Case Study Research

Associate professor of Abai KazNPU UDC 81’1- 027.21

Department of foreign languages

for special purposes

Institute of multilingual

education Makazhanova Z.Sh.

Abstract: The article gives basic information on case study method within teaching students. It focuses on the various definitions of it, its types and stages. It explains the importance of case studies in developing students’ analytical, writing and prioritizing skills.

Key words: case study, research, method, data, analysis, writing, approach, describing meaning, question.

The terms “case study”, “case review” and “case report” are used loosely in the scientific literature. The key features of a “case study” are its scientific credentials and its evidence base for professional applications.

Case study method is indexed in many introductory research textbooks and is often taught in qualitative research methods courses that discuss a variety of methods. These may include grounded theory, phenomenology, discourse analysis and case study, for example. Reasonable goals for the learner would be to explore and understand the philosophical and aesthetic paradigms that are foundational to qualitative research methods, compare and contrast the distinctions among selected methods, evaluate traditional and emerging qualitative designs within their disciplinary area, and to apply methods and techniques. Using a step-wise approach students will learn how to design studies, generate data, analyze and interpret the data and disseminate findings. The teacher creates a teaching and learning environment to meet those outcomes.

Pedagogical approaches commonly blend learning and doing: these include seminar participation wherein students are responsible for researching and presenting a didactic lesson, discussing and critiquing qualitative research reports, engaging in field work activities, presenting findings to their class and writing a report.

Students should form a list of possible methods in their mind when reviewing their research question, and ask how can I get the information I am looking for? There are many considerations prior to embarking on case study method but at the onset it should be clear that no other descriptive method is possible or will get the level of description the researcher is looking for, except case study method. Time in the field, lengthy interviews and transcription and analysis are all factors that should be thought out well in advance of engaging with participants. In teaching case study method a primary aim is to define what case study is and what it is not. Various authors of case study methods discuss and demonstrate a variety of paradigmatic perspectives. I will discuss the most commonly cited perspectives. According to Yin (1994) the case study design must have five components: the research question(s), its propositions, its unit(s) of analysis, a determination of how the data are linked to the propositions and criteria to interpret the findings. Yin concluded that operationally defining the unit of analysis assists with replication and efforts at case comparison.

Stake emphasized that the number and type of case studies depends upon the purpose of the inquiry: an instrumental case study is used to provide insight into an issue; an intrinsic case study is undertaken to gain a deeper understanding of the case; and the collective case study is the study of a number of cases in order to inquire into a particular phenomenon. Stake recognizes that there are many other types of case studies based on their specific purpose, such as the teaching case study or the biography. Some researchers state that irrespective of the purpose, unit of analysis, or design, rigour is a central concern. They suggest that, while proponents of multiple case studies may argue for replication, using more than one case may dilute the importance and meaning of the single case. Yin points out that case studies are the preferred strategy when “how” and “why” questions are posed.

Guba and Lincoln describe case study “types”. These types are factual, interpretative and evaluative. Each case study must outline the purpose, then depending on the type of case study and the actions proposed by the researcher, the researcher could determine the possible products of the study.

At least three situations create relevant opportunities for applying the case study method. First and most important, the choices among different research methods, including the case study method, can be determined by the kind of research question that a study is trying to address. Accordingly, case studies are pertinent when your research addresses either a descriptive question—“What is happening or has happened?”—or an explanatory question—“How or why did something happen?” As contrasting examples, alternative research methods are more appropriate when addressing two other types of questions: an initiative’s effectiveness in producing a particular outcome (experiments and quasi-experiments address this question) and how often something has happened (surveys address this question). However, the other methods are not likely to provide the rich descriptions or the insightful explanations that might arise from doing a case study. Second, by emphasizing the study of a phenomenon within its real-world context, the case study method favors the collection of data in natural settings, compared with relying on “derived” data—for example, responses to a researcher’s instruments in an experiment or responses to questionnaires in a survey. For instance, education audiences may want to know about the following:

• How and why a high school principal had done an especially good job

• The dynamics of a successful (or unsuccessful) collective bargaining negotiation with severe consequences (e.g., a teachers’ strike)

• Everyday life in a special residential school

You could use a questionnaire or other instrument to study these situations, but doing some original fieldwork, as part of a case study, might go further in helping you best understand them. Third, the case study method is now commonly used in conducting evaluations. Authoritative sources such as the U.S. Government Accountability Office (1990) and others have documented the many evaluation applications of the case study method.

Most “full-blown” cases have these common elements:

§ A decision-maker who is grappling with some question or problem that needs to be solved.

§ A description of the problem’s context (a law, an industry, a family).

§ Supporting data, which can range from data tables to links to URLs, quoted statements or testimony, supporting documents, images, video, or audio.

Case assignments can be done individually or in teams so that the students can brainstorm solutions and share the work load.

Advantages to the use of case studies in class

A major advantage of teaching with case studies is that the students are actively engaged in figuring out the principles by abstracting from the examples. This develops their skills in:

1. Problem solving

2. Analytical tools, quantitative and/or qualitative, depending on the case

3. Decision making in complex situations

4. Coping with ambiguities

In the most straightforward application, the presentation of the case study establishes a framework for analysis. It is helpful if the statement of the case provides enough information for the students to figure out solutions and then to identify how to apply those solutions in other similar situations. Instructors may choose to use several cases so that students can identify both the similarities and differences among the cases.

Depending on the course objectives, the instructor may encourage students to follow a systematic approach to their analysis.  For example:

§ What is the issue?

§ What is the goal of the analysis?

§ What is the context of the problem?

§ What key facts should be considered?

§ What alternatives are available to the decision-maker?

§ What would you recommend — and why?

An innovative approach to case analysis might be to have students  role-play the part of the people involved in the case. This not only actively engages students, but forces them to really understand the perspectives of the case characters. Videos or even field trips showing the venue in which the case is situated can help students to visualize the situation that they need to analyze. In most cases generating a proposal for the review of human subjects and obtaining university approval for the field experience is required.

An important component of teaching case method is to allow students an opportunity to move in and out of the literature before, during and after the case study has begun. It is important for students to understand that method and analysis occur simultaneously in case study research. For the remainder of this discussion this example will focus the reader on the following three stages to illustrate this process:

Stage 1 - Describing Experience

Stage 2 - Describing Meaning

Stage 3 - Focus of the Analysis

Stage 1 - Describing Experience

In this stage the researcher creates interview questions prior to the first interview, which serve as a script for moving the interviewer closer to eliciting experience and meaning from participants in each succeeding interview. The questions should be broad and loosely structured, following the intent of the research questions. Using techniques suggested by Schatzman and Strauss (1973) journals and logs are kept to track methodological, observational and theoretical field notes during data collection.

Stage 2 - Describing Meaning

In this stage the researcher consults the literature and links the research questions and methods to the philosophical framework. Because the meaning of experience was also central to this study, the literature on meaning that had the most relevance for this population was reviewed. Burbank's model for example was not fully supported in this study, as there were periods when no meaning could be found in either of the cases. Again the use of a simple model assists in pulling together data from the case study and tying it to meaning making.

Stage 3 - Focus of the Analysis

Generalization of case study findings is limited to the case itself or types of cases. However, attention to selected details enhances the analysis and increases clarity of reasoning. The stand taken by Stake (1978) focuses on context-specific or "naturalistic" generalization. Such an approach resonates with readers' tacit knowledge, which helps people make connections and associations without the benefit of words. It is believed that people have the capacity for this kind of knowledge, and from it they build understandings.

There are some suggestions new case study researchers may find useful prior to writing up their findings. The first is to spend some time at the outset reading “good” case studies. Course assignments should include adequate time and support for students to complete pilot studies and practice writing, both excellent ways to develop the "artistic" expertise required of such writing. Other strategies include joining a writing group, participating in writing retreats and soliciting English or literature experts to begin reading one’s writing. Decisions about writing style will become clearer as the intent of one’s audience is determined. For example a narrative, biographical or autobiographical approach may be useful for dramatic effect, while a full description may be well suited to an organization. In any event, the goal is to tell the story and its findings clearly separated from conclusions or interpretations.

Conclusion

Case study method can be a creative alternative to traditional approaches to description (quantitative descriptive and descriptive correlational descriptive designs) emphasizing the participant’s perspective as central to the process.

Finally the utility of a case study is that it encourages educators to consider additional steps in a caring educational curriculum that emphasizes communication and relationships between human beings.

References:

1.Bromley, D. B. (1991). Academic contributions to psychological counselling. Discourse analysis and the formulation of case-reports. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 4(1), 75-89.

2.Burbank, P. (1988). Meaning in life among older adults. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Boston University, Boston.

3.Burns, N. & Grove, S.K. (1999). Understanding nursing research. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company.

4.Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1981). Effective evaluation. San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass Publishers.

5.Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

6.Yin, R. K. (1984). Case study research: Design and methods (1st ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.

7.Dunne, D. and Brooks, K. (2004) Teaching with Cases (Halifax, NS: Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education), ISBN 0-7703-8924-4 Shavelson & Towne, 2002, pp. 99–106

Bromley, 1986, p. 1, 23

8.http://www.bu.edu/ceit/teaching-resources/using-case-studies-to-teach/

9.http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR6-2/zucker.html’’

Аннотация: Статья дает основную информацию о методе «кейс-стади» при обучении студентов. Она обращает внимание на разные дефиниции «кейсов», их типы и стадии. Статья объясняет важность «кейс-стади» в развитии аналитических, писательских способностей студентов и их умении ставить приоритеты.

Ключевые слова: кейс-стади, исследование, метод, данные, анализ, написание, подход, описание значения, вопрос.

Аңдатпа: Мақала студенттерді үйрету кезіндегі «кейс-стади» әдісі туралы негізгі ақпарат береді. Ол кейстердің түрлі дефиницияларына, түрлеріне, деңгейлеріне көңіл бөледі. Мақала студенттердің аналитикалық, жазу, басымдық қою зейіндерін дамыту жолындағы «кейс-стади» әдісінің маңыздылығын көрсетеді.

Түйiн сөздер: кейс-стади, зерттеу, әдіс, деректер, талдау, жазу, тұрғы, мағыналық сипаттама, сұрақ.