Page 167 - DSOC404_METHODOLOGY_OF_SOCIAL_RESEARCH_ENGLISH

Unit-21: Case Study Method

2. Study of Unique Aspects: through sources like diary, life-history, letters, interviews, notes
investigations etc., study of unique aspects of individual situations is possible through this
method.
3. Study of Group Characteristics: By studying various individual cases and by including the
received facts, the group characteristics of the entire group can be easily inferred.
4. Source of Experience for Social Investigator: in this method, investigator gets an expansive
field of experiences because in this method, microscopic to microscopic aspect of the social
unit is studied and in the same form investigator receives many experiences which possibly
is not possible in other methods. In this manner, investigator may use the benefits of his
experience in the investigation of further studies.
5. study of Dominant factors in life: Because of the intensive and microscopic study, those
facts also arise or become clear that, in the activities of person or the case which are the
dominant or determining factors?
6. study of personal feelings and attitudes: Because of being a microscopic, qualitative and
intensive study, study of feelings, values and attitudes of person is automatically done. in
this manner by knowing the attitude of the feelings, values etc. of the person, inference can
be made about the social change. Actually, in social research, study of feeling and attitudes
is very helpful.
7. primary form of statistical study: Case study is in a way a primary form of case study. By
doing the case study of social units, base can be presented for statistical studies to be done in
future because on the basis of its experience statistical study can be made more organized.
8. Completeness of the Material: Material received through this method is complete in itself.
this is the most excellent utility of this method.
9. Helpful in the Preparation of Questionnaire, Schedule and other Forms: through case
study, information is received on important matters, and on the basis of these received
information and experiences questionnaires, schedules and other forms can be prepared in
an organized manner.
10. Easy in Finding Group Sample: through this method, attributes of various units of the
group are known and on the basis of this it becomes easy to classify or divide the units
in various groups. After this much is done, classified sample can be comfortably found.
11. Source of Hypothesis: through intensive, expansive and microscopic study of many units,
substances can be reached out to, that is to say, generalisation can be done. on the basis of these
substances hypotheses can be developed for the researched to be happened in future.

21.8 Limitations of Case Study Method

In the field of social research, case study method is quite useful and important, still this method has
its own limitations. these limitations, demerits or disadvantages are as follows:
1. Conclusion on the Basis of Few Units: the biggest limitation of this method is that in it,
inference id derived on the basis of study of few units. Applying the inference derived like
this to all the units is nothing else but deception.

Task A person is arrested by the police again and again but his police record might
not be based on reality but bias. in such situation how can correct inference be
derived, using case study method?

loVely professional uniVersity 161