The Pros And Cons Of Case Study Methods

ction and background information

The first consideration of case study research method emerged around 1900, mostly within the discipline of anthropology. From early accounts of journeys, systematic investigations of other cultures in the form of field studies emerged, with participant observation as the predominant method of data collection. Another source of case study methodology has been provided by descriptions of individuals within medicine, social work and psychology, often called “case work” or “case history”. The first generation of case studies culminated in the Chicago school of sociology, in which the anthropologist’s field study method was practised on contemporary society in the university surroundings

The following essay will

There are at least three situations that create a desire to employ a case study method of research. The first reason to employ a case study method of research is determined by the question itself that the study is trying to address. Case studies are relevant when one is attempting to addresses either a descriptive question “what is happening or what has happened?” and an explanatory question such as how or why did something happen the way it happened. Secondly, by give emphasis to the study of a phenomenon within its real-world context, the case study method of research favors the collection of data in natural settings, compared with relying on already derived data. Thirdly, case studies as methods of research are now commonly used in conducting

Some argue that it useful only as an exploratory tool and nothing more. However researchers continue to use case study research methods with success regardless the criticisms accorded to it.

The characteristics of a case study research

A case study method of research does not really need to be long, they can range from a few paragraphs to few pages depending on the question being studied. They can either be real life issues or fictitious. There is usually a dilemma that needs to be resolved, with some information missing and solutions must be within the control of the protagonist. One can write the dilemma so that it can reach one of three analytical dimensions:

• Here is a problem and this is the solution. Does the solution fit or should some alternatives be considered?

• Here is a problem and what is the