Deck 14: Case Study Research

Question 1

Which of the following is characteristic of qualitative case study research?

A) the study of particular instances of a phenomenon
B) the in-depth study of a phenomenon.
C) the study of a phenomenon in its real-life context.
D) all of the above.

Answer 1

all of the above.

Question 2

The key issue in selecting the case for a case study is to

A) decide what phenomenon you want to be able to say something about at the end of the study.
B) construct specifications for a case that would reflect the phenomenon to an extreme extent.
C) find gatekeepers who have access to a range of instances of possible cases.
D) identify a field setting in which the researcher already is a participant.

Answer 2

decide what phenomenon you want to be able to say something about at the end of the study.

Question 3

Case selection typically involves all but which one of the following?

A) Specifying the phenomenon of interest
B) Defining a unit of analysis
C) Deciding the focus on which data collection will concentrate
D) Determining the population to which the results can be generalized

Answer 3

Determining the population to which the results can be generalized

Question 4

In his case study the researcher sought to depict and conceptualize the phenomenon he studied. The primary purpose of this case study was

A) evaluation.
B) interpretation.
C) explanation.
D) description.

Question 5

A case study in which the researcher relates differences in how adults cope with reading comprehension problems to a theory of intellectual development most clearly illustrates the purpose ofin casestudy research.

A) description
B) explanation
C) confirmation
D) evaluation

Question 6

The primary aim of thick description is to

A) compile as many objective facts about a phenomenon as possible.
B) illustrate communalities among a wide variety of phenomena.
C) provide information to assess the worth of a phenomenon.
D) depict a phenomenon and re-create the context within which it is situated.

Question 7

Rayna was late for school eight times in October, and gave the teacher varying explanations for the cause of her tardiness. A case study researcher is likely to describe this aspect of the case as a

A) theme.
B) construct.
C) pattern.
D) phenomenon.

Question 8

In case study research a construct refers to a(n)

A) salient, characteristic feature of a case.
B) concept inferred from observed phenomena and used to explain them.
C) type of observed variation that is systematically related to another observed variation.
D) variation in one phenomenon that is claimed to have a causal effect on another observed variation.

Question 9

The design of a case study is based primarily on

A) a blueprint of methods and steps generated by prior case study researchers.
B) the case study researcher's hypothesis about the phenomenon being investigated.
C) the interpretive skills of the case study researcher.
D) the acceptability of the design to the individuals being studied.

Question 10

In case study research the research design tends to

A) be established prior to the start of data collection.
B) be determined by the type of phenomenon the researcher chooses to study.
C) involve the testing of existing theoretical models.
D) emerge as data collection proceeds.

Question 11

Grasping the meaning of events, developing causal explanations, and conducting formative evaluations can all represent theof a qualitative research study.

A) validity
B) conceptual framework
C) goals
D) research questions

Question 12

The study of multiple cases rather than a single case invariably

A) involves identification of more than one focus of investigation.
B) provides a better learning opportunity for the beginning researcher.
C) permits exploration of systematic relationships among aspects of the phenomenon.
D) involves theoretical or literal replication.

Question 13

A researcher studies two cases and predicts the same results for each case. This is an example of

A) literal replication.
B) theoretical replication.
C) purposeful sampling.
D) thinking "finish-to-start."

Question 14

Case study researchers are more likely than traditional quantitative researchers to

A) play a major role in the collection of research data.
B) formulate their research problems in relation to prior theory.
C) pay considerable attention to obtaining permissions from the research site.
D) select a research problem of personal interest to them.

Question 15

Case study researchers who base their research on ecological ethics

A) aim to produce the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
B) judge the morality of their decisions by whether they reflect a caring attitude toward others.
C) refer to absolute values in assessing whether they are behaving ethically.
D) consider participants' culture the major determinant of the morality of the researchers' actions.

Question 16

In securing permission to collect data in a research site, the case study researcher should

A) dress and speak more formally than usual.
B) describe the code of ethics that the researcher espouses.
C) contact people within the site whom the researcher knows personally.
D) work with gatekeepers at the site.

Question 17

Thinking "finish-to-start"in doing a case study involves

A) analyzing the data before ending data collection.
B) predetermining the information to be sought from each contact or document.
C) predetermining the relative emphasis to be given to description, analysis, and interpretation in the case study report.
D) developing a timeline that is anchored by the date when data collection must end.

Question 18

The mixed-methods approach to research design

A) is rarely used in case study research.
B) involves the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data.
C) makes quantitative research auxiliary to qualitative research.
D) all of the above.

Question 19

Typically a researcher's disclosure of personal information about himself to case study participants

A) is necessary for obtaining their cooperation.
B) has minimal effect on the research findings.
C) inhibits research participants' expression of their own experiences.
D) is a violation of research ethics.

Question 20

A subjectivity audit is a process by which a case study researcher

A) includes her intense personal feelings and experiences in the research report.
B) notes research situations that arouse her strong feelings so as to determine how they shaped the research process and outcomes.
C) explains her personal experience to research participants related to the phenomenon under study during data collection.
D) judges her decisions and actions by referring to absolute values.

Question 21

Exhaustion of sources, saturation of categories, emergence of regularities, and overextension are all

A) criteria for deciding when to end the data-collection stage of a case study.
B) topics that should be explored in a subjectivity audit.
C) examples of the types of themes that might characterize a case.
D) criteria for judging the interpretive validity of a case study.

Question 22

A case study researcher probably should collect additional data rather than end data collection when

A) new information far from the central core of viable coding categories is received.
B) the data being collected reflect the emergence of regularities.
C) key informants have provided minimal information.
D) all of the above.

Question 23

In most case studies, researchers

A) use only one method of data collection.
B) begin data analysis before ending data collection.
C) use contact summary sheets instead of taking field notes.
D) do not decide the form for presenting the case study until all the data are analyzed.

Question 24

Structural analysis of qualitative data involves the researcher's

A) inferences about the meaning of data segments.
B) identification of patterns inherent in textual elements.
C) use of intuition to portray the phenomena being studied.
D) coding of the degree of occurrence of particular variables in each case.

Question 25

Text retrievers are used in case study research to

A) identify all data fields that have been assigned to a given code.
B) list the location and frequency of all the words in a document.
C) determine whether specific coding categories overlap.
D) segment the database prior to analysis.

Question 26

The qualitative research tradition of educational connoisseurship and criticism best illustrates the method of

A) structural analysis.
B) constant comparison.
C) reflective analysis.
D) interpretational analysis.

Question 27

Asking the individuals studied for more information to reconcile discrepancies in the case study report is an example of

A) member checking.
B) triangulation.
C) pattern matching.
D) representativeness checking.

Question 28

The extent to which a measure in a case study correctly operationalizes the concepts being studied is an indicator of the extent to which the study's design reflects

A) construct validity.
B) internal validity.
C) external validity.
D) reliability.

Question 29

Outlier analysis is used in case study research to determine

A) the extent to which the emic and etic perspectives of the phenomenon being studied are congruent.
B) why particular members of the sample disagree with the case study's conclusions.
C) whether the findings for extreme cases are consistent with those for other cases.
D) why some data for a case diverge from other data for the same case.

Question 30

Case study findings are likely to be applicable to other cases or settings in all but which one of the following situations?

A) The researcher studied a typical case.
B) The research was based on grounded theory.
C) A random sample from the unit of analysis was studied.
D) The report readers' field setting is similar to that described in the case study.

Question 31

Reflection on context and anticipation of action places primary responsibility on for determining the applicability of case study findings.

A) theoreticians
B) report readers
C) researchers
D) research participants

Question 32

Reflective reporting of a case study is most appropriate when the researcher

A) made an interpretational analysis of the case study data.
B) wants to maintain an objective stance.
C) wants to have her voice strongly present in the report.
D) wants to display how bits of information relate to each other.

Question 33

Researchers who report their case studies in the form of fiction, poetry, drama, satire, or other literary genres usually

A) have a postmodern sensibility.
B) are using an interpretational reporting style.
C) have minimal concern for demonstrating the validity of their findings.
D) have studied a single case.

Question 34

The thick description typical of case studies tends to

A) bring a case to life better than the statistical methods of quantitative research.
B) help report readers compare cases with their own situation.
C) help reveal both researchers' etic perspective and participants' emic perspective.
D) all of the above.

Question 35

A disadvantage of the case study method compared to traditional quantitative research designs is that

A) it requires the use of a computer for coding the data.
B) the case on which the study will focus can change late in the research process.
C) it provides a less adequate basis for interpretation than a quantitative research report.
D) it is difficult to generalize the findings to other situations.

Question 36

Describe the four defining characteristics of a case study.

Question 37

A researcher decides to study the educational philosophies of three teachers out of ten teachers in one school district whom a key informant identified as outstanding instructional leaders. In this case study, what are(a) the phenomenon of interest, (b) the focus, (c) the unit of analysis, and (d) the case or cases being studied?

Question 38

Describe the three purposes for which case studies typically are carried out.

Question 39

Explain what is meant by thick description in case study research.

Question 40

Explain (a) the meaning of a pattern in case study research and (b) the difference between a relational pattern and a causal pattern.

Question 41

Give one reason why a researcher might collect both qualitative and quantitative data in a case study.

Question 42

Describe two ways in which case study research may involve both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Question 43

Describe two of the components of Joseph Maxwell's 5-component model of case study design, and give an example of a question that is relevant to each component described.

Question 44

Describe four of the eight goals described by Joseph Maxwell that qualitative research can help researchers achieve.

Question 45

State one advantage and one disadvantage of studying multiple cases rather than a single case in a case study.

Question 46

Describe the role of the qualitative case study researcher in data collection and typical activities that this role involves.

Question 47

Name and explain two of the ethical stances from which researchers can judge the morality of their decisions and actions in a case study.

Question 48

Name two skills a researcher needs in order to gain entry to a field setting and enlist the cooperation of case study participants.

Question 49

Describe three types of researcher actions reflective of the common statement that the researcher is the primary "measuring instrument"in qualitative research.

Question 50

Give two examples of the types of interpretive acts that are typical of a case study researcher.

Question 51

Describe (a) the purpose, and (b) the basic elements, of a subjectivity audit as described by Alan Peshkin.

Question 52

What does the chapter recommend with respect to researchers' personal involvement or disclosure in the research and research report?

Question 53

Describe two theoretical criteria that a researcher should consider in deciding when it is appropriate to end data collection for a case study.

Question 54

Define and describe the steps in the approach to analyzing case study data known as interpretational analysis.

Question 55

Describe one difference between structural analysis and reflective analysis as approaches to analyzing case study data.

Question 56

Describe five of the strategies recommended for ensuring the quality and rigor of qualitative research.

Question 57

What is the meaning of triangulation or crystallization in case study research, and what is their relevance to judgments of the validity of research findings?

Question 58

Describe two types of documentation that might be included in an audit trail to demonstrate the validity of case study findings.

Question 59

What is the main difference between positivist and interpretive approaches to determining the validity of case study findings?

Question 60

Describe one of the criteria used by case study researchers who subscribe to a positivist philosophy of scientific inquiry to judge the quality of case study design.

Question 61

Describe one procedure that a researcher can use to increase the probability that case study findings can be applied to other cases.

Question 62

Describe one strategy that a researcher can use to help the readers of a case study report determine the applicability of the findings to other situations.

Question 63

Name one of the primary characteristics of reflective reporting as an approach to writing reports of case studies.

Question 64

Name one of the primary characteristics of analytic reporting as an approach to writing reports of case studies.

Question 65

Name four literary genres for reflective reporting of a case study besides the extensive use of direct quotes.

Question 66

Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of qualitative case study research as compared to quantitative research methods.

Question 67

A researcher has obtained a grant to carry out a case study involving a multiple-case design to examine how policies about the education of migrant workers' children have changed over time. Describe the skills that the researcher will need to conduct this case study successfully.

Question 68

The following narrative describes a graduate student's research proposal for a case study concerning classroom leadership among students from different ethnic groups. List criticisms that an experienced qualitative researcher might make of the proposal."This study is concerned with the social structure of a fifth-grade class made up of students representing the following ethnic groups: 12 whites, 8 African-Americans, 4 Hispanics, 2 Asian-Americans, and 1 Native- American (Ute Indian). The research hypothesis is that there is no relationship between ethnicity and leadership status in the classroom. A random sample of 10 students will be selected and observed in class for a one-week period. An observation form has been designed for use in checking the number of leadership remarks made by each student."

Question 69

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the following proposal for a case study with the questions for evaluating qualitative research reports in Appendix B of the textbook."The study will be carried out in an inner-city high school. It is aimed at studying teachers' interactions with each other and with students in as many school-related situations as possible, including faculty meetings, classes, and informal contacts in the cafeteria, teachers' lounge, on the playground, and in the halls. Two individuals who are employed half time as teachers in the school will serve as participant observers for one school year. Their role in the research will not be revealed until all data have been collected. Concurrent with the observations, two experienced researchers will conduct survey interviews with all teachers and a sample of students. Unstructured interviews will also be conducted at regular intervals with a group of key informants that includes teachers, students, and other school personnel."