11. Introduction to Qualitative Case Study Research

Spring 27

Introduction to Qualitative Case Study Research - in person, location St Anne's College, Woodstock Road, Oxford, UK

Registration Fee £572.00

CONTACT: oxfordqualitativecourses@phc.ox.ac.uk  if you have any problems logging in and paying. You have NOT reserved a place until you have paid.

Please note our Cancellation Policy - Registration can be cancelled within 14 days of purchase and a full refund will be given. If you have to cancel your place on the course after this time up until 30 days prior to the course date, there will be a cancellation fee of £75.00. 30 days or less prior to the course date, there will be no refund

Course Description

This one-day course on qualitative case study research is delivered face-to-face in Oxford. We will use a combination of lectures, group work and practical exercises to explore different types of case study design, when and why they are valuable, and how to put them into practice in health and social care research.

This course is for anyone designing or embarking on research requiring an in-depth, naturalistic, ‘real world’ engagement with a single, or small set, of empirical examples. We anticipate this will be helpful for a range of healthcare and public health professionals, researchers, academics and postgraduate students. We welcome people from a range of disciplines and backgrounds relating to health and care.

You will engage with a range of case study designs in which qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods can be applied, but the main focus will then be on qualitative case study research. Specifically, we will explore case study designs and methodologies which are sensitive to complex social contexts, and draw out relevant methods that can be used individually or in combination (e.g. interviews, document analysis, observation).

Whilst there are no prerequisites for this course, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of qualitative research. An intention to conduct qualitative research is desirable, as it is useful to apply the learning to your own work. The course will be relatively small and discussion-based, to preserve the flexibility of small-group teaching in responding to the needs and interests of the particular class.

This course aligns with a number of other courses in the Oxford Qualitative Courses programme. It  complements our Introduction to Qualitative Observation course. Please note that the course focuses on design and data collection, those wishing to learn about how to analyse qualitative data could consider taking our Analysing Qualitative Data course. 

 

The course will be led by Prof Sara Shaw and Dr Natassia Brenman who both have extensive experience conducting case study research in a range of health and care settings including primary care, hospital, mental health, and health policy contexts. Course content will include learning from the MRC-funded ‘Triple C’ project on the use of case study research to complexity and context in health systems, led by Prof Shaw.

CONTENT

The course will include:

-          An overview of the use of case study design and methodology in contemporary health research

-          Interactive session on the main case study approaches, and the designs and methods used in each

-          Discussion of a real-world case study in health care, and the strengths and limitations of using in-depth qualitative methods in this way

-          Practical exercises to operationalise a case study design looking at how to define a case and its boundaries, explanations, contextual considerations and challenges

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

 

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

-          Identify when case study research is appropriate and valuable

-          Describe four contrasting case study approaches and critically assess their application to health care and complex social settings and interventions

-          Reflect on the strengths and limitations of qualitative case study research in relation to specific research problems

-          Apply an understanding of qualitative case study design to your own or an example of a qualitative research project

COURSE TUTORS:

Professor Sara Shaw and Dr Natassia Brenman and members of the Oxford Qualitative Courses team.