[Yin+Merriam] The Definition of Case Study

Yin (2009) looks case study as a research method and gives us the following definitions:

1. A case study is an empirical inquiry that

• investigate a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real-life context, especially when 

• the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident (p.18). 

2. The case study inquiry

• cope with the technically distinctive situation in which there will be many more variables of interest than data points, and as one result 

• relies on multiple sources of evidence, with data needing to converge in a triangulating fashion, and as another result 

• benefits from the prior development of theoretical propositions to guide data collection and analysis. (p.17-18) 

In Yin's points, case study is a specific research methodology that especially can be applied to the situation when we cannot distinguish the variable and its results.

However, Merriam (1988) viewed case study as an "end product." She says:

“A qualitative case study is an intensive, holistic description and analysis of a single instance, phenomenon or social unit”

She also cited Wolcott's view to support her idea: “[Case study is] an end-product of field oriented research” (Wolcott, 1992). Merriam continued to argue that "[c]ase study does not claim any particular methods or data collection or data analysis" (p.28). She focuses on qualitative case studies and thinks they can be o characterized as being particularistic, descriptive, and heuristic.

• Particularistic: focus on a particular situation, event, program, or phenomenon. àespecially good for practical problems. 

• Descriptive: end product of a case study is a rich, “thick description of the phenomenon understudy” 

• Heuristic: illuminate the readers understanding of phenomenon under study. They can bring about the discovery of new meanings, extend the readers’ experience, or confirm what is known. (p.29). 

In some way, Merriam adopted Yin's view that case study is an appropriate design that "particularly suited to situations in which it is impossible to separate the phenomenon’s variables from their context (p.29)." But in some other ways, case study could be conducted by different disciplinary types (e.g., ethnographic, historical, psychological, and sociological) and by its overall intents (e.g., descriptive, interpretive, and evaluative).

If I didn't perceive wrong, based on Yin's definition, the data sources of case study could be both quantitative and qualitative. Hence, case study is especially a suitable form of a mix-methods design. Of course it should be designed under the assumption made from its definition listed above.