Case study vs Ethnography

Case Study is a method to deeply observe the characteristics of individual unit such as a person, a group or a community, in order to analyse various phenomena in relation to that unit of study.
Ethnography is a method to explore the nature of a certain social phenomenon and it tends to use unstructured data.

1. Case Study and Ethnography by: Dian Ndaru P.

2. Case Study A method to deeply observe the characteristics of individual unit such as a person, a group or a community, in order to analyse various phenomena in relation to that unit of study “The study of the instance in action ”Stenhouse (1999) states that the task of case study is to produce reports of experience and to offer evidence, not to deal with generalisation. 2

3. Case Study Empirical enquiry to investigate a contemporary phenomenon in real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident (Yin, 2003) Case studies can be Qualitative or Quantitative Qualitative case studies focuses on experiential knowledge of a certain case and closely related to the social and political influence 3

4. Types of Case Study Intrinsic case study Stake (2005) Undertaken because of researcher intrinsic interests, and aims to get deep understanding of a certain case. Instrumental case study Provides a base to understand other issues. Usually this case is a secondary interest of the researcher and used to support other interest. Multiple or collective case study Investigate whether there are similarities or differences among the cases’ characteristics to get better understanding of particular interests. 4

5. Data Collection Method Observation Interview Questionnaire Opinionnaire Checklist Analysis of recorded data from news papers, courts etc 5

6. Characteristics of a well constructed case study Holistic Context sensitive Comprehensive Systematic Layered 6

7. Triangulation A process of using multiple perceptions to clarify meaning, verifying the repeatability of an observation or interpretation. This principle is necessary to avoid misinterpretation. Triangulation can be achieved through redundancy o f data gathering and procedural challenges to explanations. Stake (2005) 7

8. Stages in conducting case study Conceptualizations of the topic. Selecting and emphasize a particular phenomenon, and deciding the research questions. Collecting all the raw data from interviews, observations or documents such as program files or reports, articles, and proposals. Organising, classifying and editing the raw data into an accessible file Formulates triangulation of observations and develops interpretation. Selecting an alternative interpretation followed by writing a report in holistic and systematic forms. 8

9. Strength It may offer larger details about a particular phenomenon. For instance, it may include narrative and a specific description about a particular activity, personal relationship or a group interpretation. The readers of a case study may obtain naturalistic generalizations from personal or vicarious experience. i.e. people can share and understand others’ social experience Case study provides a holistic interpretation and always refers to a social context. Case study provides sufficient basal facts for developing a suitable Hypothesis regarding the social unit to be studied 9

10. Limitations People may think that case study researchers do not follow systematic procedures and may have biased views that probably influence the findings and the conclusion The researchers may not be able to cover all issues and offer a scientific generalization because they tend to have limited evidence, not as many as quantitative research Costly method in terms of time and money Cause-Effect relationship is not established 10

11. Limitations Case studies often rely on subjective data, such as the participants’ statements or the researchers’ observations, because most case studies focus on human experiences. Consequently, data will vary based on the participant’s description, opinion, and feeling. To avoid subjectivity and to increase the objectivity of data, a researcher should use replicative, falsification and triangulating methods. Stake (2005) 11

12. Ethnography Hammersley (2006) states that ethnography is a study at first hand about what people do and say in a particular context. Method to explore the nature of a certain social phenomenon and it tends to use unstructured data Ethnographies usually focus on a specific culture its characteristics and all information embedded in it. Ethnography originally came from anthropology with aims to analyse human’s ways of life (or culture) holistically, relativistically and comparatively. 12

13. Ethnography Is a method of field observation or observation of behaviour in natural setting. Participant observation, conversation and use of informants to study cultural and social characteristics of primitive people, whose numbers are small and who are geographically and culturally isolated. Cultural anthropology/ Naturalistic inquiry Ray and Mandal (2011) 13

14. Data Collection Method The ethnographic researchers obtain information about certain socio-cultural phenomena through the members of the society or documents about those phenomena. Observation and interview are two important data collection methods, which are known as ethnographic fieldwork. Using earlier written records, (ethno-historic research) Portable audio & video recording devices may rapidly provide large amounts of data and support researcher in understanding the phenomena of the study 14

15. Characteristics of E thnography Researcher creates social relationship with the participants First-hand observation and participant observation Researchers should stay inside a community of people being studied for a period of time Long-term involvement and observation are considered necessary to understand the complexity of people’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviours Ethnographers play important role as research instrument Ethnography involves naturalistic observation Ethnography is an electric approach 15

16. Characteristics of E thnography Ethnographer can make modification to the research questions, design and technique from the beginning until the completion of the study. (interactive - reactive approach) It is holistic study 16

17. S trength Ethnographic fieldwork provides the best opportunity to collect current, reliable, complete and specific data to answer the relevant It is also considered as the best source of data for comparative study and analysis. Ethnographer can participate in people’s daily lives for an extended period of time, watching what happens, listening to what is said, asking questions, in fact collecting whatever data available. The external validity of ethnographic study is generally high 17

18. L imitations It investigates only a few cases or one case Findings cannot be generalized to other social contexts Selecting information that relevant to the topic of study is depending on the researcher’s argument. Ethnographer need to make inferences only from what participants do and say during interview The ethnographer or their informants may fail to maintain neutrality 18

19. C ase Study vs Ethnography Case Study It does not only depend on participant-observer data but mainly uses interviews. Ethnography It may require certain periods of time in the ‘field’ and emphasize details of observational evidence. The ethnographer may use an interview as an additional technique to capture whole participant’s perspective 19

20. C ase Study vs Ethnography Case Study The cs researchers tend to follow ethnographic methods by providing detailed observations about reality and trying to avoid former commitment to any theoretical frameworks It is strategy of assembling data and drawing interpretation Ethnography The ethnographers do not always produce case studies. Moreover, the case study does not have to present direct and detailed observations, but it can be based on any qu antitative or qualitative da ta As a practice is a method of collecting data 20

21. C ase Study vs Ethnography T he central difference between ethnography and case study lies in the study’s intention. Ethnography is inward looking, aiming to uncover the tacit knowledge of culture participants. Case study is outward looking, aiming to delineate the nature of phenomena through detailed investigation of individual cases and their contexts. 21

22. C ase Study vs Ethnography Naturalistic inquiry, or ethnography, has its roots in anthropology and sociology and involves long-term exposure to a setting or a group of people. Extensive use of unstructured observations and conversations, documented by detailed field notes form the basis for this type of research. Purest form of qualitative research Case studies are the preferred strategy when ‘how’ or ‘why’ questions are being posed, when the investigator has little control over events, and when the focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within some real-life c ontext . 22

23. C ase Study vs Ethnography Ethnography is an art of describing a group or culture, case study is an in depth analysis of a particular instance, event, individual, or a group Ethnography requires participant observation as a data collection method whereas it is not necessary in a case study. Case study is outward looking while ethnography is inward looking Ethnography takes a longer time than a case study. 23

24. Similarities of case study and ethnography Non experimental or descriptive research methods Costly and time consuming In-depth studies Subjective biases from researcher 24

25. Thanks! Any questions? You can find me at @ dianndaru 25