Case Study Approach Example As an example, let’s say the research objective is to determine if people feel safe from a nuclear power plant meltdown. Archival research done during the literature review would give an answer. But, things have changed. New fears and concerns, both rational and otherwise, are now bubbling in the media and people’s minds. This would be an indicator that new data would be needed. So a case study could be defined with a few apparent boundaries: the scenario would be a nuclear power plant accident, the data set would be people living 50 miles from a nuclear power plant, etc. The archival research would be done to establish the baseline. Survey data would be gathered to establish the current data on the fears of the population. Quantitative statistics would be developed that, for the purpose of the example, indicate a shift in perception.
The case study, however, would still be incomplete. Interview research would then be conducted to gather more rich and comprehensive data. Qualitative analysis tools would be used to find themes, patterns, and primary facts and evidence. The perspective could be ethnographic – is a minority population primarily impacted? – or phenomenological – Do the survey participants have an existential fear of radiation? – or narrative – ‘My great-grandparents homesteaded in this house…’.
Once complete and written up, this type of case study would have great potential for providing new knowledge to the human condition that is on par with any of the other types of research.
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