Case Study or Phenomenology
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A case study research design is an approach used to make a deeper and multilateral understanding of complex issues in a context in real life. Additionally, a case study methodology is used widely in many disciplines, especially in social sciences, to investigate a group, a single individual, or explore causes of any underlying principles. On the other hand, phenomenology is a research design used in qualitative research that focuses on a lived experience found in a specific group. Ideally, when using phenomenology, a researcher can construct a universal meaning of a subject, an experience, or a situation and then achieve a better and deeper understanding of the subject matter. Therefore, phenomenology does not use any study or explanation; it only uses people’s experiences from their senses.
Consequently, the two designs are used in research to demonstrate and analyze results that help a reader to understand how typical or prevalent a research finding is. Hence in this paper, a deeper analysis of the two designs will be conducted by justifying the use of one design, the case study in qualitative research, and make a critique of phenomenology by using different articles, “Identifying, Utilizing Skills and Experiences within the Organization” that will be referred to as article 1, “Comparison of the Accuracy of Bibliographic References” referred to as article 2, “work, Stress, Coping, and Stress Management” referred to as article 3, “All of the work? All of life? Reconceptualising work‐life balance for the 21st century” as article 4 and, “A Theory for Everything? Is a Knowledge of Career Development Theory Necessary to Understand Career Decision Making?” as article 5.
The case study uses a range of details from research that cannot be obtained by using other research designs such as phenomenology. Taking an example of article 1, if case study was used as the research design details such as the different levels of skills, experiences, manager’s knowledge on the employee skills and experiences will be collected to arrive at a conclusive and effective result answer the research question. Additionally, if a case study were used in article 2, all details on the online bibliographies would be collected and analyzed effectively based on their accuracy and a conclusive finding. According to Krusenvik (2016), the importance of using all research details is that the analysis provides an in-depth explanation and understanding of all the facts and the results and findings are conclusive.
Similarly, when large samples of similar participants are not accessible, case studies can be used as a research design. In most cases, the results found are similar to the other groups. In the articles, workers’ skills experience and competencies, the work-life balance, stress management, bibliographic references, and career development are subjects that cut across many individuals, and some participants may not be available (Krusenvik, 2016). Therefore, in such a case, case studies can be used to investigate and gain a deeper understanding of an issue using a few participants and get results that would act as a treatment for the whole population.
Case studies use scientific experiments to test theories and provide a ground necessary for any scientific knowledge. Taking an example of article 3, the researcher was investigating the theory that a person’s role and the role of the environment can cause stress in the workplace. Hence in such a case, with the use of a case study, the researcher can use scientific experiments such as the experimental method to show the cause and effect of factors (Karlsson,2016). Also, in article 1, the case study can use scientific experiments such as the experimental method to show how management’s lack of knowledge on employees’ skills and experience has affected the high employee turnover and devise the appropriate tools to use once the problem has been identified.
Moreover, researchers that use case studies can adapt to ideas and produce high-level hypotheses that can be tested later. Therefore, case studies provide more ground for further research (Karlsson,2016). In article 5, since career decisions are difficult to make, the researcher, by using case studies, can be able to use the ideas presented by his sample population and develop more hypotheses that leave more ground for research. In such a way, he can investigate if the sample members’ understanding of the career development theory is necessary to make career decisions that are effective and then develop another hypothesis that would be if the career made through the understanding of the different theories leads to job satisfaction. In such a case, using case studies would be effective since it has a sense of direction and leaves room for further research to have a deeper understanding of a subject.
A case study research design aims to develop an understanding of the complexity of a scenario in the complete way possible. Thus, the case study provides a basis for understanding the behavior patterns in a bounded system. In all the articles being analyzed, there is a cause and effect relationship characterized by behavioral patterns. Therefore, with the use of a case study, the researchers can take a closer look at the cases’ similarities and differences. The daily routines of individuals and it most time require extensive work in the surrounding being studied. Therefore, using a case study, a complex research problem can be broken down into manageable parts, and a complete understanding of the situation is made possible.
Phenomenology is quite different from case studies as it does not involve a deeper explanation of concepts and uses lived experiences to make an analysis. Hence it is challenging to generate theories when using phenomenology (RAFIGHI & ASGHARI,2019). If phenomenology would be used in article 1, then developing the cause and effect relationship between management’s knowledge of employees’ skills and competencies would be difficult since the design uses and focuses on whatever has occurred just recently. Therefore, it makes it hard for policy-makers who in article 4 would want to incorporate a work-life balance in their working environment.
Non-arguably, it is challenging to analyze or interpret the data collected when using phenomenology. Based on RAFIGHI & ASGHARI (2019), it is hard to control progress, pace, and endpoints when using phenomenology design, making analysis and interpretation hard to conduct. Additionally, phenomenology is not effective in understanding a process or any significance that people would attach to their actions. The purpose of the research is to look for a correlation between one subject and another and develop theories to improve or eradicate the relationship. However, phenomenology as a design does not help understand the relationships or the significance attached to the actions being investigated.
Data gathering when using phenomenology as a design takes a lot of time and resources since all the members’ lived experiences need to be put into account. Contrary to using the case study where the findings from one case are used to answer the research problem when using phenomenology, all individuals are put into an account, which may take up much of the researcher’s time and resources (RAFIGHI & ASGHARI,2019). Also, methods that are used in data gathering are artificial and flexible, which makes analysis difficult compared to the case of using case studies that employ scientific experimental methods that are standard.
In summary, case study research design is the efficient method when conducting qualitative research since a researcher can be able to develop more hypotheses for testing later, theories and relationships between concepts can also be identified and also from the idea that case studies use an array of details when making analysis, provides for in-depth analysis and understanding of concepts.
References
Glazer, S., & Liu, C. (2017). Work, stress, coping, and stress management. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology.
Karlsson, J. (2016). Mini cases vs. Full-length case studies: advantages and disadvantages.
Kelliher, C., Richardson, J., & Boiarintseva, G. (2019). All of the work? All of life? Reconceptualizing work‐life balance for the 21st century. Human Resource Management Journal, 29(2), 97-112.
Krusenvik, L. (2016). Using case studies as a scientific method: Advantages and disadvantages.
Matthews, R. J. (2017). A Theory for Everything? Is a Knowledge of Career Development Theory Necessary to Understand Career Decision Making?. European Scientific Journal, 13(7), 320-334.
RAFIGHI, S., & ASGHARI, M. (2019). Translation Criticism: Phenomenology of Perception by Merleau-Ponty.