Case Studies

[Page 317]Qualitative case study research has a long history in social science and health care, with a growth in popularity in the 1970s and again, more recently, along with increasing interest in life story, narrative, and the lived experience. It has been applied to the field of human communication disorders although qualitative studies are less common than empirical single-case-study designs focused on intervention or, for example, detailed cognitive neuropsychological consideration of single cases. This entry defines case and case study research. It goes on to discuss why researchers use case studies, the methods involved, and qualitative case studies for communication disorders.

Qualitative case study research has often been misunderstood or viewed as “soft,” lacking rigor, or being prone to bias. This perception is partly because the term case study has been confused with case studies used in teaching (where the details might be manipulated to make a particular point to students) or case studies in which data from medical files are used to highlight a particular incident or circumstance. To add to the confusion, case study research more broadly can be used productively in both qualitative and quantitative traditions. The latter approach may involve quantifying aspects of a case, such as a response to treatment, controlling for the conditions under which the case is studied, and then measuring the change compared with a baseline.

Qualitative case study research, on the other hand, is a methodological approach or strategy of inquiry. It is not a specific method but potentially could use a range of different methods such as in-depth interviews, observations, or document analysis. It is reported as a description of the case. Contrary to being soft research, it involves rigorous description of study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.