Qualitative Research Designs
After you have defined your research questions, aims, or goals, the next step is to identify your research design. Your research questions or goals inform the type of research design that you will use. There are some research designs that are informed by a particular field of study and expanded to other settings and disciplines. Other research designs are informed by theory.
Case Study
What is it? A qualitative case study is the in-depth exploration of a case (“bounded system”), or multiple cases, over time. The boundaries of the research may be a single person, a specific geographic location, a program, an organization, etc. A qualitative case study entails gathering multiple types of in-depth data, such as artifacts, interviews, observations, documents, or audiovisual material.
There are different types of case studies in qualitative research, but the main goal is to develop a holistic understanding of a subject or case. One type of case study is used to explain the causes of interventions used in experiments, such as in evidence-based research. Another type is for describing the context of an intervention. Other types of case studies include more than one subject for comparison on the same issue.
Your interest may be focused on a person with a unique condition, it may a community-based program, or a location that needs in-depth examination. Our consultants can support you throughout your qualitative case study to ensure that you properly define your case and its boundaries, and gain a multi-dimensional, in-depth understanding of your subject.
How can we help you?
- Identify the most suitable type of case study according to your research aims/goals
- Provide guidance on defining your case and its boundaries
- Assist in using appropriate language applicable for your case study
Related Services
Publications: Articles, Books, Op-ed
For academic journals, qualitative data insights may need more information than if you are writing a newspaper or practice-based journal article.
Learn MoreContent Analysis
Cultural context is the broad range of beliefs and practices that guide the behavior of research participants and researchers.
Learn MoreQualitative Surveys
In qualitative research, a survey is a set of open-ended questions used to explore diverse views primarily among a large number of people.
Learn MoreCultural Context
Cultural context is the broad range of beliefs and practices that guide the behavior of research participants and researchers.
Learn MoreArticles and White Papers About Case Studies
Nonprofit Insights: Leveraging Qualitative Research for Program Evaluation and Improvement
Introduction Understanding the dynamic intricacies of your nonprofit’s program impact, stakeholder experiences, and community relationships is essential for fostering sustainable growth and meaningful change within your organization and community. Qualitative research methods provide a unique opportunity to gather nuanced insights that go beyond mere statistics to illuminate real life stories...
Read More
Top 10 Methods for Data Collection in Nonprofit Qualitative Research
Introduction Understanding the dynamic intricacies of your nonprofit’s program impact, stakeholder experiences, and community relationships is essential for fostering sustainable growth and meaningful change within your organization and community. Qualitative research methods provide a unique opportunity to gather nuanced insights that go beyond mere statistics to illuminate real life stories...
Read More
5 Common Challenges and Solutions in Qualitative Research Design for Medical Health
Introduction Qualitative research plays a crucial role in understanding the intricate dynamics of medical health settings, offering insights that quantitative approaches alone often cannot capture. However, conducting qualitative research in such contexts presents distinct challenges that researchers must navigate with care to ensure robust outcomes. Addressing these challenges requires thoughtful...
Read More
5 Best Practices for Designing Qualitative Research in Medical Health Case Studies
Introduction The following applications and best practices illuminate the essential strategies for designing rigorous and insightful studies that capture the complexity of real-word medical health case studies. From establishing clear research questions, creating a meticulous data collection and analysis plan, and developing a comprehensive reporting plan, each next step is...
Read MoreFAQ About Case Study
A case study examines a subject using multiple types of data. The accessiblity of information from a participant, timeframe, and the use of secondary data will inform the length of time. There is no general length of time. The most important aspect is to ensure that the research questions inform the rationale for a case study and if time is part of the boundary for collecting data on a case.
A case study is an in-depth exploration of a single person or more than one case. Some case studies do not include participants, but a system, e.g. an event, program. Therefore, data collected may not include participants. Most case studies that include participants have one participant.
Qualitative research is not widely accepted as evidenced-based. This is due to the ongoing expectation that evidence-based information need to include statistical analysis, such as clinical trials. Qualitative data has been used in evidenced-based research, but it is not the main source of information for clinical practice.
Ethics integrated in each project are to protect participants. Some ethical considerations include: confidentiality, informed consent, participants and researchers� risk in the project.
What Our Clients Say About Us
Peggy Ostrander, DNPc, APRN, FNP-C Plano, Texas