QUALITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN

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

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