Use of Digital Data

Conceptual Overview and Discussion

Recognized as a method used to gain an understanding of a complex issue or issues, case study encourages the collection and analysis of multiple data sources that help the researcher focus on a limited, or bounded, population, site, or situation. The strength of this approach is the potential richness of the various types of data (e.g., documents, interviews, observations, photographs, physical artifacts, sounds, surveys, etc.); the challenge is the volume of collected data and the researcher's struggle to manage the data during the analysis phase.

Concerns about management range from the sheer quantity of data to the physical manipulation and organization of the various types and formats. Therefore, there is a very real potential that the researcher can become overwhelmed and actually lose sight of the initial purpose of the study and the research questions, in a sense, drowning during the analysis process.

A solution to this problem rests not in transcribing digital data but rather with working with the data in their original format. For example, researchers typically conduct an interview, recording it on either a tape recorder or digital recorder. They then spend either a substantial amount of time or money transcribing the interview into text. During the transcription process, gestures, tones, and pauses are noted using descriptive words and various symbols, but many researchers have noted that significant evidence and understanding are lost during that process and that a significant portion of research budgets were expended.

In the past, one could argue that transcription was necessary, because software options for working with primary source data were expensive, cumbersome, and not commonly available. However, that is no longer true. Commercial software such as Microsoft Office or Google Apps allows researchers to manage digital content easily and work directly with the data collected in field throughout the analysis and reporting phases. This shift in practice has the potential to not only strengthen the quality of the data but also to add a richer dimension to the presentation of the findings, allowing participants and readers to see the evidence and draw their own conclusions as to the findings.

The ability to continue to work with the primary data supports the need of researchers to ensure that their studies have internal and external validity as well as reliability. It also helps provide a clear, evidence-based model for the replication of the study in a different bounded setting, one of the additional values of the case study approach. Fundamental to working with primary data is the development of a process to manipulate the data. This requires three steps: (1) editing; (2) sorting, categorizing, and organizing; and (3) retrieving the data. These steps are described in the next section of this entry.

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