In:The Art and Architecture of Academic Writing
Patricia Prinz and Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir
[Not in series 231] 2021
► pp. 181–206
Chapter 9Conducting Research for a Case Study
Published online: 10 September 2021
https://doi.org/10.1075/z.231.c9
https://doi.org/10.1075/z.231.c9
Article outline
- A.Examining the case study
- 1.Defining the case study assignment
- Description of the case study assignment
- 2.The building blocks of the case study
- 3.Conducting research for a case study
- a.Select the subject/participants
- John’s research subject
- Informed consent
- b.Define the research question
- Understanding research questions
- John’s research question
- Strategies for writing effective research questions
for a case study
- Practice: Identifying the elements of an effective case study research question
- c.Identify primary data sources
- Practice: Identifying primary sources in context
- d.Collect the data
- Strategies for planning data collection
- John’s data collection guide
- Methods of data collection
- Documents and archival records
- Interviews
- Observations
- Documenting sources during data collection
- e.Analyze the data
- Strategies for reviewing data
- Observations
- Photographs
- Audio visual materials
- Strategies for organizing the data
- Coding the data
- Creating a code index
- John’s code index
- A thematic data table
- Constructing a thematic data table
- Evaluating the potential of themes and data sources
- John’s thematic data table
- Strategies for evaluating the data
- Triangulation
- Evidence evaluation matrix
- John’s evidence evaluation matrix
- Practice: Data triangulation
- Strategies for reviewing data
- f.Create an outline for the case study
- Two-column format
- Spider map
- John’s outline
- Practice: Organizing data for the outline
- a.Select the subject/participants
- 1.Defining the case study assignment
- B.AWARE: Writing a case study
- 1.Arranging to write a case study
- a.Choosing the subject for the case study
- Practice: Generating ideas for a subject of the study
- Practice: Focused free writing
- b.Formulating a research question
- Practice: Generating ideas for a research question
- c.Planning to collect primary data
- Existing sources
- Data you will collect
- d.Analyzing the data
- e.Organizing the data
- Practice: Record your themes and codes in a code
index
- Organize your coded data in a thematic table
- Evaluate the data
- (a) Triangulation
- (b) Evidence evaluation matrix
- Practice: Create an evidence evaluation matrix
- Prepare to outline the case study
- Practice: Record your themes and codes in a code
index
- a.Choosing the subject for the case study
- 1.Arranging to write a case study
