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Case Study — Previous Year Questions

📊 Topic Overview​

MetricValue
Papers Appeared10 of 28 (35.7%)
Priority🔴 HIGH
Section DistributionSec A: 4 | Sec B: 3 | Sec C: 3
Most RepeatedNature, criteria and types of case study (5 times)
ProbabilityHigh

🎯 Must-Know Concepts​

  1. Definition and nature of case study
  2. Types of case studies
  3. Steps in conducting a case study
  4. Strengths and limitations
  5. Common misconceptions about case study research

🔥 Most Repeated Question: Nature, Criteria and Types of Case Study (Section A/B)​

Answer (~450 words):​

Definition and Nature: A case study is an in-depth, intensive investigation of a single individual, group, event, organisation, or phenomenon within its real-life context. Introduced in psychology by Freud, Janet, and Piaget, it remains a cornerstone of clinical, developmental, and social psychology. The unit of analysis can be a person, family, community, institution, or critical incident.

Yin (2009) defines it as "an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real-life context, especially when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident."

Key Characteristics:

  • Focuses on a single unit (case) with the goal of understanding it holistically.
  • Uses multiple sources of data — interviews, observations, documents, artefacts.
  • Is bounded in time and activity.
  • Produces rich, thick descriptions that retain context.
  • Can be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory in purpose.

Types of Case Studies:

1. Intrinsic Case Study Undertaken because the case itself is of primary interest — its uniqueness or typicality is the reason for study. No attempt to generalise; the case has intrinsic value.

2. Instrumental Case Study The case is used as an instrument to understand a broader issue or refine a theory. The case is of secondary interest; it facilitates understanding of something else.

3. Collective/Multiple Case Study Several cases are studied jointly to understand a phenomenon, population, or general condition. Allows comparison and cross-case analysis.

4. Exploratory Case Study Used when the research questions are not clearly defined; helps identify research questions and hypotheses for future study.

5. Explanatory Case Study Seeks to explain causal links in real-life interventions. Example: Why did a particular therapy succeed with this client but fail with another?

Steps in Case Study Research:

  1. Select the case: Identify the case that best addresses the research question. Purposive selection.
  2. Build a theoretical framework: Develop the conceptual framework that will guide data collection and analysis.
  3. Select data sources: Identify interviews, documents, observations, and records to be used.
  4. Collect data: Gather data from multiple sources (triangulation) to build a comprehensive picture.
  5. Analyse data: Identify patterns and themes within and across data sources. Pattern matching and explanation building are common strategies.
  6. Interpret and write up: Develop a case narrative; relate to theory; state conclusions with appropriate caution.

Strengths:

  • Preserves holistic and contextual features of real-life events.
  • Enables study of rare phenomena (e.g., split-brain patients, unique clinical conditions).
  • Generates hypotheses for future research.
  • Flexible and responsive to emerging findings.

Limitations:

  • Cannot yield statistical generalisation.
  • Prone to researcher bias in data selection and interpretation.
  • Time-consuming; labour-intensive.
  • Replication is difficult.

Common Misconceptions (Yin):

  1. Case studies cannot be used to generalise — False: case studies support analytical (theoretical) generalisation, not statistical generalisation.
  2. Case studies are only exploratory — False: they can be explanatory and descriptive too.
  3. Case studies lack rigour — False: rigorous case studies follow clear protocols and use triangulation.

📝 Short Note Version (Section C — ~120 words)​

A case study is an intensive, in-depth investigation of a single unit (person, group, event) within its real-life context using multiple data sources. Types include intrinsic, instrumental, and collective case studies. Steps involve selecting the case, building a theoretical framework, collecting data from multiple sources (triangulation), analysing patterns, and writing the case narrative. Strengths include contextual richness and ability to study rare phenomena; limitations include inability to statistically generalise, susceptibility to researcher bias, and difficulty of replication. Yin (2009) distinguishes between statistical generalisation (not possible) and analytical generalisation (possible — applying findings to theory).

🧠 Memory Aids​

Types (IIC-EE): Intrinsic, Instrumental, Collective, Exploratory, Explanatory

Steps (S-T-S-C-A-I): Select case → Theoretical framework → Sources → Collect → Analyse → Interpret/Write

📚 Related Content​

✅ Self-Assessment​

  1. What is the difference between intrinsic and instrumental case studies?
  2. What does "analytical generalisation" mean in case study research?
  3. How does triangulation strengthen a case study?
  4. What are three common misconceptions about case studies according to Yin?
  5. Compare case study with ethnography as qualitative methods.

💡 Exam Tips​

  • Section C (short note) is the most common format for this topic — have a crisp 120-word version ready.
  • Section A: Include Yin's definition, all five types, all six steps, strengths, limitations, and misconceptions.
  • The three misconceptions from Yin are a favourite — know them by heart.