The Art of Case Study Research

"The book is a concise and very readable guide to case study research. It includes a good introduction to the theoretical principles underlying qualitative research, and discusses a wide range of qualitative approaches, namely naturalistic, holistic, ethnographic, phenomenological and biographic research methods. . . . Stake offers some useful practical advice, for example, on how to conduct in-depth interviews, how to analyze qualitative data and on report writing. . . . Stake writes in a rather unusual and very personal style but this makes the text very readable. The author′s obvious passion for research makes the text even more enjoyable and stimulating. . . . the book. . . seems particularly appropriate for those undertaking this type of research in the fields of education and social policy."

--Ivana La Valle in Social Research Association News

"It is gratifying to encounter a text so cogently advocating the case study method (aka: naturalistic fieldwork) as a legitimate knowledge-enhancing endeavor."

--Sala Horowitz in Academic Library Book Review

"I have just finished a qualitative case study based almost entirely on interviews with engineering students. The two sources on which I depended most heavily were Robert E. Stake′s The Art of Case Study Research and Harry F. Wolcott′s Writing Up Qualitative Research. I have heard others sing the praises of different works and I have referred to them, but favor the two mentioned."

--Terry C. Hall, Ed.D., Independent Scholar

"This volume consolidates and elaborates ideas Robert E. Stake articulated in earlier journal articles and chapters in a form that is useful and readily accessible to both practitioners and students of educational research methods. His unusually personal presentation style and innovative format for sharing practical tips through authentic examples add to the main treasure of his new book: an incomparable sophistication about research epistemology and practice. . . . His vast experience in the field and in the classroom and his intimate knowledge of the literature intersect, providing the reader with an unusually comprehensive portrayal of a specialized field. . . . The Art of Case Study Research is a significant contribution to research methodology literature and will undoubtedly assume quick popularity as a text."

--Linda Mabry, Indiana University, Bloomington

"A concise and readable primer for doing case study research, the fruit of many years of experience and wisdom. Robert E. Stake′s book is also valuable as a genuine attempt to integrate, rather than pick arguments with, the best there is of contending approaches to qualitative inquiry."

--A. Michael Huberman, Harvard University and The Network, Inc.

"The Art of Case Study Research is most useful to novices in qualitative inquiry. I could see using it in combination with other texts or readings in an introductory course to qualitative research methods or in a research methods survey course. Because of its readable style and wellspring of examples and helpful suggestions, both graduate and undergraduate students will find the book useful. Researchers seeking to more fully understand the case study approach as perceived by one of the leaders in case study work will also pick up this book. Researchers and policymakers in social service agencies may also be interested because case studies are increasingly part of evaluation strategies."

--Corrine Glesne, University of Vermont

Unique in his approach and style, Robert E. Stake draws from naturalistic, holistic, ethnographic, phenomenological, and biographic methods to present a disciplined, qualitative exploration of case study methods. In his exploration, Stake uses and annotates an actual case, at Harper School, to demonstrate to readers how to resolve some of the major issues of case study research; for example, how to select the case (or cases) that will maximize learning, how to generalize what is learned from one case to another, and how to interpret what is learned from a case. Uniquely, this book legitimizes direct interpretation as a case research method. It covers such topics as the differences between quantitative and qualitative approaches to case study; data gathering, including document review; coding, sorting, and pattern analysis; the roles of the researcher, triangulation; and reporting a case study. Also provided are end-of-chapter "workshops" that help students focus on new concepts.

Written with the inspired and thought-provoking style of a master storyteller, The Art of Case Study Research helps readers chart their way through the labyrinth of case study research.

Professor Stake received his B.A. in Mathematics with a minor in naval science and Spanish from the University of Nebraska in 1950. He graduated with an M.A. in educational psychology in 1954 from this university. In 1958, he received his Ph.D. in psychology from Princeton University. From 1955 to 1958, he was a Psychometric Fellow at the Educational Testing Service. Then, an Associate Professor and Faculty Research Coordinator of the College of Education at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. In 1963, he arrived at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he assisted Thomas Hastings, Lee Cronbach, and Jack Easley in the creation of the new evaluation center, CIRCE, and in developing a program of research on program evaluation. He also became the Associate Director of the Statewide High School Testing Program. In 1975, he became director of CIRCE. He has been active in the program evaluation profession and has promoted an approach to evaluation methods called "responsive evaluation." He took up a qualitative perspective, particularly case study methods, in order to represent the personal experience and complexity of evaluation study. He received the Lazerfeld Award from the American Evaluation Association and an honorary doctorate from the University of Uppsala.