NATURE OF CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY

The case study is a way of organising social data for the purpose of viewing social reality.It examine a social unit as a whole.The unit may be a person,a family,a social group,a social institution or a community.

The purpose is to understand the life cycle or an important part of the cycle of the unit.The case study probes deeply and analyzed interaction between the factors that explain present status or that influence change or growth.

Nature of case study

1. A descriptive study

a. (I.e. the data collected constitute descriptions of psychological processes and events, and of the contexts in which they occurred (qualitative data).

b. The main emphasis is always on the construction of verbal descriptions of behaviour or experience but quantitative data may be collected.

c. High levels of detail are provided.

2. Narrowly focused.

a. Typically a case study offers a description of only a single individual, and sometimes about groups.

b. Often the case study focuses on a limited aspect of a person, such          as their psychopathological symptoms.

3. Combines objective and subjective data

a. i.e. the researcher may combine objective and subjective data: All are regarded as valid data for analysis, and as a basis for inferences within the case study.

i. The objective description of behaviour and its context

ii. Details of the subjective aspect, such as feelings, beliefs,

impressions or interpretations. In fact, a case study is uniquely able to offer a means of achieving an in-depth understanding of the   behaviour and experience of a single individual.

4. Process-oriented.

a. The case study method enables the researcher to explore and describe the nature of processes, which occur over time.

b. In contrast to the experimental method, which basically provides a stilled snapshot of processes, which may be continuing over time like for example the development of language in children over time.

5.Longitudinal approach

  The case study method showing development over a period of time.

6.The number of unit to be studied is small.

7.It studies a social unit deeply and thoroughly.

8.It is qualitative as well as quantitative.

9.It covers sufficient wide cycle of time.

10.It has continuity in nature.