This week’s seminar leader was Leif Dahlberg. At the start of the seminar we were divided into smaller groups and then set to discuss our respective papers that we had read for the theme.
It emerged early on in the seminar that the actual definition and characteristics of a case study was a bit unclear to many, me included. Leif presented examples, comparing case studies to police investigations and medicinal cases.
My new interpretation of a case study is that it usually involves a natural or organic setting. The case is the object of the study, and the questions you ask in the study define the specific object. Cases are usually already existent and they are not created by the researchers themselves. Researchers observe the cases from the outside and try not to influence the course of events. Case studies are multi-method studies in which you adapt the methods according to the case. The methods in use are combined and integrated in the studies. Case studies are often more comprehensive and complex than other research types, e.g. "Why is the traffic situation not working in Slussen?". This complexity requires you to bring in data from many different sources and locations. Cross scientific knowledge is therefore deemed beneficial when conducting case study research, something that I, as a media technology student, was excited to hear.
Furthermore, case studies acquire a rich, deeper insight into an event. Eisenhardt thinks that this carries a risk that you may get a hold of too much material. Leif contemplated on that, but argued that a case study is a “safe” research type in which you never face the problem of having an insufficient amount of data to analyze. Moreover, Leif mentioned that case studies are prone to serendipity, meaning that you can find new insights and knowledge from the occurrence and development of events by chance.
I think that this seminar was excellent, as it provided a clear view of what case studies are and how they can be conducted.
Hi! good reflection that you have there, it shows that passing is not extremely simple to understand you managed to capture the main ideas of the theme. One of your last post ideas, you said a case study is a “safe” research type in which you never face the problem of having an insufficient amount of data to analyse. I agreed with that however I believe that’s is also one of the problems of conduct this kind of research, analyse this data becomes a complex task and moreover increase the time of the study. Great job! I really like your post!
SvaraRaderaIsaac Rondon