Case study and observation research methods

Case study and observation research methods This essay will look at difference between to research methods; Case Study and Observation. Case study is the understanding of the complex issues or can extend experience or add strength to what is already known through previous research. It is an in-depth study of an individual, group, incident or community. Case studies emphasize on the detailed analysis of the event or conditions and their relationship. Sometimes researchers use the case study method for real life situations and use sources of evidence to prove their study. First step to take in case study is to collect all data about the case and should be organised to draw attention to important points in the case. The case study’s questions are most likely to be information questions â€Å"why â€Å"and â€Å"How â€Å"therefore these questions are helpful to focus on the study’s goal. In case study researchers gather facts from different sources and conclusions is made of these facts. Here is a case study of the David’s behaviour,† David, 13 year old who has been admitted to a detention facility in California. Police reports indicate that he and another boy were arrested for breaking and entering into a private residence. David grew up in an upper middle class section of California. David’s father is a professor at a college, and his mother, is a dentist who works for a health care group. Even as a small child, David seemed unable to restrain himself. He would bound around the house, crashing into walls and objects, frequently breaking items or destroying house plants. David entered puberty at the age of 11, and at that time, his behaviours became more destructive. He frequently got in fights with his classmates, and would verbally assault teachers. His parents suspect that he may have tried smoking cigarettes and may have experimented with sniffing glue. After his arrest for breaking and entering, David began to cry and told his parents that he felt badly for what he had done. He added that he was unable to control himself.† In David’s case study which took long time to study David’s behaviour from his childhood to his teenage and in different circumstances David’s behaviour had changed and resources have been used to prove his behaviour such as his parents or police. Another example for case study research; it’s Freud’s little Hans case study, â€Å"Freud used a case study method to investigate little Hans’ Phobia however the case study was actually carried out by the boy’s father who was a friend of Freud. Freud probably only met the boy once. The father reported to Freud via correspondence and Freud gave directions as how to deal with the situation based on his interpretations of his father’s reports. Freud noted that it was the special relationship between Hans and his father that allowed the analysis to progress and for the discussions with the boy to be so detailed and so in timate. The first reports of Hans are when he was 3 years old. When Hans was almost 5, Han’s father wrote to Freud explaining his concerns about Hans. He described the main problem as follows:’ he is afraid of horse will bite him in the street, at age 19 the not so little Hans appeared at Freud’s consulting room having read his case history. Freud believed that the findings from the case little Hans supported his theories of child development.†