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Sociology vocabulary · Research Methods

Case study

Meaning in sociology, with examples

nounCore term

In sociology, case study means: A detailed study of one particular case, such as a person, organisation, community or event, often using several methods to understand it in depth.

In Turkish: vaka çalışması, durum çalışması, örnek olay incelemesi

How it is used

Common in theses and journal articles. Researchers justify their case selection and discuss whether the findings can be generalised. A multiple or comparative case study looks at two or more cases side by side.

Example sentences

  1. The thesis is a case study of one textile town in western Turkey.

  2. A single case study cannot show how common a pattern is, but it can explain how it works.

Common collocations

  • in-depth case study
  • comparative case study
  • case selection
  • conduct a case study
  • ethnographyA research approach in which the researcher spends a long time with a group, observing and taking part in its daily life, in order to describe its culture from the inside.
  • qualitative researchResearch that collects non-numerical data, such as interviews, observations and texts, to understand people's experiences, meanings and points of view in depth.
  • fieldworkResearch carried out in the real settings where people live and work, rather than in a library or office, by observing, interviewing and collecting material on site.
  • ideal typeA simplified model that brings together the typical features of a social phenomenon, used by researchers as a yardstick for comparing real cases.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Research Methods

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