The curious case of case study: a viewpoint

Abstract

Case study is widely referred to and applied within social research, but its status remains unclear. Is it a method, a methodology, a strategy, a design, an approach or what? What does its employment in social research signify? This article critically reviews both the generic social research methods literature, and the work of two of case study’s most fervent recent promoters, Stake and Yin, to seek some answers to these questions. It concludes that case study is essentially a convenient label that can be applied to just about any social research project, especially perhaps when no other term seems available, and considers what might be done instead.

Keywords:

• case study
• social research
• critique
• small samples
• in depth study