Chapter Three

The case study method

Introduction

A case study is deep and intensive study of a particular social unit, confined to a very small
number of cases. Thus the field of study in the case study method is limited but aims at
studying all aspects of social unit. It also seeks to determine social process; it reveals the
complexity of factors and indicates their sequences and their relationships. It is also a
diagnostic study oriented towards finding out what is happening and why it is happening
and what can be done about it.
Case study is a method of exploring and analyzing the life of a social unit, be that a person,
a family, institution, cultural groups or even an entire community.
Case study is a way of organizing social data so as to preserve the unitary character of the
social object being studied. It is an approach which views any social unit as a whole.
Case study is a complete analysis and report of the status of an individual subject with
respect as a rule to specific phases of his total personality.
Case studies are usually characterized as thorough examinations of specific social settings
or particular aspects of social settings including varying details, psychological descriptions
of persons in those settings.
Case study is one of the important types of non-experimental or descriptive researches.
If we trace the history of the case study method, it becomes obvious that Fredrick Le
Play(1806-1882) had, for the first time, introduced this method into social science research
in his studies of family budgets. Herbert Spencer, an English sociologist (1820-1903) was
the first to use case materials in his ethnographic studies.

Sources of Data
Case studies are not limited to any single source of data collection. A number methods or
techniques of data gathering may be employed by the researcher such as:
 Observations of behavior, characters, and social qualities of the unit by the
researcher.
 Use of questionnaire, opinonnaires, inventories, checklists and other psychological
tests.
 Analysis of recorded data from news papers, schools, clinics, court or other similar
sources.
 Interviewing the subjects, friends, relatives and others.
However, the main sources of data include:
 Personal Document
 Life History
Personal Documents
Most of the people keep personal records, documents, letters and write their
autobiographies or memories.
These documents play an important role in the case study as they contain description of the
important events of the life of the writer as well as his relations towards them.
These documents may also contain the description of events in which the narrator has
played his part only as a witness.
Personal documents represents continuity of experience which helps all to illuminate the
writer’s personality, social relations and philosophy of life often expressed is objective,
reality or subjective appreciation.
Personal documents are very helpful in studying the personality of the writer and his
relations to different circumstances of life as the writer is an identical part of the group;
they may represent not only the reaction of the person but any typical number of groups.
Life history
Life history is the study of various events of respondents’ life together with an attempt to
find their social significance.
Life history data is generally gathered through prolonged interview with the respondent use
of any written material about his life, conference at specified intervals, experimental
studies, observations, post experimental interviews, various tests on analysis of fact6s so
collected inorder to draw vivid generalizations from them.

Characteristics of Case study Methods

1. Case study is an approach which views a social unit as a whole.
2. The social unit need not be an individual only but it may be a family, a social group,
a social institution, or a community.
3. In case study the unitary character of the social unit is maintained. It means that the
social unit, whatever it is, is studied as a whole.
4. In case study the researcher studies the aspects of “what” and “why” of the social
unit. In other words, here the researcher not only tries to explain the complex
behavioral pattern of the social unit but also tries to locate those factors which have
given rise to such complex behavioral pattern.
5. Since the case study is a descriptive research, no variables are manipulated.
6. In case study, the researcher gathers data usually through methods of observation,
interview, questionnaire, opinionnaires, and other psychological tests. Analysis of
recorded data from news papers, court, government agencies and other similar
sources is not uncommon.
Classification
1. Based on the number of individuals the case study may be of two types:
 Individual case study.
 Community case study.
In individual case study the social unit consists of one individual or person. Since
there is only one person, it emphasizes analysis in depth. Such an individual case
study may be fruitful in developing some hypothesis to be studied but it is not useful
in making broad generalizations. Such individual case study is a time-honored
procedure in the field of medicine and medical researches.
The community case study is one in which the social unit is not a person rather a
family or a social group. Such a case study is a thorough observation and analysis of a
group of people who are living together in a particular geographical territory. The
community case study tries to deal with different elements of the community life such
as location, prevailing economic activity, climate and natural resources, historical
development, social structure, life values, health education, religious expression,
recreation, impact of outside world etc.
2. Based on their purpose, a case study may be divided in to two categories
  Deviant case analysis.
 Isolated clinical case analysis.
In deviant case study, the researcher starts with difference already found between
two persons or groups of persons and his task is to read backward to deduce the
condition that might have produced the difference.
In isolated clinical case analysis the emphasis is upon the individual units with
respect to some analytical problem. Such study has been popular in psychoanalysis.
Advantages of case study
The main advantages of case study method are
 It produces new ideas and fresh suggestions
 It helps in formulating a sound hypothesis
 It helps in exploring new areas of research.
1. Since the case study method makes an in-depth study of a particular unit of investigation
and is always approached with an open mind, it bestows upon the researcher a huge wealth
of new ideas and new suggestions for further exploration of the research field. Investigators
of an institutions may reach to the fresh knowledge about the problems that might not have
occurred to the researcher before he undertook the investigation. The researcher may also
get new suggestions from the field of operation by intensively carrying out the examination
of the case study.
2. Case study method is very useful in helping the researcher to develop and formulate
scientifically sound hypothesis for more research on broader level. Researcher may not
start with a given hypothesis but may desirably undertake a case study for formulating such
hypothesis for further researcher. It has also an advantage in making a multi-dimensional
exploration of the same unit and thus enriches the knowledge pertaining to a particular case
for further use in policy formulation.
3. When a case study is undertaken, some of the areas of research may not have occurred to
the researcher’s mind and the very case study, may open out new avenues of research
where fruitful investigation can be undertaken either by the same researcher or other
researchers.
Limitations of Case Study Method
1. Case study develops false sense of confidence which is highly detrimental to any
scientific outlook. In case study method each unit is studied in its complete
dimensions and the researcher feels as if it knows every thing about that unit but in
reality in major parts of the life of the unit is hidden from us.
2. There is a tendency for a researcher to draw generalizations after studying a few
cases which may not be relevant to all the situations. Thus what the researcher
thinks to be the common trait of human nature may be personal peculiarity of the
subject and therefore applicable to a particular person under particular
circumstances.
3. Case study does not provide universal, impersonal and common aspects of a
phenomenon.
4. Case study method is quite unsystematic in the absence of any control upon the
informant or the researcher. The data collected in the way are generally incapable of
verification. Thus the interfaces drawn may not be very accurate.
5. Case study situations are seldom comparable. Therefore, there is a tendency under
this method to overemphasize the unique or universal events which are not
necessarily repeated.
6. It is difficult to apply the usual scientific method without destroying the rationale of
the life documents method and the unique value of the personal document will be
lost if it is formalized and abstracted.
7. There is enough scope of errors due to inaccurate observation, faulty inferences,
wrong selection of a case and misreporting. Thus the inferences are at time far away
from truth.
8. Case study method is costly, time consuming and wasteful in certain cases where
the objective are limited.
9. There is a temptation to ignore the basic principles of research design because quote
often a personal relationship is developed between the researcher and the unit
studied and, therefore, objective is lost which is a very harmful thing.
10. it is also not useful if an intensive investigation has already been made on the
subject.
11. The case study method is not in itself a scientific method at all, but merely a first
step in scientific procedure because it is qualitative in character and is not very
useful for quantitative studies.
Basic Assumptions of the case study Method
The case study method is based upon the following assumptions:
1. The case study method is not in itself a scientific basic at all it is a first step in
scientific procedure.
2. It is assumed that in the fact of apparent diversity among different units, there is an
underlying unit. A particular unit has its uniqueness but it is not different from other
units in all aspects.
3. A unit selected is a representative of a group . In many respects it is similar to the
measure of central tendency of average. It tries tp locate the variations in the
reactions and activities of the subject.
4. The study a particular unit is helpful in the prediction and discussion of other unit of
the same universe.
5. a unit is indivisible whole and cannot be studied piece-meal and in fragments. We
must study its life history and its background and to explain the behavior at a
particular time.
6. A social phenomenon is of a very complex, nature and the deep study of number of
units is a difficult task. Therefore, the researcher has to take the shelter of the case
study method as a single unit can be studied in wholeness and depth.
7. Social phenomena are of dynamic nature and are influenced by time. in search of
root cause behind and event a researcher has to study the problem in its historical
perspective. It is assumed in a case study that a study of single unit would be able to
explain the influence of time overtime over the variables.

Steps involved in Case study

1. Selection of Cases and Identification of Situations
Before taking up the case study a researcher has to take some decisions such as which
unit has to be taken up for studies? What aspects or what period of life of unit can be
studied? What are the situations in which the unit exists? All these questions should be
answered. Keeping in view these questions, a researcher has to choose representative
and typical data. The selection of such a representative unit highly depends on the
ability and skill of the researcher.
2. Collection and Recording Data
The researcher should use different data collection tools and techniques and should
collect vthe different aspects of data, personal documents, life histories, observations,
interviews, questionnaires, schedules etc. The data should be recorded carefully ,
uniformly topic-wise, accurately and objectively with clarity. The data should be
complete and easy reference. The researcher should be suspicious of striking
(abnormal) cases and are far less significant than more common places ones.
3. Interpretation of Data
Analysis and interpretation of data are considered to be highly skilled and technical job.
Facts and figures never speak for themselves. The facts collected must be classified,
explained and interpreted. The interpretation must be in logical and convenient form.
Only by means of interpretation the underlying features of the data revealed and valid
generalizations are arrived at.
4. Report Writing
Report writing is the end product of a research. Reporting of the research findings is
an important part of any type of research. Reporting means the written presentation
of the evidences and findings of a research. The report must be in such a manner
that the reader can easily understand assess and enable him to verify the validity of
the conclusions.