Case Studies

Sometimes the goal of a research study might be to develop a deeper understanding of a particular phenomenon or an occurrence within a select group of people, such as capturing the rare experience of what it’s like to be a student starting college at 16-years-old.

In this situation, the researcher could carry out a case study—a research approach that includes investigating a very small number of specific people in their real-world setting.

Here, she can collect multiple types of data—both qualitative and quantitative—from her recruited 16-year-old-freshman to ensure an abundance of information.

During the process, she could conduct in-depth interviews, as well as analyze their performances in the classroom. As a result, she might conclude that during exams, these students have more self-confidence than older freshmen.

Nonetheless, a potential difficulty with gathering such a large amount of data from each participant is that it may be challenging to organize.

Also, because data are only being collected from one individual or small group, the results are not necessarily easy to generalize to the broader population.

Despite the difficulties, case studies can provide researchers with a vivid picture of the human experience.