scholarly journals Case study research for better evaluations of complex interventions: rationale and challenges

BMC Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Paparini ◽  
Judith Green ◽  
Chrysanthi Papoutsi ◽  
Jamie Murdoch ◽  
Mark Petticrew ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Empirical Case Studies

Abstract Background The need for better methods for evaluation in health research has been widely recognised. The ‘complexity turn’ has drawn attention to the limitations of relying on causal inference from randomised controlled trials alone for understanding whether, and under which conditions, interventions in complex systems improve health services or the public health, and what mechanisms might link interventions and outcomes. We argue that case study research—currently denigrated as poor evidence—is an under-utilised resource for not only providing evidence about context and transferability, but also for helping strengthen causal inferences when pathways between intervention and effects are likely to be non-linear. Main body Case study research, as an overall approach, is based on in-depth explorations of complex phenomena in their natural, or real-life, settings. Empirical case studies typically enable dynamic understanding of complex challenges and provide evidence about causal mechanisms and the necessary and sufficient conditions (contexts) for intervention implementation and effects. This is essential evidence not just for researchers concerned about internal and external validity, but also research users in policy and practice who need to know what the likely effects of complex programmes or interventions will be in their settings. The health sciences have much to learn from scholarship on case study methodology in the social sciences. However, there are multiple challenges in fully exploiting the potential learning from case study research. First are misconceptions that case study research can only provide exploratory or descriptive evidence. Second, there is little consensus about what a case study is, and considerable diversity in how empirical case studies are conducted and reported. Finally, as case study researchers typically (and appropriately) focus on thick description (that captures contextual detail), it can be challenging to identify the key messages related to intervention evaluation from case study reports. Conclusion Whilst the diversity of published case studies in health services and public health research is rich and productive, we recommend further clarity and specific methodological guidance for those reporting case study research for evaluation audiences.

scholarly journals The Use of Examples in Philosophy of Technology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mithun Bantwal Rao
Keyword(s):  
Critical Theory ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Philosophy Of Technology ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Relations Of Power ◽  
Empirical Turn ◽  
Empirical Case Studies

AbstractThis paper is a contribution to a discussion in philosophy of technology by focusing on the epistemological status of the example. Of the various developments in the emerging, inchoate field of philosophy of technology, the “empirical turn” stands out as having left the most enduring mark on the trajectory contemporary research takes. From a historical point of view, the empirical turn can best be understood as a corrective to the overly “transcendentalizing” tendencies of “classical” philosophers of technology, such as Heidegger. Empirically oriented philosophy of technology emphasizes actual technologies through case-study research into the formation of technical objects and systems (constructivist studies) and how they, for example, transform our perceptions and conceptions (the phenomenological tradition) or pass on and propagate relations of power (critical theory). This paper explores the point of convergence of classical and contemporary approaches by means of the notion of the “example” or “paradigm.” It starts with a discussion of the quintessential modern philosopher of technology, Martin Heidegger, and his thinking about technology in terms of the ontological difference. Heidegger’s framing of technology in terms of this difference places the weight of intelligibility entirely on the side of being, to such an extent that his examples become heuristic rather than constitutive. The second part of the paper discusses the methodological and epistemological import of the “example” and the form of intelligibility it affords. Drawing on the work of Wittgenstein (standard metre), Foucault (panopticism), and Agamben (paradigm), we argue that the example offers an alternative way of understanding the study of technologies from that of empirical case studies.

scholarly journals Case Study Research Methodology

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Widdowson
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Process Measures ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Research Resources

Commenting on the lack of case studies published in modern psychotherapy publications, the author reviews the strengths of case study methodology and responds to common criticisms, before providing a summary of types of case studies including clinical, experimental and naturalistic. Suggestions are included for developing systematic case studies and brief descriptions are given of a range of research resources relating to outcome and process measures. Examples of a pragmatic case study design and a hermeneutic single-case efficacy design are given and the paper concludes with some ethical considerations and an exhortation to the TA community to engage more widely in case study research. 

Civics education in Malaysia: a clash between ethics, religion and cultural norms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishalache Balakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Digital Citizenship ◽  
Civics Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Qualitative Approaches

PurposeTo showcase the importance of digital citizenship in the current era. This article compares the nine features of digital citizen provided by Ribble and Bailey (2007) with a case study conducted in a multicultural setting and identifies the tensions between ethics, religion and cultural norms in that environment.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach has been used in this research. Why case study? Because it is unique and provides in-depth, unique and invaluable findings. Case studies researchers have contributed to the development of case study research from diverse disciplines. Historical examples of case studies go back as far as the nineteenth century with the biography of Charles Darwin (Stewart, 2014). The dominance of positivism in science in the late 1940 and 1950s in social science sidelined qualitative approaches such as case studies. Although case study research was often criticized for its inability to support generalizations, and thus, provided limited validity and value as a research design (Merriam, 2009; Stewart, 2014), case study research provides intensive analysis of an issue. A Case study is intrinsic, instrumental and collective (Stake, 1995, 2006). Case study research encourages the detailed enquiry of a unit of analysis within its context.FindingsFindings show that current society needs to be educated on the nine aspects of digital citizenship. In the current era, changes are so rapid that every now and then, there must be collaboration and cooperation between different agencies to ensure that the tension between religiosity, cultural norms and ethics would be able to find some common ground. With more knowledge and wisdom on human rights, sustainability education and project-based learning in Civics Education, teachers, students, parents and community should often meet to decide on controversial issues and find ways to ensure that each one in society has the knowledge, skills and values for digital citizenship to grow and flourish.Originality/valueThe article is original in nature and has much social impact.

Design-Based Case Study

2018 ◽  
pp. 50-62
Author(s):  
Cynthia C. M. Deaton ◽  
Jacquelynn A. Malloy
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Design Based Research ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Instructional Innovations

Design-based case studies allow researchers to examine instructional innovations that are bounded by perspective, context, and time. Design-based case study is an approach that blends case study research with design-based research in order to more systematically examine the process and products of an intervention. This approach provides a framework for engaging in iterative cycles of data collection and analysis to determine if, how, and why goals of instructional innovations have been met. This chapter provides an overview of the design-based case study approach and responds to common concerns surrounding case study and design-based research and how design-based case studies address these concerns by building on the strengths of both approaches.

scholarly journals Lessons learnt: examining the use of case study methodology for nursing research in the context of palliative care

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 446-459
Author(s):  
Paula Brogan ◽  
Felicity Hasson ◽  
Sonja McIlfatrick
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Nursing Research ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Study Methodology

Background An empirical social research approach, facilitating in-depth exploration of complex, contemporary contextualised phenomena, case study research has been used internationally in healthcare studies across clinical settings, to explore systems and processes of care delivery. In the United Kingdom, case study methods have been championed by nurse researchers, particularly in the context of community nursing and palliative care provision, where its applicability is well established. Yet, dogged by conceptual confusion, case study remains largely underutilised as a research approach. Method Drawing on examples from nursing and palliative care studies, this paper clarifies case study research, identifies key concepts and considers lessons learned about its potential for nursing research within the unique and complex palliative and end of life context. Conclusion A case study approach offers nurse researchers the opportunity for in-depth, contextualised understanding of the systems and processes which influence their role in palliative care delivery across settings. However, philosophical and conceptual understandings are needed and further training in case study methodology is required to enable researchers to articulate and conduct case study.

Case Study Research

2014 ◽  
pp. 454-470
Author(s):  
Helen Simons
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Ethical Practice ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Political Interests

This chapter explores case study as a major approach to research and evaluation. After first noting various contexts in which case studies are commonly used, the chapter focuses on case study research directly Strengths and potential problematic issues are outlined and then key phases of the process. The chapter emphasizes how important it is to design the case, to collect and interpret data in ways that highlight the qualitative, to have an ethical practice that values multiple perspectives and political interests, and to report creatively to facilitate use in policy making and practice. Finally, it explores how to generalize from the single case. Concluding questions center on the need to think more imaginatively about design and the range of methods and forms of reporting requiredto persuade audiences to value qualitative ways of knowing in case study research.

scholarly journals An alternative approach for socio-hydrology: case study research

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 317-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Mostert
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Interdisciplinary Cooperation ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Coupled Models ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Technical Developments ◽  
Alternative Approach

Abstract. Currently the most popular approach in socio hydrology is to develop coupled human–water models. This article proposes an alternative approach, qualitative case study research, involving a systematic review of (1) the human activities affecting the hydrology in the case, (2) the main human actors, and (3) the main factors influencing the actors and their activities. Moreover, this article presents a case study of the Dommel Basin in Belgium and the Netherlands, and compares this with a coupled model of the Kissimmee Basin in Florida. In both basins a pendulum swing from water resources development and control to protection and restoration can be observed. The Dommel case study moreover points to the importance of institutional and financial arrangements, community values, and broader social, economic, and technical developments. These factors are missing from the Kissimmee model. Generally, case studies can result in a more complete understanding of individual cases than coupled models, and if the cases are selected carefully and compared with previous studies, it is possible to generalize on the basis of them. Case studies also offer more levers for management and facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation. Coupled models, on the other hand, can be used to generate possible explanations of past developments and quantitative scenarios for future developments. The article concludes that, given the limited attention they currently get and their potential benefits, case studies deserve more attention in socio-hydrology.

Case studies in humanitarian logistics research

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Vega
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Humanitarian Logistics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Case Study Design ◽  
Chain Of Evidence ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeConsidered a strong method for exploratory investigations, case study research has become part of the mainstream approach, particularly in the field of humanitarian logistics (HL) and supply chain management. Nevertheless, similar to other logistics and SCM-related fields, rigor is not at its best. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for crafting case study research in HL, based on an analysis of published case study-based research.Design/methodology/approachThe study classifies and compares the use of case studies in HL research, based on criteria developed from the methodology literature including purpose, type and volume of data, and type of analysis.FindingsWhile case studies become more frequent, the results point out a lack of rigor, particularly regarding chain of evidence and the use of frameworks for case study rationale and analysis.Research limitations/implicationsThe study proposes a framework for case study design, based on four “check questions” that can help researchers to go through the process of crafting a case study.Practical implicationsThe study provides practitioners with more understanding of case studies in HL research, which they can use when calling for or evaluating such studies in their organizations.Originality/valueThis paper offers an initial framework for conducting case studies in HL.

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