CASE STUDY RESEARCH 案例研究研究
Definition and Background
定義和背景
The entire culture-sharing group in ethnography may be considered a case, but the intent in ethnography is to determine how the culture works rather than to either develop an in-depth understanding of a single case or explore an issue or problem using the case as a specific illustration. Thus, case study research involves the study of a case within a real-life, contemporary context or setting (Yin, 2009). Although Stake (2005) states that case study research is not a methodology but a choice of what is to be studied (i.e., a case within a bounded system, bounded by time and place), others present it as a strategy of inquiry, a methodology, or a comprehensive research strategy (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Merriam, 1998; Yin, 2009). I choose to view it as a methodology: a type of design in qualitative research that may be an object of study, as well as a product of the inquiry. Case study research is a qualitative approach in which the investigator explores a real-life, contemporary bounded system (a case) or multiple bounded systems (cases) over time, through detailed, in-depth data collection involving multiple sources of information (e.g., observations, interviews, audiovisual material, and documents and reports), and reports a case description and case themes. The unit of analysis in the case study might be multiple cases (a multisite study) or a single case (a within-site study).
民族志中的整個文化共享群體可以被視為一個案例，但民族志的目的是確定文化如何運作，而不是對單個案例進行深入理解或使用案例作為具體例證來探索問題或問題。因此，案例研究研究涉及在現實生活、當代背景或環境中對案例的研究（Yin，2009）。儘管Stake（2005）指出，案例研究研究不是一種方法論，而是對要研究的內容的選擇（即，受時間和地點限制的有限系統中的案例），但其他人則將其描述為一種探究策略，一種方法論或一種全面的研究策略（Denzin&Lincoln，2005;Merriam，1998年;Yin，2009）。我選擇將其視為一種方法論：一種定性研究中的設計類型，它可能是研究物件，也可能是探究的產物。案例研究研究是一種定性方法，其中研究者通過涉及多個資訊來源（例如，觀察、訪談、視聽材料以及文件和報告）的詳細、深入的數據收集，隨著時間的推移探索現實生活中的當代有界系統（案例）或多個有界系統（案例），並報告案例描述和案例主題。案例研究中的分析單位可以是多個案例（多中心研究）或單個案例（現場內研究）。
The case study approach is familiar to social scientists because of its popularity in psychology (Freud), medicine (case analysis of a problem), law (case law), and political science (case reports). Case study research has a long, distinguished history across many disciplines. Hamel, Dufour, and Fortin (1993) trace the origin of modern social science case studies through anthropology and sociology. They cite anthropologist Malinowski's study of the Trobriand Islands, French sociologist LePlay's study of families, and the case studies of the University of Chicago Department of Sociology from the 1920s and '30s through the 1950s (e.g., Thomas and Znaniecki's 1958 study of Polish peasants in Europe and America) as antecedents of qualitative case study research. Today, the case study writer has a large array of texts and approaches from which to choose. Yin (2009), for example, espouses both quantitative and qualitative approaches to case study development and discusses explanatory, exploratory, and descriptive qualitative case studies. Merriam (1998) advocates a general approach to
案例研究方法為社會科學家所熟悉，因為它在心理學（弗洛德）、醫學（問題的案例分析）、法律（判例法）和政治學（案例報告）中很受歡迎。案例研究研究在許多學科中有著悠久而傑出的歷史。Hamel，Dufour和Fortin（1993）通過人類學和社會學追溯了現代社會科學案例研究的起源。他們引用了人類學家馬林諾夫斯基對特羅布里昂群島的研究，法國社會學家勒普萊對家庭的研究，以及芝加哥大學社會學系從1920年代和30年代到1950年代的案例研究（例如，湯瑪斯和茲納涅茨基1958年對歐洲和美國波蘭農民的研究）作為定性案例研究的先例。今天，案例研究作者有大量的文本和方法可供選擇。例如，Yin （2009）支援定量和定性方法進行案例研究開發，並討論了解釋性，探索性和描述性定性案例研究。Merriam（1998）主張採用一種通用方法
qualitative case studies in the field of education. Stake (1995) systematically establishes procedures for case study research and cites them extensively in his example of "Harper School." Stake's (2006) most recent book on multiple case study analysis presents a step-by-step approach and provides rich illustrations of multiple case studies in Ukraine, Slovakia, and Romania. In discussing the case study approach, I will rely on Stake (1995) and Yin (2009) to form the distinctive features of this approach.
教育領域的定性案例研究。Stake（1995）系統地建立了案例研究研究的程式，並在他的“哈珀學校”的例子中廣泛引用了它們。Stake（2006）關於多案例研究分析的最新著作提出了一種循序漸進的方法，並提供了烏克蘭，斯洛伐克和羅馬尼亞的多個案例研究的豐富插圖。在討論案例研究方法時，我將依靠Stake（1995）和Yin（2009）來形成這種方法的顯著特徵。
Defining Features of Case Studies
定義案例研究的特徵
A review of many qualitative case studies reported in the literature yields several defining characteristics of most of them:
對文獻中報導的許多定性案例研究的回顧得出了其中大多數的幾個定義特徵：
- Case study research begins with the identification of a specific case. This case may be a concrete entity, such as an individual, a small group, an organization, or a partnership. At a less concrete level, it may be a community, a relationship, a decision process, or a specific project (see Yin, 2009). The key here is to define a case that can be bounded or described within certain parameters, such as a specific place and time. Typically, case study researchers study current, real-life cases that are in progress so that they can gather accurate information not lost by time. A single case can be selected or multiple cases identified so that they can be compared.
案例研究研究從識別特定案例開始。這種情況可以是具體實體，例如個人、小組、組織或合夥企業。在不太具體的層面上，它可能是一個社區、一種關係、一個決策過程或一個特定的專案（見Yin，2009）。這裡的關鍵是定義一個可以在某些參數（例如特定地點和時間）內限制或描述的情況。通常，案例研究研究人員研究當前正在進行的現實生活中的案例，以便他們能夠收集準確的資訊，而不會因時間而丟失。可以選擇單個案例或識別多個案例，以便進行比較。
- The intent of conducting the case study is also important. A qualitative case study can be composed to illustrate a unique case, a case that has unusual interest in and of itself and needs to be described and detailed. This is called an intrinsic case (Stake, 1995). Alternatively, the intent of the case study may be to understand a specific issue, problem, or concern (e.g., teenage pregnancy) and a case or cases selected to best understand the problem. This is called an instrumental case (Stake, 1995).
進行案例研究的意圖也很重要。可以組成一個定性的案例研究來說明一個獨特的案例，一個本身具有不同尋常興趣的案例，需要描述和詳細說明。這被稱為內在情況（Stake，1995）。或者，案例研究的目的可能是瞭解特定問題、問題或關注點（例如，少女懷孕）以及選擇的一個或多個案例以最好地理解問題。這被稱為工具案例（Stake，1995）。
- A hallmark of a good qualitative case study is that it presents an in-depth understanding of the case. In order to accomplish this, the researcher collects many forms of qualitative data, ranging from interviews, to observations, to documents, to audiovisual materials. Relying on one source of data is typically not enough to develop this in-depth understanding.
一個好的定性案例研究的一個標誌是它提供了對案例的深入理解。為了實現這一目標，研究人員收集了多種形式的定性數據，從訪談到觀察，到檔，再到視聽材料。僅僅依靠一個數據源通常不足以形成這種深入的理解。
- The selection of how to approach the data analysis in a case study will differ. Some case studies involve the analysis of multiple units within the case (e.g., the school, the school district) while others report on the
在案例研究中如何進行數據分析的選擇會有所不同。一些案例研究涉及對案例中的多個單元（例如，學校、學區）的分析，而另一些則報告了
entire case (e.g., the school district). Also, in some studies, the researcher selects multiple cases to analyze and compare while, in other case studies, a single case is analyzed.
整個案例（例如，學區）。此外，在一些研究中，研究人員選擇多個案例進行分析和比較，而在其他案例研究中，則分析單個案例。
- A key to understanding analysis also is that good case study research involves a description of the case. This description applies to both intrinsic and instrumental case studies. In addition, the researcher can identify themes or issues or specific situations to study in each case. A complete findings section of a case study would then involve both a description of the case and themes or issues that the researcher has uncovered in studying the case.
理解分析的一個關鍵是，好的案例研究研究涉及對案例的描述。此描述適用於內在和工具案例研究。此外，研究人員可以確定在每種情況下要研究的主題或問題或特定情況。然後，案例研究的完整發現部分將涉及對案例的描述以及研究人員在研究案例時發現的主題或問題。
- In addition, the themes or issues might be organized into a chronology by the researcher, analyzed across cases for similarities and differences among the cases, or presented as a theoretical model.
此外，研究人員可以將主題或問題組織成年表，分析案例之間的異同，或作為理論模型呈現。
- Case studies often end with conclusions formed by the researcher about the overall meaning derived from the case(s). These are called "assertions" by Stake (1995) or building "patterns" or "explanations" by Yin (2009). I think about these as general lessons learned from studying the case(s).
案例研究通常以研究人員就從案例中得出的整體含義得出的結論結束。這些被Stake（1995）稱為「斷言」，或被Yin（2009）稱為構建“模式”或“解釋”。我認為這些是從研究案例中吸取的一般教訓。
Types of Case Studies
案例研究的類型
Thus, types of qualitative case studies are distinguished by the size of the bounded case, such as whether the case involves one individual, several individuals, a group, an entire program, or an activity. They may also be distinguished in terms of the intent of the case analysis. Three variations exist in terms of intent: the single instrumental case study, the collective or multiple case study, and the intrinsic case study. In a single instrumental case study (Stake, 1995), the researcher focuses on an issue or concern, and then selects one bounded case to illustrate this issue. In a collective case study (or multiple case study), the one issue or concern is again selected, but the inquirer selects multiple case studies to illustrate the issue. The researcher might select for study several programs from several research sites or multiple programs within a single site. Often the inquirer purposefully selects multiple cases to show different perspectives on the issue. Yin (2009) suggests that the multiple case study design uses the logic of replication, in which the inquirer replicates the procedures for each case. As a general rule, qualitative researchers are reluctant to generalize from one case to another because the contexts of cases differ. To best generalize, however, the inquirer needs to select representative cases for
因此，定性案例研究的類型通過有界案例的大小來區分，例如案例是否涉及一個人、幾個人、一個團體、整個專案或一項活動。它們也可以根據案例分析的意圖加以區分。就意圖而言，存在三種變體：單一工具案例研究、集體或多案例研究以及內在案例研究。在單個工具案例研究（Stake，1995）中，研究人員專注於一個問題或關注點，然後選擇一個有界案例來說明這個問題。在集體案例研究（或多個案例研究）中，再次選擇一個問題或關注點，但詢問者選擇多個案例研究來說明該問題。研究人員可能會選擇來自多個研究網站的多個程式或單個網站中的多個程序進行研究。通常，詢問者有目的地選擇多個案例來展示對問題的不同觀點。Yin （2009）認為，多案例研究設計使用複製邏輯，其中詢問者複製每個案例的程式。作為一般規則，定性研究人員不願意從一個案例推廣到另一個案例，因為案例的背景不同。然而，為了最好地概括，詢問者需要選擇具有代表性的案例
inclusion in the qualitative study. The final type of case study design is an intrinsic case study in which the focus is on the case itself (e.g., evaluating a program, or studying a student having difficulty-see Stake, 1995) because the case presents an unusual or unique situation. This resembles the focus of narrative research, but the case study analytic procedures of a detailed description of the case, set within its context or surroundings, still hold true.
納入定性研究。案例研究設計的最後一種類型是內在的案例研究，其中的重點是案例本身（例如，評估一個專案，或研究一個有困難的學生——參見Stake，1995），因為案例呈現出不尋常或獨特的情況。這類似於敘事研究的重點，但案例分析程式，即在其背景或周圍環境中對案例進行詳細描述，仍然適用。
Procedures for Conducting a Case Study
進行案例研究的程式
Several procedures are available for conducting case studies (see Merriam, 1998; Stake, 1995; Yin, 2009). This discussion will rely primarily on Stake's (1995) and Yin's (2009) approaches to conducting a case study.
有幾種程式可用於進行案例研究（見Merriam，1998年;Stake，1995年;Yin，2009）。該討論將主要依賴於Stake（1995）和Yin（2009）進行案例研究的方法。
- First, researchers determine if a case study approach is appropriate for studying the research problem. A case study is a good approach when the inquirer has clearly identifiable cases with boundaries and seeks to provide an in-depth understanding of the cases or a comparison of several cases.
首先，研究人員確定案例研究方法是否適合研究研究問題。當詢問者有明確可識別的案例和邊界，並試圖提供對案例的深入理解或對幾個案例的比較時，案例研究是一個很好的方法。
- Researchers need next to identify their case or cases. These cases may involve an individual, several individuals, a program, an event, or an activity. In conducting case study research, I recommend that investigators first consider what type of case study is most promising and useful. The case can be single or collective, multisited or within-site, and focused on a case or on an issue (intrinsic, instrumental) (Stake, 1995; Yin, 2009). In choosing which case to study, an array of possibilities for purposeful sampling is available. I prefer to select cases that show different perspectives on the problem, process, or event I want to portray (called "purposeful maximal sampling"; see Creswell, 2012), but I also may select ordinary cases, accessible cases, or unusual cases.
研究人員接下來需要確定他們的一個或多個病例。這些情況可能涉及一個人、幾個人、一個計劃、一個事件或一項活動。在進行案例研究時，我建議調查人員首先考慮哪種類型的案例研究最有前途和最有用。案件可以是單一的或集體的，多地點的或現場內的，並專注於一個案件或一個問題（內在的、工具性的）（Stake，1995年;Yin，2009）。在選擇要研究的案例時，有一系列有目的抽樣的可能性。我更喜歡選擇對我想描繪的問題、過程或事件表現出不同觀點的案例（稱為“有目的的最大抽樣”;參見Creswell，2012），但我也可能選擇普通案例、可訪問案例或不尋常案例。
- The data collection in case study research is typically extensive, drawing on multiple sources of information, such as observations, interviews, documents, and audiovisual materials. For example, Yin (2009) recommends six types of information to collect: documents, archival records, interviews, direct observations, participant observation, and physical artifacts.
案例研究研究中的數據收集通常是廣泛的，利用多種資訊來源，例如觀察、訪談、文件和視聽材料。例如，Yin （2009）建議收集六種類型的信息：檔、檔案記錄、訪談、直接觀察、參與者觀察和實物人工製品。
- The type of analysis of these data can be a bolistic analysis of the entire case or an embedded analysis of a specific aspect of the case (Yin, 2009). Through this data collection, a detailed description of the case
這些數據的分析類型可以是對整個案例的總體分析，也可以是對案例特定方面的嵌入式分析（Yin，2009）。通過這種數據收集，對案例進行詳細描述
(Stake, 1995) emerges in which the researcher details such aspects as the history of the case, the chronology of events, or a day-by-day rendering of the activities of the case. (The gunman case study in Appendix F involved tracing the campus response to a gunman for 2 weeks immediately following the near-tragedy on campus.) After this description ("relatively uncontested data"; Stake, 1995, p. 123), the researcher might focus on a few key issues (or analysis of themes), not for generalizing beyond the case, but for understanding the complexity of the case. One analytic strategy would be to identify issues within each case and then look for common themes that transcend the cases (Yin, 2009). This analysis is rich in the context of the case or setting in which the case presents itself (Merriam, 1988). When multiple cases are chosen, a typical format is to provide first a detailed description of each case and themes within the case, called a within-case analysis, followed by a thematic analysis across the cases, called a cross-case analysis, as well as assertions or an interpretation of the meaning of the case.
（Stake，1995）出現，其中研究人員詳細介紹了案件的歷史，事件的年表或案件活動的日常呈現等方面。（附錄F中的槍手案例研究涉及在校園內發生近乎悲劇後立即追蹤校園對槍手的反應2周。在此描述之後（「相對無爭議的數據」;Stake，1995年，第123頁），研究人員可能會專注於幾個關鍵問題（或主題分析），不是為了超越案例進行概括，而是為了理解案例的複雜性。一種分析策略是確定每個案例中的問題，然後尋找超越案例的共同主題（Yin，2009）。這種分析在案件或案件出現的背景中很豐富（Merriam，1988）。當選擇多個案例時，典型的格式是首先提供每個案例和案例中主題的詳細描述，稱為案例內分析，然後是跨案例的主題分析，稱為跨案例分析，以及對案例含義的斷言或解釋。
- In the final interpretive phase, the researcher reports the meaning of the case, whether that meaning comes from learning about the issue of the case (an instrumental case) or learning about an unusual situation (an intrinsic case). As Lincoln and Guba (1985) mention, this phase constitutes the lessons learned from the case.
在最後的解釋階段，研究人員報告案例的意義，無論該含義來自對案例問題的瞭解（工具性案例）還是對不尋常情況的瞭解（內在案例）。正如Lincoln和Guba（1985）所提到的，這一階段構成了從案件中吸取的教訓。
Challenges 挑戰
One of the challenges inherent in qualitative case study development is that the researcher must identify the case. The case selected may be broad in scope (e.g., the Boy Scout organization) or narrow in scope (e.g., a decision-making process at a specific college). The case study researcher must decide which bounded system to study, recognizing that several might be possible candidates for this selection and realizing that either the case itself or an issue, which a case or cases are selected to illustrate, is worthy of study. The researcher must consider whether to study a single case or multiple cases. The study of more than one case dilutes the overall analysis; the more cases an individual studies, the less the depth in any single case. When a researcher chooses multiple cases, the issue becomes, "How many cases?" There is no one answer to this question. However, researchers typically choose no more than four or five cases. What motivates the researcher to consider a large number of cases is the idea of generalizability, a term that holds little meaning for most qualitative
定性案例研究開發中固有的挑戰之一是研究人員必須確定案例。所選擇的案例可能範圍很廣（例如，童子軍組織），也可能範圍很窄（例如，特定大學的決策過程）。案例研究研究人員必須決定要研究哪個有界系統，認識到有幾個可能是這種選擇的候選者，並意識到案例本身或選擇一個或多個案例來說明的問題都值得研究。研究人員必須考慮是研究單個案例還是多個案例。對多個案例的研究沖淡了整體分析;單個案例研究的案例越多，任何一個案例的深度就越小。當研究人員選擇多個案例時，問題就變成了「有多少個案例？這個問題沒有一個答案。然而，研究人員通常選擇不超過四到五個案例。促使研究人員考慮大量案例的是泛化性的概念，這個術語對於大多數定性來說意義不大
researchers (Glesne & Peshkin, 1992). Selecting the case requires that the researcher establish a rationale for his or her purposeful sampling strategy for selecting the case and for gathering information about the case. Having enough information to present an in-depth picture of the case limits the value of some case studies. In planning a case study, I have individuals develop a data collection matrix in which they specify the amount of information they are likely to collect about the case. Deciding the "boundaries" of a case-how it might be constrained in terms of time, events, and processes-may be challenging. Some case studies may not have clean beginning and ending points, and the researcher will need to set boundaries that adequately surround the case.
研究人員（Glesne和Peshkin，1992）。選擇案例要求研究人員為他或她選擇案例和收集有關案例的資訊的有目的的抽樣策略建立基本原理。擁有足夠的資訊來深入瞭解案例限制了某些案例研究的價值。在規劃案例研究時，我讓個人開發一個數據收集矩陣，其中他們指定了他們可能收集的有關案例的資訊量。決定一個案例的「邊界」——它如何在時間、事件和過程方面受到限制——可能具有挑戰性。一些案例研究可能沒有明確的起點和終點，研究人員需要設定充分圍繞案例的界限。
THE FIVE APPROACHES COMPARED
比較了五種方法
All five approaches have in common the general process of research that begins with a research problem and proceeds to the questions, the data, the data analysis, and the research report. They also employ similar data collection processes, including, in varying degrees, interviews, observations, documents, and audiovisual materials. Also, a couple of potential similarities among the designs should be noted. Narrative research, ethnography, and case study research may seem similar when the unit of analysis is a single individual. True, one may approach the study of a single individual from any of these three approaches; however, the types of data one would collect and analyze would differ considerably. In narrative research, the inquirer focuses on the stories told from the individual and arranges these stories in chronological order; in ethnography, the focus is on setting the individuals' stories within the context of their culture and culture-sharing group; in case study research, the single case is typically selected to illustrate an issue, and the researcher compiles a detailed description of the setting for the case. My approach is to recommend, if the researcher wants to study a single individual, the narrative approach or a single case study because ethnography is a much broader picture of the culture. Then when comparing a narrative study and a single case to study a single individual, I feel that the narrative approach is seen as more appropriate because narrative studies tend to focus on a single individual whereas case studies often involve more than one case.
這五種方法都有一個共同點，即從研究問題開始，然後進行問題、數據、數據分析和研究報告。他們還採用類似的數據收集程式，包括不同程度的訪談、觀察、文件和視聽材料。此外，還應注意設計之間的一些潛在相似之處。當分析單位是單個人時，敘事研究、民族志和案例研究研究可能看起來很相似。誠然，人們可以從這三種方法中的任何一種來研究一個人;但是，人們收集和分析的數據類型會有很大不同。在敘事研究中，詢問者專注於個人講述的故事，並按時間順序排列這些故事;在民族志中，重點是將個人的故事置於他們的文化和文化共享群體的背景下;在案例研究研究中，通常選擇單個案例來說明一個問題，研究人員為案例編寫詳細的描述。我的方法是，如果研究人員想研究單個人，建議採用敘事方法或單個案例研究，因為民族志是文化的更廣泛圖景。然後，當比較敘事研究和單個案例來研究單個個體時，我覺得敘事方法被認為更合適，因為敘事研究傾向於關注單個個體，而案例研究通常涉及多個案例。
From these sketches of the five approaches, I can identify fundamental differences among these types of qualitative research. As shown in
從這五種方法的草圖中，我可以確定這些類型的定性研究之間的根本差異。如圖所示