Case Study Research in Educational Technology

Case study research is a research methodology that systematically investigates a social phenomenon in its naturalistic context through in-depth examination of a single or multiple critical incidents of the phenomenon. These critical incidents are also known as cases. Case study research is often considered as a type of qualitative inquiry as it deals with empirical evidence in primarily narrative forms, such as field notes, interview transcript, and documentation. It acknowledges the complex and contextualized nature of the social phenomenon under investigation and does not attempt to limit or control the contextual factors pertinent to the phenomenon. In order to examine a case in depth, a researcher usually spends a considerable amount of time at the case setting (e.g., classroom, online discussion forum) and employs a variety of methods (e.g., observation, interview, survey, document analysis) to gather and analyze data from different sources.

Case study research is often conducted to (a) inform readers about a phenomenon by providing rich descriptions of its social interactions, contextual conditions, intricacies, and anomalies, (b) develop theories to explain a phenomenon by identifying its significant factors and their underlying relationships, and (c) evaluate a phenomenon in its naturalistic context where value judgments are based on the holistic understanding of its social, cultural, and contextual aspects. With its ability to describe, explain, and evaluate complex and ill-structured social phenomena, case study research has been widely used in social science fields such as sociology, political science, anthropology, and business.

There is also a growing body of case study research published in the field of educational technology, of which the three most common types of cases are (1) design cases that document and discuss the design decisions for an educational innovation (e.g., the design case of a science mystery game), (2) exemplary cases that introduce and analyze a best practice in the field where lessons can be drawn (e.g., showcase of an open university program in Africa), and (3) evaluative cases that examine the benefits and limitations of an technology integrated program or product (e.g., evaluation of an online course supported by mobile applications). This entry discusses the design of case study research, criteria for evaluating case study research, and the difference between case study research and case study pedagogy.