Understanding Complex

Resource Management Issues in

their Real World Context:
Case Study Approaches to
Research

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Workshop Objectives
Become familiar with the utility and
limitations of case study research
Become familiar with the design,
implementation, and analysis of a
case study
Practice designing a case study using
a real world example
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Workshop Outline

Asking effective research questions

Matching methods to questions
What is a case study?
Case study design exercise
Data analysis
Generalization, case quality, and
other issues
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Workshop Programme
Wednesday, June 13, Morning
8:30 Introductions, Learning objectives, course
schedule
Asking effective research questions
Matching methods to questions
What is a case study?
Case study components
10:00 Break
Case study design
Background on nursery case study exercise
Preparation for field exercise
12:00 Lunch
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Workshop Programme
Wednesday, June 13, Afternoon
1:00 Transport to Inopacan, Leyte
Tour nursery
Discussion with nursery project participants
3:00
Return to campus
Meet with participants from second nursery
project
Discussion
5:00 Adjourn

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Workshop Programme
Thursday, June 14, Morning
8:30 Preparation for group presentations
Groups assemble case study plans
10:30 Break
Group presentations
Discussion
12:30 Lunch
Tuesday Afternoon
1:30 Interviews and field notes
Data analysis, Coding
3:00 Break
Generalizing from case studies
Judging case study design quality
Questions, comments, discussion
5:30 Adjourn
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Asking Effective Research

Questions
Why is it important?
Who cares (or should care) about
the question?
What body of theory will it
contribute to?
Has it been asked before?
Can it be answered with the time,
expertise,
and resources available?
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Matching Research Approach to

Questions
Write a one-sentence research
question relevant to your work or
interests.
What data would be required?
What disciplines? Types of
knowledge?
What research approach would be
appropriate? What specific methods?
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Fig. 1. A simplified social science research approach

decision tree.
Research Question?
Yes

Don
e

Generate
Hypotheses
Explain
Relationships
Depth
Primary Approach:
Qualitative
Scale of Target
Population
Rel.
Small
Ethnograp
hic
Methods

Rel.
Large
Structured
Group

Check Results With Survey

Data

Existing Data
Adequate?
No
Principle
Purpose?

Test Hypotheses
Estimate
Parameters
Breadth
Primary Approach:
Survey
Scale of Target
Population
Rel.
Small
Door-toDoor

Rel.
Large
Telephone,
Mail

Check Results With Qualitative

Data

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Inductive and Deductive

Reasoning
Deductive reasoning: The process
of reasoning from general principles
to particular examples.
Inductive reasoning: The process
of reasoning from particular
examples to general principles.

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Table 2. Partial, Illustrative List of Social Science Research

Methodologies
Method

Application

Limitations

Secondary Data
Historical
Census
Previous research

Provide context and

background for any
social research
endeavor

Availability and
relevance of existing
data

Ethnographic
Participant
observation
Case study
Oral history
Key informant

Explain experience
and values of specific
target population,
identify relationships,
understand issues in
context

Time requirement,
limited capacity to
generalize, lack of
formal analytical
procedures

Structured Group
Focus group
Nominal group
Delphi

Establish problems
boundaries and topics
for further research

Limited capacity to
generalize

Survey
Telephone
Mail
Door to door

Estimate general
parameters of large
population, rigorous
statistical analysis

A priori knowledge
required, limited
capacity to explain,
declining response
rates

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Table 1. Comparison of Qualitative and Standardized

Questionnaire Survey Methodologies (from Bliss and
Martin 1989)
Methodology

Qualitative

Standardized Survey

Purpose

Describe and explain

processes and relationships,
generate hypotheses

Describe, estimate
population parameters,
test hypotheses

Design

Inductive, flexible

Deductive, rigid

Sample

Selective

Random

Questions

Informant-driven,
Why? What? How?

Predetermined,
How many/much?

Unit of
analysis

Individual, case

Trait

Data

Multiple instruments

Single instrument

Analysis

Uncodified

Formal

Results

Depth, particulars

Breadth,
generalizations

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Research Syndromes
Best Available Data
The Hammer and the Nail
The Streetlight Syndrome
Excessive Expertise

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Case Study Definition

Case study is a strategy for doing
research which involves an empirical
investigation of a particular
contemporary phenomenon with its
real life context using multiple
sources of evidence.
Yin, 1981

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Case Study Components

Strategy
Empirical investigation
A particular contemporary
phenomenon
Within its real life context
Using multiple sources of evidence

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Triangulation
Key informant interviews
Literature
Census data
Content analysis of
newspapers
Household survey

Ecological inventory data

GIS analysis
Historical accounts

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Designing the Case Study

1. What is the phenomenon being studied?
Define the case What are the
boundaries?
2. What are the research questions?
3. Who are the key players?
4. What are the key social, economic,
ecological, political factors? (Describe
the context).

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

5.
6.
7.
8.

What data will be required?

How will data be collected?
How will data be analyzed?
What will be the utility of study results?
For whom?
9. How will study results be disseminated?

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Questions to Ponder
Whats going on here?
What is this an example of? What
does this illustrate?
Who are we hearing from?
Who arent we hearing from?
Who stands to gain?
Who stands to lose?
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Generalizing from Case Studies

Statistical generalization: describing a
population based upon a sample.
Theoretical (analytical) generalization:
describing a phenomenon based upon a case.

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Data Analysis
Data management
To record or not to record
Transcribing interviews
Coding
Pattern recognition
Writing as analysis
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Coding Text

Increasing Abstraction

Themes
or
Networks

Selective
Coding
Families
Axial
Coding
Open
Coding

Interview Text
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Theme

Increasing abstraction

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Coded text

 Director of community organization on

community forestry:
I want the rural communities to be seen as the
stewards of the public lands that surround them.
I dont want us to be seen as loggers, rapers,
pillagers, grazers, you know, cow shitters.
Whatever is that were perceived to be now.
Because I believe we have the knowledge and
the ability, if were allowed, to stay on the
landscape, to steward those lands in a way that
the public will be proud of for generations to
come and I know thats the motivation. Because
when we talk about community forestry, we talk
about management for the next generation.

Family forest owner on oak

conservation:
I would hate to see the oaks
disappear. Maybe on my south
hillside here where I have a lot of
oaks I should just let them grow. The
oaks tend to grow up and not shade
like the maples do. Douglas-fir grows
right up through them . . .
I like the diversity. I certainly would
not clean out all the oaks. I mean,
three or four big logs, I might sell
those for a good price, but the main
thing is to leave other oaks coming

Judging Case Study Design Quality

(after Yin 2003).
Tests

Case Study Tactic

Construct validity

Multiple data sources

Chain of evidence
Informant review

Internal validity

Pattern matching
Rival explanations
Logic models

External validity

Theory base (single

cases)
Replication logic (multiple
cases)

Reliability

Case study protocol

Database
Case Study Workshop, 2007
John C. Bliss, Oregon State University

Case Study Research References

Ragin, Charles C., and Howard S. Becker, eds. 1992. What is
a case? Exploring the foundations of social inquiry.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Robson, Colin. 2002. Real World Research, second ed.
Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. 599 p.
Stake, Robert E. 1995. The art of case study research.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 173 p.
Yin, Robert K. 2003. Case Study Research, Design and
Methods third ed.. Applied Social Research Methods Series
Vol. 5. London: Sage Publications. 179 p.
Yin, Robert K. 2003. Applications of case study research,
Second Edition. Applied Social Research Methods Series,
Vol. 34. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 173 p.
Yin, Robert K. 2004. The case study anthology. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 271 p.

Case Study Workshop, 2007

John C. Bliss, Oregon State University