ABSTRACT
Qualitative Case Study methodology is an approach for researchers to study complex phenomena within their contexts using a variety of data sources and data collection methods. It is a valuable methodology for health and social science, environmental studies, social work, education, and business studies, to advance theory, evaluate programmes, and develop interventions. Case Study methodology has its own design, data collection, and analytic procedures and is still an evolving methodology. This chapter will provide a synopsis of the history of Case Study methodology and a discussion on when to use this methodology, how to determine the ‘case’ or unit of analysis, and an overview of the different types of case study designs. The process of developing and using a case study protocol, research questions and propositions, and determining the boundaries of the ‘case’ will be addressed. Identifying the boundaries is essential as these indicate what will and what will not be studied within the scope of the research project. Triangulation is a powerful tool that can strengthen the qualitative research design and where multiple perceptions and a variety of procedures are utilised to clarify meaning and to identify the different ways phenomenon are perceived. The concept of triangulation or establishing converging lines of evidence, which is a feature of Case Study methodology, will be addressed. For example, the different triangulation strategies will be presented in the context of type of research to be undertaken i.e. Masters, PhD, or for a funded research project. This will include processes for identifying and selecting appropriate theoretical lenses to augment data analysis. Data collection and analysis within Case Study methodology can be complex and time consuming, and a very large data corpus is often achieved when using this approach. Criteria for analysing and interpreting data and presenting and reporting the results will be described, including discussion on undertaking cross-case analysis. Exemplars for each stage of the process, drawn from a series of studies on dementia, will be provided throughout the chapter.
