Are you a student of social science with a dissertation due and are searching for a research methodology to for investigative process?

Then why not use the case study methodology.

The research methodology case study may be somewhat controversial as far as data collection methods are concerned but are widely used if your research concerns an in-depth explanation of social behavior which makes case studies methodology a perfect technique for social science students.

But before we provide you with an in-depth view of the study methodology, let’s have a look what it actually is.

The case study methodology allows understanding and explanations of complex behavior patterns through study of past researches and patterns. The role of this research method has become more prominent as there has been an increasing trend in researches related to education, literacy, unemployment and substance abuse. By opting for the case study research methodology, the researchers are able to give a quantitative approach and analyze the behavior with depth at the same time. Because this study method covers both qualitative and quantitative approach, significant studies are made in the field.

In case studies, data collections through observations are recorded in the language of a child which makes it easily understandable to the masses.

Some Advantages Of This Research Method:

• The data here often analyzed only in the context of use or the event in which the activity takes place. Here, the researcher must observe the study subject in the natural environment to get a clear, objective and authentic result. This makes it more advantageous as compared to other research methods that isolate the subject from the environment and focus only on some of the variables.
• Because this method caters to both qualitative and quantitative approach, this makes it more authentic and detailed as far as the research is concerned.
• The detailed view of the qualitative approach is not only useful in the present context of the situation but will also help the researchers analyze the strategies in relation to other studies and strategies. This will make one research helpful for many other researches.

Some Advantages Of This Research Method:

But despite the advantages, this method has still been subject to a lot of criticism:

• This case study does not allow generalization of results since it focuses on a single case.
• They may produce a huge amount of documentation as they are very lengthy, detailed and complicated.

In conclusion, case studies may be providing researches on a micro level but that still does not make it suitable for all kinds of researches and studies. Despite the criticism, they are still used in a verity of disciplines and have produced significant results in the field of their research.