Define case study method and write its characteristics 1 ch 2 psychology
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Answer:
I. Case Study :
(a) Periods of intense use and periods of disuse mark the history of case study research.
(b) Case study research excels in bringing to us an understanding of a complex issue or object and can extend experience or add strength to what is already known through previous research.
(c) Case studies stress detailed contextual analysis of limited number of events or conditions and their relationships.
(d) Researchers have used the case study research method for several years across a variety of disciplines.(e) Social scientists in particular, have made wide use of this qualitative research method to examine contemporary real life situation and provide the basis for the application of ideas and extension of methods.
Definition of Case Study :
Researcher Robert K. Yin defines the case study research method as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenmenon within its real-life context, when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident, and in which multiple sources of evidence are used,
Concept of case study :
1. Case study method is an ideal methodology when a holistic, in-depth investivgation is required.2. Case studies have been used in varied social investigations, especially, sociological studies and are designed to bring out the details from the view point of the participants by using multiple sources of data. It is, therefore, an approch to explore and analyze the life of social unit-an individual, a family, an institution, a culture group or even an entire community.
II. Characteristic of Case Study :
1. The case study ‘strives towards a holistic understanding of cultural systems of action.
Cultural systems of action refer to sets of inter-related activities engaged in by the actors in a social situation.
2. The case studies must always have boundaries.
3. Case study research is not sampling research. However, selecting cases must be done so as to maximize what can be learned, in the period of time available for the study.
4. Case studies tend to be selective, focusing on one or two issues that are fundamental to understanding the system being examined.
5. Case studies are multi-perspectival analysis. This means that the researcher considers not just the voice and perspective of the actors but also of the relevant groups of actors and the interaction between them.