Case Study Research (Yin)

Overview

Case study research is 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. Yin's framework provides systematic design choices — single vs. multiple cases, holistic vs. embedded analysis — and emphasizes triangulation to strengthen construct validity.

When to Use

• Research questions are "how" or "why" questions about contemporary events
• The researcher has little or no control over behavioral events
• Contextual conditions are highly pertinent to the phenomenon of study
• Boundaries between phenomenon and context are blurred

When NOT to Use

• When frequency or incidence data is needed (use survey or experiment)
• When context is irrelevant and can be controlled (use experiment)
• When the goal is statistical generalization to a population