Three Approaches to Case Study Methods in Education: Yin, Merriam, and Stake

Case study is one of the most frequently used qualitative research methodologies. However, it still does not have a legitimate status as a social science research strategy because it does not have well-defined and well-structured protocols (Yin, 2002), so emerging researchers who plan to utilize case study usually become confused "as to what a case study is and how it can be differentiated from other types of qualitative research" (Merriam, 1998, p. xi). Research methodologists do not have a consensus on the design and implementation of case study, which makes it a contested terrain and hampers its full evolution. In this paper, I aim to provide an analysis and synthesis of the differing perspectives which are held by three prominent methodologists, namely Robert K. Yin, Sharan Merriam, and Robert E. Stake, on the utilization of case study method in the field of educational research. I will zero in on the ensuing works: Robert K. Yin's Case Study Research: Design and Methods (2002), Sharan B. Merriam's Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education (1998), and Robert E. Stake's The Art of Case Study Research (1995). I selected these three methodologists and their particular books for the following reasons. First, Yin, Merriam and Stake are the three seminal authors who provide procedures to follow when conducting case study research (Creswell, Hanson, Plano, & Morales, 2007) which aid educational researchers to construct a roadmap in their utilization of case study. They are seen as three foundational methodologists in the area of case study research whose methodological suggestions largely impact educational researchers' decisions concerning case study design. Second, previous work on case study detailed the design (Baxter & Jack, 2008), introduction (Tellis, 1997a), and application of case study methodology (Tellis, 1997b) for broader audience of novice qualitative researchers. I believe this paper would be most beneficial and fruitful by exposing novice researchers to a spectrum of different views and conceptualizations of case study that are provided by prominent research methodologists from differing vantage points. This exposure would help them construct or position their own understanding in this spectrum so that they can conduct their research with a dependable and defensible design. Therefore, I present each one of the three distinctive stances on the knotty design issues in case study methodology through points of divergence, convergence, and complementarity. Finally, I opted to concentrate on their particular books for the juxtaposition in this paper, because in these seminal volumes they conscientiously expound upon case study research in its entirety by providing valuable insights into its every step from how it is being conceptualized to how it is communicated to the readers. Thus, the readers of the current paper will have a synthesis and analysis of three complete guides to case study methods, from which they can select the tools that are most appropriate and functional for their own research purposes. In this paper, I endeavor to scrutinize the areas where these three perspectives diverge, converge and complement one another in varying dimensions of case study research. I am going to follow six categorical dimensions which the three scholars mostly converge upon in their seminal texts on case study method: Epistemological Commitments, Defining Case and Case Study, Designing Case Study, Gathering Data, Analyzing Data, and Validating Data. Researcher's Position Prior to moving on to present a comparison of three case study perspectives, I believe readers need to know my identity as a researcher, my investment in this topic, and my intentions in this project. I just completed my doctoral degree in the field of applied linguistics with a dissertation focusing on English as a second language (ESL) teacher candidates' professional identity development. …