What is Case Study?

• Both a method of analysis and a specific research design for examining a problem

• Relies on a single case rather than a population or sample

By Ramona Gonzales

• Key cases – Those which are chosen because the researcher has ​a particular interest in it or the circumstances surrounding it.

• Outlier cases – Those that are chosen because the case stands out from other events, organizations, or situations, for some reason, and social scientists recognize that we can learn a lot from those things that differ from the norm.

• Local knowledge – When the researcher has already amassed a usable amount of information about a given topic, person, organization, or event, and so is well-poised to conduct a study of it.

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• Illustrative – Descriptive in nature and designed to shed light on a particular situation, set of circumstances, and the social relations and processes that are embedded in them.

• Exploratory – Also known as pilot studies. This type of case study is typically used when a researcher wants to identify research questions and methods of study for a large, complex study.

• Cumulative – Those in which a researcher pulls together already completed case studies on a particular topic.

• Critical instance – Conducted when a researcher wants to understand what happened with a unique event and/or to challenge commonly held assumptions about it that may be faulty due to a lack of critical understanding.

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