In my last post I was discussing two
studies that were supposed to present a qualitative and a case study example of
research. As I was reading and reflecting about the process of “The motivations
and expectations of international volunteer tourists” by Li-Ju Chen and Joseph
S Chen, I got concerned about being able to differentiate the qualitative
elements in their research form what was considered the actual case study.
Chen & Chen were pretty clear about
using qualitative methods, observations and semi-structured interviews in order
to reach their results, therefore, I think it is necessary to define what
aspect of the study is making it a case study.
During the seminar on the topic, case
studies were described as a meta-method. Although it is not any official
definition of the term, it clarifies how case study research is not bound or
limited to a certain set of methods, but rather uses a variety of methods, and
often even combines them (which can be seen in Chen& Chen’s study). A case
study simply identifies a certain phenomenon or context that is rather unknown
or lacking in scientific theory – after that, it choses methods that are
considered relevant for the context. This means that the study can include any
form of method as long as it is considered to have the ability to produce
results related to the topic. A case study can be said to be a method that uses
other methods, either by using a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary
approach. That being said, the different
kinds of disciplines can also be hard to define at times. However, I would say
that Chen & Chen’s study is interdisciplinary as the main researcher is
included in all stages and has to apply different theories and methods into the
study herself.
Another interesting point that was brought
up during the seminar is that a case study is not dependent of a hypothesis.
Rather than relying on a hypothesis and structure the process according to it,
a case study would proceed from a research question. Since case studies are
applied on areas where scientific research is scarce (as mentioned above), it
does not limit itself by using specific hypothesises which would narrow down
the data collection and analysis into a specific theme.
As I am not that familiar with the practical
use of case studies, but rather more structured forms of research, I was
surprised about the lack of a specific hypothesis (I was taught that no study
can be initiated without a specific direction provided by a hypothesis). I
questioned this during the seminar, as I believed a study could end up very
scattered without a sense of direction.
After the discussion, I understood that a
broad research question is posed in the beginning of the study as a form of
substitute for a hypothesis. Using a research question gives the opportunity to
conduct a study, and still be able to identify unexpected features that might
be significant for that particular phenomenon. The hypothesis is posed later in
the study, when enough information has been gathered which makes it possible to
single out a specific direction for the study.
This way, case studies are not only able to
verify or test a theory, but also create new.
In the end, I would say that a case study
is a approach that structures it’s process depending on the object/phenomenon
of study. By using this definition I believe I include all the methods
(qualitative and quantitative) that can be used within it’s frameworks.
Hi and thank you for great posts! :) I'd like to contribute to your discussion about the lack of hypothesis in case studies. As you mentioned yourself, a case study has research question(s) instead, so it does still have a direction even without the hypothesis. The lack of an official hypothesis can be related to the fact that a hypothesis is based on previous theories around the subject, and a case study doesn't necessarily have theoretical background to the same extent as other approaches. It's actually funny to see how these statements from our previous studies guide our thinking, since my perceptions about the use of a hypothesis and research question differ a bit from yours. Perhaps it's a matter of terminology as well, and the concept of hypothesis is sometimes used when it shouldn't be. This is one of the difficulties with scientific research and justification for this course even!
SvaraRaderaAnyway, I noticed that you managed to explain your learnings excellently and your posts are always easy to follow. Thank you for nice reflection!
SvaraRaderaYour text made me think how this method kind of forces the researcher to have an open mind-set – which minimizes the risk of defining a hypothesis to early. My viewpoint is that its an explorative method, were new topics of interest can emerge as the research process last. I think the discussion of what differentiates a case study from a purely quantitative study is interesting. This is a question that I would like to have discussed more in depth during this week as well as how to determine the level of analysis and how to define the finish point of the study. When is it done? When data saturation has been reached or at any other point?
Thank you for an interesting reflection! I think case study has been very interesting to explore further this week, and I like that it starts off with an open mind. It does have a research question, giving it some direction, but it's not necessarily have a theoretical background. It has a lot of freedom which I like, and it's a method I could very much see myself using in the future.
SvaraRaderaIt seems like we had a shared concern regarding the difference between a case study research and a research using qualitative methods, because I also had a hard time differentiating the qualitative elements from the actual case study. Therefore I found it very interesting and helpful to read your reflection regarding this. What really helped me during the seminar was the explanation that case studies might be about a specific setting, but it might also be about a specific phenomenon which was the case in my selected paper. The common denominator is that, whether the case study is about a specific setting or a specific phenomenon, it is something we do not know enough about to formulate a research question but is still interesting enough that you can look more detailed into it and formulate a research question at the end of the research. And I think your sentence “This means that the study can include any form of method as long as it is considered to have the ability to produce results related to the topic” bring further understanding regarding the difference between these two in the sense that case studies are not restricted of using a specific type of method but in fact favor from combining qualitative and quantitative ones. Thanks for a great reflection!
SvaraRaderaDen här kommentaren har tagits bort av skribenten.
SvaraRaderaYour description of case study as a meta-method is very enriching. I think it quite describes the research method behind it. One still has to add, that it looks upon a research topic within a confined space, but the meta-method is a very good description of how a case study is done, I think.
SvaraRaderaIt is also very interesting to read how you earlier thought there needs to be a specific hypothesis that is being answered for it to become a proper study but came to the realization that case-studies are exempt from this, as they are sort of the first ones to research in that specific area, therefore providing the first inputs which later can be used to form hypothesis to conduct further research.
The difference between narrowing down the scope of your research by using a hypothesis, compared to a research question is crucial. With a hypothesis, you're focused on finding out if a particular statement is true or false, whereas a research question gives more opportunity to adapt your study as you go along. You also captured the element if flexibility in case studies well at the end of your post.
SvaraRadera
SvaraRaderaInteresting post! It made me reflect on the links between case studies and a reflexive approach to ones own research. I think that researcher who get into case studies are required to be open minded, since they need to continuously interact with their data and analyse their findings as they go. They need to stay open to what ever results they may encounter, which I think is disturbingly uncommon among researchers. Bias is everywhere - even in academia.
Oy,
SvaraRaderayour post made me reflect on the connection there can be between a case study and the use of different combination of other research technique. I had a hard time discerning if my paper was a case study or not and this is the same reason I had to deal with in order to find out.
I dont think a study needs a real direction but it needs to have a field and from there, the anarchic way to do it can be done and then the research question comes up by itself and lead the path.
Thank you for your reflection