A detailed study of a person, group, or event
A study is an in-depth study of an individual, group, or program.Case studies analyze nearly every aspect of a subject’s life and history to look for patterns and causes of behavior. Case studies can be used in many fields, including psychology, medicine, education, etc.
The ground of a case study is to grasp as much as viable about an individual or group and understand that data to many others.
Case studies center on a single individual , but come after the same format as other types of psychology writing. When writing your case study, it is important to follow the rules of the APA format.
Advantages and limitations
A case study may have both strengths and weaknesses. Researchers should consider these strengths and weaknesses before deciding whether this type of research is suitable for their needs.
advantage:
One of the greatest strengths of case studies is that they allow researchers to investigate things that are often difficult or impossible to reproduce in the laboratory
Additional Benefits of Case Studies:
Enabling researchers to store huge amounts of data
Give researchers the opportunity to gather information about rare and unusual cases
Allow researchers to formulate hypotheses that can be investigated in experimental studies
Cons On the downside of a case study:
- not necessarily generalizable to larger populations
- cannot prove cause and effect
- may not be scientifically rigorous
- can lead to prejudice
Researchers may choose to conduct case studies if they are interested in investigating unique or recently discovered phenomena. Insights gleaned from such studies help researchers develop additional ideas and study questions that may be explored in future studies.
However, it is important to remember that the insights gained from case studies cannot be used to determine causal relationships between variables. However, case studies can be used to form hypotheses that can then be addressed in experimental studies.
Types of case studies:
There are several different types of case studies available to psychologists and other researchers.
Group Case Studies:
These include studying groups of individuals. Researchers can study groups of people in specific environments, or entire communities. For example, a go into may investigate how entry to resources within a community affected the collective mental well-being of those living there.
Descriptive Case Studies:
These involve starting with descriptive theory. We then observe the subjects and compare the information we collect with existing theories.
Descriptive Case Studies:
These are often used to conduct causal investigations. In other words, researchers are interested in examining factors that may have caused a particular thing.
Exploratory case studies:
These may be used as a prelude to further investigation. This allows researchers to gather more information before formulating research questions and hypotheses.
Instrumental Case Studies:
These occur when individuals or groups allow researchers to see more than was initially apparent to the observer.
How to write a case study:
There are also various methods that can be used to conduct case studies. This includes prospective and retrospective case study methods.
Prospective case study methods are methods of observing individuals or groups of people to determine outcomes. For example, a group of individuals may be monitored over time to monitor the progression of a particular disease.
data location:
There are many different sources and methods that researchers can use to gather information about individuals or groups. The six main sources identified by researchers are:
Archive Records:
Census records, survey records, and name lists are examples of archive records.
Direct Observation:
This strategy often involves observing the subject in its natural environment.
Although individual observers are sometimes used, it is more common to utilize groups of observers.
Documents:
Letters, newspaper articles, administrative records, etc. are common types of documents used as sources of information.
Interviews:
Interviews are one of the most important ways to gather information in case studies. Interviews may include structured survey questions and open-ended questions.
Participant Observation:
Participant observation is when a researcher participates in an event and observes its behavior and outcomes.
Physical Artifacts:
Tools, objects, instruments, and other.
