Case Study Research

Case study research is a strategy used to investigate a bounded and particular unit of study (a case) to understand its complexity and/or the broader context in which it is situated. Scholars variously refer to the case study as an approach to designing, collecting, and analyzing data; a choice concerning which phenomenon they investigate (the case); or as a product of analysis (the form in which they present findings). As a research strategy, the case study emerged in the United States in the early 20th century. It gathered renewed momentum in the 1960s among researchers eager for methodologies that could support in-depth examination of phenomena in their natural settings. Case studies utilize quantitative and/or qualitative data and multiple data sources to explain, explore, or describe ...