Case studies

From this week’s readings, what I found particularly interesting was the “Not Another Case Study” article. I enjoyed learning about why case studies exist and continue to be used specifically in the science and technology fields. Case studies can offer a helpful comparison for making differences more visible. (Beaulieu et al, 2007, p. 687)

According to the authors, the “middle range” is not about finding a “middle point” that links data and theory, nor is it referring to the “middle ground” between micro and macro level analyses. Rather, it is discussed in terms of carefully considering the situations where selecting ethnography as a method can lead to problems or successes in research findings. The aim is to understand the “changing relations between methods, concepts and empirical work.” (Beaulieu et al, 2007, p. 673) What this means to me as a new student in research methods is that just because a method is popular within a particular field, you still must carefully assess whether it fits your research question and is relevant to the research you wish to do.

Admittedly, when I first saw the word “e-science” in the article, I thought the authors were referring to electronic devices and technologies! However, the authors use the word e-science to refer to critical exploration science. They discuss the importance for researchers to be sensitive to diversity, explaining that one limitation of e-science is that it typically offers a “one-size-fits-all” thinking. An explanation is given on how such standardized tools could be difficult to apply in certain areas, like in the women’s studies example which is incredibly different from fields like molecular biology. Studying humans is not a linear process. Applying this knowledge to my own research proposal, this article also taught me about the importance of being flexible as a researcher, that is, if a method does not make sense it is perfectly alright to formulate a ‘hybrid’ methodology, which employs complementary methods. The goal is for your methodology to fit your research question.