Overall I thought theme six was very interesting and
likely to be very useful knowledge for future research projects, such as the
master thesis. As I was answering the questions regarding the theme, I felt
like it was quite easy and straightforward. However, during the seminar it
turned out not to be as easy as I first thought, as we had quite some trouble
actually defining what case study research meant when we discussed in small
groups during the seminar.
I would not say that the definition of case study
research which I stated prior to the seminar is incorrect, but neither does it
cover all the areas of what it is. I learned quite a bit more about the topic
during the seminar, as this was the topic that we by far spent the most time
discussing. What I concluded to be the most important part of case study
research is that the information comes from a various amount of different
sources, otherwise it is not a case study. For instance one can examine a
phenomenon by using various methods, both qualitative and quantitative can be
used. When a large amount of data is gathered from different directions, the
researcher has to draw conclusions by analyzing the material which has been
collected by using the different methods. If the data from different sources
match, well than that leads to one conclusion, and creates theory. If it does
not match, that would also lead to another conclusion, or perhaps it would be
the beginning of a new research.
Great reflection!
SvaraRaderaUsing various research methods is absolutely useful in case studies. In the seminar I attended, we didn't only talk about the advantages with having data collected form different directions, but also that it is beneficial to have different people analyzing the data. If the same researcher is analyzing all collected data, I guess that there is a risk that the researcher sort of interpret the data in some specific direction (maybe without even being aware of it). Having several people analyzing the data instead, makes the results from the different data collecting methods independent from each other and the results are therefore more credible.
Great explanation of a Case study in the end! The question is if you, as a researcher, always can draw a conclusion from a case study or if its just a bad result?
SvaraRaderaHi Johan! Great reflections!
SvaraRaderaIn my seminar group we also spent by far most time discussing what a case study really is. I like how you define a case study in the end and as you say case studies need to use various methods. It also needs to include several cases for it to be valid, preferably more than four. This way the case study becomes more valid and legit according to Eisenhardt.
One important thing that I would like to add is that case studies are always about real phenomenas in the world. It can for example be a company experiencing some problem that they want a solution to or it can even be solving a crime. Since the definition of case study's are pretty broad I believe it makes it more difficult to understand.
/Stephanie :)
I think you have right arguments surrounding a case study. As I learned it’s a real existing problem or phenomenon that has to be investigated by different methods. The solution is build by different methods to solve the problem or investigate a problem. Some of the other students have given an example of to investigate a disease like ADHD. Great reflections!
SvaraRaderaHi!
SvaraRaderaGood reflections around using various methods in a case study, i guess that combining quantitative and qualitative methods is a main strength of a case study which leads to both broad and depth in information. In my seminar group we also talked about another strength of a case study which is the fact that you might stumble upon "serendipities" which can lead to some interesting hypotheses and theories.