case studies amd longitudinal studies

What is a case study

An exploratory, descriptive or explanatory analysis of a person, group of event

What is a life history

The overall picture of an informants life

Why would Interpretivists use case studies

Because you can get an in depth insight into a person

• High validity

• High Verstehen

• Qualitative data

What is a practical strength and limitation of case studies

• strength - may be cheaper than producing large scale surveys

• Limitation - it may take a long time to complete and then analyse

What is an ethical strength and limitation of case studies

• strength - informed consent is easy to obtain

• Limitation - it may be difficult to keep the person confidential and anonymous

What is a theoretical strength and limitation of case studies

• strength - it’s high in validity as the participants normally give truthful answers

• Limitation- it’s not reliable as it can’t be repeated

What is a longitudinal study

Collecting data about something e.g. person or group multiple times over a period of years

Why would positivists use longitudinal studies

Because they can easily analyse the trends and patterns over time which will also give quantitative data

What is a practical strength and limitation of longitudinal studies

• strength - once you’ve gained access it’ll be difficult to lose it

• Limitation - funding bodies may not want to commit for long periods of time

What is an ethical strength and limitation of longitudinal studies

• strength - informed consent is easily gained because of the level of trust between the participant and researcher

• Limitation - it may be difficult to keep confidentiality for so long

What is a theoretical strength and limitation of longitudinal studies

• strength - validity is very high as the researcher isn’t relying on memory

• Limitation - Hawthorne effect