Case Studies Case Study Research 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A study follows the same school district at three points over ten years to see how reform processes change. Yin classifies this single-case rationale as:
- Longitudinal case (Correct answer)
- Extreme case
- Revelatory case
- Pilot case
Correct answer: Longitudinal case
Studying the same case at two or more points in time is the longitudinal rationale for a single-case design.
Question 2: Analytic generalization in case study research means generalizing findings to:
- Theory or theoretical propositions (Correct answer)
- A statistically defined population
- All cases in the same industry
- Future random samples
Correct answer: Theory or theoretical propositions
Case studies generalize to theoretical propositions (analytic generalization), not to populations as in survey research.
Question 3: During fieldwork, a key informant repeatedly steers the researcher toward one favorable narrative. The best safeguard against this is to:
- Corroborate the informant's account with independent sources of evidence (Correct answer)
- Rely exclusively on that informant for efficiency
- Discard all interview data from the study
- Report the narrative as the study's conclusion
Correct answer: Corroborate the informant's account with independent sources of evidence
Corroboration through other informants and documents guards against informant bias and reflexivity.
Question 4: A case study protocol differs from a questionnaire because it is directed at:
- The investigator, guiding procedures and field questions (Correct answer)
- The respondents, who fill it out themselves
- The journal editors reviewing the study
- The statistical software analyzing the data
Correct answer: The investigator, guiding procedures and field questions
The protocol contains procedures, instruments, and rules that guide the investigator, not questions posed directly to respondents.
Question 5: In cross-case synthesis, the researcher primarily:
- Treats each case as a separate study and aggregates patterns across them (Correct answer)
- Pools all raw data into one undifferentiated dataset
- Selects the single best case and discards the rest
- Converts each case into a regression coefficient
Correct answer: Treats each case as a separate study and aggregates patterns across them
Cross-case synthesis retains each case's integrity while comparing patterns and word tables across cases.
Question 6: Which situation most clearly calls for a case study rather than an experiment?
- The phenomenon cannot be separated from its real-life context and variables cannot be manipulated (Correct answer)
- The researcher can randomly assign subjects to treatment groups
- Precise control of all variables is feasible in a laboratory
- The goal is to measure prevalence in a national population
Correct answer: The phenomenon cannot be separated from its real-life context and variables cannot be manipulated
Case studies are chosen when context matters and the investigator cannot manipulate the relevant behaviors.
Question 7: Direct observation differs from participant observation in that the direct observer:
- Remains a passive onlooker without taking a role in the setting (Correct answer)
- Actively performs duties within the case organization
- Manipulates events to test hypotheses
- Collects only archival documents
Correct answer: Remains a passive onlooker without taking a role in the setting
Direct observers watch events without participating, whereas participant observers take an active role in the setting.
Case Studies Case Study Research 4
A study follows the same school district at three points over ten years to see how reform processes change.
Yin classifies this single-case rationale as: