Qualitative Case Study定性的个案研究.ppt

Qualitative Case Study: Definitions Case study is “the study of the particularity and complexity of a single case, coming to understand its activity within important circumstances” (Stake, 1995, p. xi). Case study research is the in-depth study of instances of a phenomenon in its natural context and from the perspective of the participants involved in the phenomenon (Gall, Gall, Borg, 2005). Case study is “a setting or group that the analyst treats as an integrated social unit that must be studied holistically and in its particularity” (Schutt, 2006, p. 293). Case Study vs. Ethnography Similarity: focus on a case or cases; in-depth study; natural context; emic and etic perspectives Differences (Gall et al., 2005): Case study Ethnography Focus on various phenomena Focus on aspects of culture A certain period of study A longer, more in-depth period of data collection Usually limited to a single cultural context Often make cross-cultural comparisons Case Study: Advantages Gain a holistic understanding of real-life events Seek ‘uniqueness’ and ‘commonality’ Refine and develop theories Generate new insights Allow for readers’ decision-making Reflect on human experience Suggest a step to action Case Study: Limitations Concerns about generalizability Use of abnormal cases Issues connected with thick description and triangulation Objectivity versus subjectivity The data-driven rather than theory-driven approach Attrition Constraints on quantitative analysis of small-sample data, Ethics in protecting the privacy of participants (Duff, 2008) Qualitative Case Study: Data analysis Interpretational analysis involves a systematic set of procedures to code and classify qualitative data to ensure that the important constructs, themes, and patterns emerge. Structural analysis Structural analysis involves a precise set of procedures for analyzing qualitative data that do not need to be inferred from the data but are inherent features of the discourse, text,