1. These can exist in combinations, resulting in 4 possibilities
2. When to use the case study method
   1. Different research methods serve complimentary functions
   2. 2 situations for a case study
      1. descriptive questions (what happened?) or explanatory question (how or why did something happen?)
      2. In depth or first-hand understanding of a particular situation
         1. Natural settings
         2. examples given
            1. good highschool principle
            2. everyday life in a residential school
   3. Always ask: "What is the "case" (unit if analysis)
      1. Related subtopics?
         1. school, family, friends (if case is the student)
            1. "key contextual conditions"
3. Examples of possible case studies
   1. Non english student in school vs out of school
   2. teachers use of groups
   3. violence prevention program
   4. performance improving schools
   5. school-business partnership and its effect
   6. school choice policy
4. An essential skill for case study investigators
   1. Must be able to collect data and analyze data at the same time
   2. Must be able to separate out your own opinion, because you may have to ask a question that you already think you know the answer to
5. Three basic steps in designing case studies
   1. First step: DEFINE
      1. You may be able to redefine based on preliminary data
   2. Second step
      1. Single case or multiple case?
      2. Holistic or embedded within holistic?
   3. Single case and multiple case are interesting because multiple cases could be seen as replications, contrasting comparisons, or variations
   4. Theory development
      1. If you're new, do it
      2. If you're experienced you may be able to find a "break the mold" case
6. Choosing specific persons, groups or sites to be your case
   1. Thinking of the case and actually picking the group are very different
   2. Do not represent formal sample from larger population
   3. No statistical inference
   4. generalizing from case studies
      1. substantive topics
      2. issues of interest
      3. logical inferences
         1. analytic generalizations
      4. Could be an extreme or unique case
   5. Case study screening procedure
   6. Multiple case study design ALSO has cross-case issues
      1. confirmatory?
      2. contrasting?
      3. theoretically diverse?
      4. 3 + cases?
         1. geographic, ethnic, size, and other variation
         2. No case is a control for another case
            1. No treatments occur. No control.
   7. Multiple case study design makes you look stronger
      1. Comparative data exists
7. Varieties of sources of case study data
   1. multiple sources of evidence
      1. triangulation
   2. Commons sources of evidence in doing case studies
      1. Docs
      2. Archival records
      3. Interviews
      4. Direct observation
      5. Participant observation
      6. Physical artifacts
   3. It's important to keep up on the most recent data collection instruments
   4. Qualitative and quantitative are both possible
   5. Do not mix data and interpretation
      1. Keep a separate interpretive narrative
8. Ways of analyzing case study data
   1. Data do not always speak for themselves
   2. analysis methods may come from your original question
      1. Stipulate a pattern of findings
         1. pattern matching
      2. explanation building
      3. time-series analysis
      4. logic models
      5. cross-case synthesis
   3. Case studies are not always so linear, with data, and then analysis.
      1. Sometimes these sections can happen throughout the document
   4. You look stronger if you incorporate rival explanations or alternative perspectives
9. Composing case study reports
   1. No set standard way
   2. You must like writing!
10. For further discussion
    1. Five common worries in using the case study method
       1. How do I know if I should use the case study method to do my study?
       2. How should I select the case to be studied?
       3. I am studying a school. What is my case: Is it the teachers? The reading program? The whole school?
       4. How much time and effort should I devote to collecting the case study data? How do I know whether I'm finished collecting the data?
       5. How do I start analyzing my case study?