ABSTRACT
Most definitions of case study highlight the “bounded,” singular nature of the case, the importance of context, the availability of multiple sources of information or perspectives on observations, and the in-depth nature of analysis. Education researchers Gall et al. (2003) describe case study research as “the in-depth study of instances of a phenomenon in its natural context and from the perspective of the participants involved in the phenomenon” (p. 436). Creswell (1998) and Merriam (1998), respectively, phrase it somewhat differently:
Yin (2003a), a case study methodologist in education and management, provides a definition that addresses issues of scope, data collection, and analysis strategies:
Bromley (1986), from the field of psychology, defines case study as
In sociology, case study has been defined as follows:
Finally, in political science, where case study became known as “smalln” studies in the 1960s and 1970s, George and Bennett (2005) define the “case” in case study as
A number of other definitions or attributes of case study research are found in Nunan (1992) and Merriam (1998). The key recurring principles are: boundedness or singularity, in-depth study, multiple perspectives or triangulation, particularity, contextualization, and interpretation. Case study is different from case method, case work, and case history (Merriam, 1998). Despite some shared elements with case study, these latter terms are more closely associated with business, social work, and medicine, respectively, in which cases often have a more specific clinical or pedagogical role than a research role.
