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==Yin, R.K. 2003. Case study research : design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.== ==Foreword== * the core of the scientific method is not experimentation per se but rather the strategy "plausible rival hypotheses." ==Introduction== * types of case studies: exploratory, descriptive, explanatory * how and why questions are more explanatory and likely to lead to the use of case studies * deal with operational links needing to be traced over time, rather than mere frequencies or incidents * research questions have both substance (what is my study about?) and form (am I asking a who, what, where, etc. question) * how or why questions being asked about the contemporary sets of events, over which the investigator has little or no control * traditional prejudices * lack of rigor, generalization (but generalizable to theoretical propositions like experiments, not to populations or universes); analytic generalization not statistical generalization * investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident * many more variables of interest than data points * relies on multiple sources of evidence, triangulation * benefits from the prior development of theoretical propositions to guide data collection and analysis * in the evaluation research: explain, describe, illustrate, explore, meta evaluation ==Designing Case Studies== * study design: a logical model of proof * components: study questions, propositions (theories), units of analysis, logic linking the data to the propositions, criteria for interpreting findings * descriptive theories 29 * criteria for quality ** sound operational procedure (construct validity), proof of causal relations (internal), replicability (reliability), and generalization possible (external validity). ** ..\..\Research\Prelims\Gordon prelim - Bliss questions.doc * case study designs ** single: critical, unique, representative, revelatory, longitudinal ** holistic versus embedded ** multiple: literal versus theoretical replication; replication backed sampling logic, feedback can alter sampling (but be clear about reasons) ==Conducting case studies: preparing for data collection== * case study research is among the hardest types of research to do because of the absence of routine formulas * researcher training and case study protocol especially important if multiple researchers or case studies involved * skills: ask good questions, good listener, adaptive, understand issues, unbiased * read between the lines * immediate interpretation * knowledge needs: why the study is being done, what evidence is being sought, what variations are anticipated (and how to accommodate), what constitutes supportive and contrary evidence * protocol outline ** purpose, theory and background ** data collection procedures ** outline of the case study report ** case study questions (interviewees, individual case, pattern across cases, entire study, recommendations and conclusions) and sources of evidence * case screening: ask key informants, avoid complex screening * pilot case study ==Conducting case studies: collecting the evidence== * six sources: documents, archival records, interviews, direct observation, participant observation, physical artifacts * principles: ** using multiple sources of evidence (triangulation: did I sources, investigators, theories, methods of), ** creating a case study database: Notes documents and interviews ** maintaining a chain of evidence: report -- database -- protocol -- questions * interviews: open, focused, survey; recording * ==Analyzing Case Study Evidence== Miles & Huberman (1994) * putting information into different arrays * making a matrix of categories and placing the evidence within such categories * creating data displays -- flowcharts and other graphics * tabulating the frequency of different events * examining the complexity of such tabulations and their relationships by calculating second-quarter numbers such as means and variances * putting information in chronological order Three General Strategies * relying on theoretical propositions * thinking about rival explanations (with or without an initial theory) ** nine types of rivals * developing a case description (descriptive research) Specific Analytic Techniques * pattern matching (internal validity) ** non-equivalent dependent variables as a pattern ** rival explanations as patterns (pattern of independent variables that is mutually exclusive) * explanation building (special type of pattern matching, more difficult) ** presumed set of causal links ** iterative nature * time series analysis * logic models ** pattern matching with sequential stages ** individual, organizational, or program level * Cross case synthesis Pressing for a high-quality analysis * show that you attended to all the evidence * address all major rival interpretations * address the most significant aspect of your case study * use your own prior, expert knowledge ==Reporting case studies== * compositional structures: linear-analytic, comparative, chronological, theory-building, suspense, unsequenced * targeting audience: academic, nonspecialists, funders * formats: single case, multiple case (Cross case analysis), question-answer, Cross case analysis * integration with other methods * anonymity * review and validation (participants) * exemplary case studies: significance, completeness, consideration of alternative perspectives, sufficient evidence, engaging composition

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