoutthecourseofthestudy,anditisthissurfac- than survey research (Gomm, Hammersley, & Foster, ing that can bring the study to a natural conclusion 2000; Yin, 2004). Efforts to perform broad analyses (Becker, 2000). Khan (2002), for example, remained with large numbers of participants can reduce the ef- opentoserendipitousfindingsinherstudyofteachers, fectiveness of case study as it might come at the ex- students, and a computer simulation. She did not test pense of detailed description. For example, a single hypotheses in this particular case study but generated classroom’s use of a computer simulation could be an several regarding the nature of the teacher-stu- N=1. dent-computer interactions. Feature 2: Contextual detail. Case studies aim to Feature 6: Multiple data sources. Case study rou- give the reader a sense of “being there” by providing a tinely uses multiple sources of data. This practice de- highly detailed, contextualized analysis of an “an in- velops converging lines of inquiry, which facilitates stance in action” (MacDonald & Walker, 1977, triangulation and offers findings that are likely to be p. 182). The researcher carefully delineates the “in- much more convincing and accurate (Yin, 2003). In stance,” defining it in general terms and teasing out its her study of the design of the classroom, Khan (2007) particularities. To follow the above example, the in- collected numerous kinds of data, including tests mea- stance in action might be how the teacher employs the suring student understanding, interviews with the computer simulation in a teaching episode on teacher and students, and observational data of intermolecular forces. teacher-student-computer interactions. Feature3:Naturalsettings.Casestudyresearchers Feature 7: Extendability. Case studies can enrich choosetosystematicallystudysituationswherethereis andpotentiallytransformareader’sunderstandingofa little control over behavior, organization, or events phenomenon by extending the reader’s experience (Yin, 2003). Case study is uniquely suitable for re- (Donmoyer,1990).Thecasestudyresearcheranalyzes search in complex settings (Anderson, Crabtree, complex social interactions to uncover or construct - Steele, & McDaniel, 2005) because it advances the “inseparable” factors that are elements of the phenom conceptthatcomplexsettingscannotbereducedtosin- ena(Yin,2003).Inacasestudy,theresearcherseeksto glecauseandeffectrelationships.Khan(2002)studied coalesce and articulate these relationships in context how students and teachers worked with a computer often with the hope that the context and relationships simulation to understand scientific concepts and de- may resonate with the reader. For example, although - velop skills at inquiry. The researcher did not control Khan (2002) studied one classroom, she aimed to ex classroom events, and the interaction between the stu- tend the research beyond the chemistry classroom studied to other science classrooms. International Journal of Qualitative Methods 6 (2) June 2007 http://www.ualberta.ca/~ijqm/
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