Case Study

The case study approach is ideally suited to the resources and environment of a work-based researcher. “The great strength of the case-study method is that it allows the researcher to concentrate on a specific instance or situation and to identify, or attempt to identify, the various interactive processes at work. These processes may remain hidden in a large-scale survey but may be crucial to the success of failure of systems or organizations” (Bell)

However, case-studies do come with its disadvantages, It is often difficult to cross-check information and so there is always the danger of distortion. Bassey considers that if case-studies “are carried out systematically and critically, if they are aimed at the improvement of education, if they are relatable, and if by publication of the findings they extend the boundaries of existing knowledge, then they are valid forms of educational research.” (Bassey 1981:85)
These issues make attention to the selection of the case study, the ability to relate the case study to a wider context and the possibility of undertaking a comparative case study.

Sources
Bell, J, 1999, Doing your research project (3rd ed), Berkshire: Open University Press.