case studies

• case studies involve detailed study of single individual, institution or event - examples of evidence based research
• sources and techniques used in case studies

  • people may be interviewed or they might be observed whilst engaged in daily life
  • use IQ and personality tests/questionnaire to produce data
  • use experimental methods to test what target person/ group can and cant do
• findings from case study are organised into themes to represent individuals thoughts, emotions, experiences and abilities

  • data may be represented in qualitative way
• case studies are longitudinal as they follow the individual/group over extended period of time
• strengths of case studies

  • provides rich in depth data
  • provides insight for further research - help to direct or develop research
  • easy to understand person/ case study due to comprehensive research
• limitations of case studies

  • time consuming and expensive
  • can be loss of objectivity - can be bias developed due to personal investment in the research
  • usually cannot be generalised to anyone outside of the person/people studied.