The Art of Case Study Research

96 Pages·2000·15.63 MB·English

by  Robert E. Stake

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The Art Of

Case Study

Research

Robert E Stake

SAGE Publications
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Brief Contents

Tnuoduetion: An Intensive Study of
Case Study Research Methods 34

‘ThetinigueCase 1

Recuurch Questions 15

‘TheNaluce of Qualitative te

Pats Gathering 49

Analysis and Interpretation

. Case Rescarcher Males 91

Triangulation 107
risngthe Report 121
Reflection 138

Maxpee School 137
Bibliography 164
Glossary Index 169
About ieAuiher 175
Contents

Invoduction: An Intensive Study of
Case Study Research Methods. x

Oriana, Asigement corsa Haroee eps sega oir,
ugertians Rr eingnadgnnvins, asimov

. 1, The Unique Case

‘toad ontanuelsty Nar he 0,
colts dy 3

Chatty reper rprcsonrvarss =
” 2rucucing eacrbintions, Pate an pand,pasciarity 7

“Unpluea oo interpreta, Fisehadenngqutsm, rts,
i racesions 6

Workshop: Ceiteraforslecsow afaies 13

2. Research Questions 15

Canseptualsrnezne, Pein ihm emus 18

Stang nes, diag sents ee mpirting
rwilneofissaeuertans, Progress ja
‘aviebuss 20

rosin eweons, fs M4 Stade 25

“ici

CQuatinns cag fox code fata, Judes, arson ris,
Tengpatarsonigy 2

‘Woukshoye Observe “Examination” 38

3. The Nature af Qualilive Reseursh 35

eapeciensl undertone, thoy tate cd
tanrrandig i drow

sueeetion mn mtbed, Assone a0

ler nite of quivers,
‘pica pare artis AS

teeasiion oes Set
onkshoy, Mave or as speiat havacernies 17

4, Dati Gathering 49

onguniing St de paeiag, CASE absent iil
shat deere. 3a

se purine, Canpdta taéntae

Lolngeration, Bit Leb. tpn sping oO

ts Yaanoursapeenee

Inuersen, Svrgas ohare pling i
seup 6

Dosen covien, Seon forbwweinted ants 6

Warkshuyt Enterview obser ofan iniersirw 8

5. Analysis and Katerpretation 71

Canegavalaggrantion erect
pon 7

tale, The org A

CCorrsponsence and srtains, Colgan,
avis Eek aa, sng 8

arsine sera alons seer popu of wares
Tits je

Worksop: Aualce Sesion City classuon abseration 89

Dione esparinase

5, Case Researcher Kalen 91

Ute coserestrchor attaches, Aipatag are noe

‘he casexesoarcr at aévacas, vos Soh esarche
vise 3

‘Thocanc ietawshes ageetawtes, Qhlity end apeciiness 95

The sar marches esbiogepaer, Lie Meries 6
Thesane waters 0 imerpreen, René Maite $0

Conzrmctiviny, Teas
vi 99

Teletity, Conese. ofterrlechoey, ties 102

“Workshop: Fetwore implied of roles 104

7. Triangulation 107

Volidstion, Consejo val wergeten 105

Tees forsEangcation, Cressi
‘nogutiton 110

‘einyeiadon srotoala. Nemes enone Caml

He desriton, avd ir

ited
Menber

ag, Me Fete 15
Workshops Jol gly scene! bed membuts U6
18, Weiting the Report

Cognit he repo exon, Outiag payestiacait

Renders, Serta and wat cars vos eerie 12>

Stoxpling, Sapince ‘ha Mounennces

vigneten, rain

worlahups Checks for eveluasing w mannacipe 1

9, Reflectlons

10, Harper School

Scho and Comraanity 138
Scheel rapravemene 148

‘he Local Sines ane Vit

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137

Sud Sofas Grabs 150

ther Tsace 154

IWoplecentrioyo°Rabran 18

bibliography
Glossary-bndex

Aboutthe Author

161

108

178

ul

Introduction

An Intensive Study of
Case Study Research Methods

‘ingle leak even a single toothpick hes unique comslest
es-~bur eacely will we cage enough lo sulomie tm ens
study. We study a cayg sehen i self is of very special interes, We
Too bor the dletai of intesaution with ‘ts coment Care atndyie the
sindy of che particnarity and coonpleniy of a single cage, comming
1 upderstend ils netivity within iempartant cirenenstaness,

a this book, develop a view of cate studies fet drags fram
naturalistic, holistic, etlinographic, phenomenotogicu, und Liv:
aiashic research welhuds! Talo net pay as mich attention te
nantitanive case studies thar emphasize a batlery of measurements

Ay st ened atch he cnn of sing at

1. Thieves nel thang aritons cam a¢ sid inthe
soles Quadvee Sanne, nse Nonban Dera so Posten Leo
1998,
7 re kn o7 case arupy wusnance

vf the cave, a collection oF dosceiptive vaslables, common : meci-
tee and special edvcnsion, Nou doT orient much to fre creation of.
‘ase smdies for instructional purposes, those wuumonly wsed it
calleges of business anid lay. Those are spavi) topics deserving
‘hoods af their own? Hers belef y present adisciplinesl quctitative
mnowe of inyuity inte the single case, The qualitative researcher
ceurphasizs episodes of onance, the sequently of happenings in
fam:eal the wholeness of the individual?

1 prasent the Meas here ws Td in my classes, ith some sense
of advoeaey.Tolieve we have found effee-ve ways of srudying ed
catinnau programe, particulal adap-able to program evalnation,
Toy aoe oF specialization, but uf general ese to Unuse who study”
‘educatinn and social services Ipuster eettain sags of proceedings
Sul as organizig the study around issues, Many with experience
in eave study tosearch do faiags differently | will try ta erephasize
the arbitzarinoss of the methods fruup chapter to cagpees bt en-
touaage ya readers to be alr: Los tactics that da net fc yor style
fof operation ar ciecamtstan.es, Bore you isa palette oF toethods.
"There are many, many ways to do case audi. T tke thoxe de-
ccibed hete.

‘Wile eating this book, tana presenting a twa-week work:
shop on eave study esearch metiiods atthe Liversitp of Une it
northern Sweden. Tis jnne ond the nhs ave shors, Given the eig-
foe of winter, Lie Nordies have « eavereace far surat | kre
some wotkshop participants would Tene to send gem to fiekt-
sere in the macatains and sailing the cist, at lease their spirits

side a re quainsie gpoge ne Copter 3.2
se hula an ante ttional zee,

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fee Blaney aud Bath QOD
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Sac Skint Te vfl be densa Chee 1, The eas ny wa ©
BAe Ruan and Lneoly $1949 aa es capri donk?
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eatltaartian cia eee ay a i ¢ mecraia ont sy Bost
‘ettng aon abe 988)

Irtredaction vi
plead vot to keep them Gad intn book. tur we bave work to dy
imethadls to reth’mk, some cauntevintuiive idens to develop: our
‘vst tigors, In a short two weeks, vee can neither lxy out an ers
fn the fleld nor explore the many eeperss of fislawork that exist

Vhe workshop parsicpants are amature graAnate students it
education, some of them faculty memibe:s, mst x'realy experi
enced i research. Till Lllyxm a bit ahone them a6] get aquninted,
jae Ihe observations and pe'lersents cat help male thea
jot points of this sak: the commitment w ieee pritatinn, am or=
antza-ion arocnd issues, the nse of avories, the tile of vivlation

‘0 privacy she nced tor validavion, the aim toward namralistc pen
cexslization,

‘whife writing Uhis soak, | was thinking most af case study
tat. wom seqnire a few weeks uf Ieldwork and ap edéitional few
‘months for planning, mauagenent acalysis, ame writing, (ts 1e=
ort migh: Fup frou: 1d er 60 apes, Hue L thouglt ese of studies
running sell ovet a pear as well as those expable of being com.
pleted ima week om 6, Tals ater span is me Hkely each ease is
(e ge but a Jew pages in aTarger epon.J say couceptualization of
case study as pratey mnt the sane. regan fim at ye and
length of report

(One of the frst assignments, as twas for my Coed students,
is toryouta senda shor: vase study report. In Chapter ‘Disc report
erate as port oF en evaluation of Chicago Schoo! Reform nt the
‘end ob its (est yeas. Tl appeared umamg other case studies and ala
analyses jn a fiat, ccpert peeseuted Uw the Chicago Winence At
Lietily by the North Central Regional Educational Labacetory
‘(Nownkovsk, Stewart, &¢ Quinn, 1992). wrore ds ropa of Hat
per Schoal apsendonyon) after spending litle over 10 aysiu the
school, wotklug too husrivaly under a fal report deadline of 6
weeks, This study should be read auefully because i will ro
fered.» repected’y ic the chapters of ris book, Dau’ pay atten
sion te the mcginal commentacy this fire time tormagh, at. read
Jas ye would if yor: worked forthe Chicage public schools
als Ii 4Ky 07 Case S/1FOY ReSHARCT

‘Note ta justractors, Thue yritsen this book sith a student reader
ir raid hut not necessary someone Liking a cuuese Freaize, of
‘cus thal shis can be a tealboik Cor a sotL come, the textbook
fora tield aclivigy course, of part of the broad veaslings for @ gen-
‘eral eeeaceh methods conrie, wud encauruge the instructor of
sich 4 znuce to consider assigning dee Wurkshop activities which
Taye placed atthe end of exch chapter. When f eae this recto ove
fishure asses, I expecs to get Use omdents into exerded observa
tions ofvarions cases 90d to wittowt hasralitile amostevery weely
tusuely i keep a journal. Tove regularly been pleased wiih Une
intelseiwal explotatina graduate students exhibit in journals,
mel wore than in the popens laey hud i

Snggestions for reading asignments. Vorthe owraeiork,itisim-
orient for everyiue 60 read the Taper Setoal case reparr in
Chapter LO befure they read Chapter 1c ia other words, the Seat
sssigomerst sbould be Ute Sreroduction and Chapter 13nd possi-
Ip sorne nore, uege you <0 supziement there scadings with re

ports of feldwork of your ows—giving Lae smdents oppertaniry
to understand yom hettet Af you lee yuu nced to ge: ine the ltera-
tuvea bit morc betore the ease starts, 1 smggese you rea Ericson
{1s Beshkin (1978, especially Appendix i), ana Sievons (980%

Thupe you lave « yood coniee, When it's over. encomrage yom to
let me knove about ity perhaps te suggest how the boule cam he ia,

proved My address i i the AERA Directory

Acknowledgments, My ova wrcerstandings oF exsestndy weeeancb
jrere born, Think, wilh participation inthe frst Cambridge con-
Tecenee (see Hamilton, Jenkins, king, MacTPonald, a Paslett 977,
the breinch'ld of Barry Mcionala, an experience and a cuenpan
‘onship for which T retnain ever in gratitade, Working ow Cinse
Shades in Seience Kiucation ‘Stake X Exsley, 1979}, wish Jnck
ley, Law Suith, Rob Walker, Terry Denny, Beth Davsson,
Garrion Toke, actualy a lst of colleagues atc friends running on
‘nd un, we hal oppor unity lo pealie how right atid hows vam

yoctly Lire Mary ln Rte Dard Teme yea Cole
Torsten andosouanirUueisudeas wet,
Lhagle hl mest of bBo a oe
political, éar more chan she, of even I, can tully. Thanks °
The Unique Case

Ievinicondtinsicance dy # Shang ofeaie © Prhuing
gover

wont © Bpie or dtmreiton

sce are peuple acel p:ogeams, Each one is solar ta other

petions aud programs in many ways and usique in oxen
ways, We are interested in thee for Doth their anfquences ard
coxamonaliy. We seek to gndeestand them. We vauuld lke co
thelr stories. Wwe may bave reservalious ubousonie Things the pea-
le (sil ell thems actors) tellus, just as they will question spate
‘ut the things wewill fo abont thera. But we eutor the scene with a
sincere interest in Feurning low Lae fnetion in thelr ardinary
prs and miliens and witha sllingness ta put aside many gre-
‘sun atone whis e lear,

E the most par, the exses of juteresLin education ad social

1 Weak au atneane ot cata from other pape lke ete toes
‘Te ed cc ant cy come Lar ees wil este haf.
‘Oneal cols ach oF ir rake panting eee oul 2
twas oe, lear Musa’ (19685 Book. Tus of he +e st-ough
revert ire being wowed asa csc

L
Fre ease could bea chile ft couid bes classroom of eildren
ora patticaler mobilization of prolessiouals to sty» eblizond
condition. The case is ane annong ethers. bu ang given study
veil concentrate wa Ue one, The Hime swe spend combentraking at
the onezneyh
sigaged in ease study.

‘Coston has it that vol everything 2a cased A child may be a
«ase, A teacher may hea cage, But her teachig lacks the specificity
the boundedness, te be called case, 4 inpovalive progrars may
Dencnae. lb thescLoolsin Sweden canbe acase. But arslationsbip
mang schools, the reasoas for inmuvarive teaching, ot the policies
bf school teforrn art less commonly considered a case, ‘These topics
are generalities rather than specifies. The case is a specie, a cons
plex, fnuctioning thing,

Louis Sinith, one of the fist eCutatioue] ethrographers,
helped define the case as “a bonded system,” drawing aleation to
it os an object ratber thac a process? Let us ase the Greek syimbo]
(theta) Lo represen: the cage thinking ll the wile Fast. fas a
boidary and working paras Tn wn ork in social sciences and
tnurnan services, @ i Tikely lo be mmepostee, even having a “sll”
‘he case isan integrated systcm. ‘Tae paris da nt have tw be works
ing wel, the purposes may be ieeational tt iis systems, Thus
‘people und prograineclently axe prepective cage, Events and pro-
cesses ft the defini less ell, and studi often ave less ikely
to capitalize on the methnds discussed in this book.

day or: yoas ut while we an conve

2 Wie van se pose dfiitsaofe senes because pesto
lcd vse tinea apLoes Tego eer eis nad tide
‘Bin vok Maven Cas Sr tana Peltor fenton but canting
rscodeot en fs abel x ceupors us recaguize at thos ll
Dott yrds ee mctyodseed

3. Mors abort dingo the eecas befoonéinmy cha ut “Sxking
Suet Ware Sain 1968 geo sak, 1094, There empsieed leczing
theese llunchvis. Waukee, rangi ples oho

pe Orgs Case

Intrinte and Instrumental Study

| snot unasual for Fe choice of ease ta be no Schoice” at al
Soemerimen ws ave given , eve ubliga-cd ve lake ita the object
tussludy,ILbappens wher: a teccher decides ta study a dent nav
ing eiflcalty, when we get curious sront a partienlar agence, of
when we tales the responsibility of eveluatiny a program, che case
Te given: se by studying it we lear
about othe: cases or abet same general problem, bul because se
nod toJearn aba: that perticuls vase, We have an iii intr
fest fn the sase, and we may call oun work strc cases

In a different situation, we will have a research question, 2
purzlement, a need for general understanding, and feel that 66
‘may get innight into the question by shading a partienlar ease, Tor
cextuple, Swedish auecellege coachers Pave a yeer ta hegin asia 3
avis scudent marking system passed by Cae Paeliamert, Hons wll
that work? rhe stern isto haves eriterion-referenoe orientation’,
vil lhaL orientation changethe-vay eacherstoacl? We ray choose
4 teqaor 60 study, Inuleing broly al bow she teaches but paying
pPariiuslar attention to howe ste marks student work ace: wLetber
tor aut il affects hee teaching, This use of vase sicey is to under
stand somering cae, Case sludy lere is ius.ciumental 10 accom
plishing swmetking other than onde-standing this particular
tetcher and we may call our inquiry instrumental case studv.

ln the came situation, we may Jee Lal we should chose ser
cera! seachers to stucy sles than just ane, O° we might shuuse 20
jure schools as onesqoes and choc: neveal sels, Bach casestady
is iusteummental to learnieg abl be ef’zcts of the marking re
Tations luc there will be importantcoordinalian between the isd

Yearvicterestedin if, al

1. Rone coomes vents fener tea othe gan nif cadea
Feslouianes on take eno nus ey poco to heel
folks ollning istmtions torent ings pane aerg a plese
‘is Teeatat wb »oecorairec eal ea tests ees re
fee or rash eden 95102 perce iy, suk a apeng 8 ip
res ai,