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Instrumental Case Study

An instrumental case study is the study of a case (e.g., person, specific group, occupation, department, organization) to provide insight into a particular issue, redraw generalizations, or build theory. In instrumental case research the case facilitates understanding of something else.

Conceptual Overview and Discussion

Robert Stake classified cases into three categories: (1) intrinsic, (2) instrumental, and (3) collective. The intrinsic case is often exploratory in nature, and the researcher is guided by her interest in the case itself rather than in extending theory or generalizing across cases. In an instrumental case study the case itself is secondary to understanding a particular phenomenon. The difference between an intrinsic and instrumental case study is not the case but rather the purpose of the study. In instrumental case study research the focus of the study is more likely to be known in advance and designed around established theory or methods. A collective case study involves the exploration of multiple instrumental case studies. Stake noted that a case study can be both intrinsic and instrumental in nature and that it is sometimes difficult to categorize a case as one or the other type. Researchers often have multiple research interests and thus engage in both intrinsic and instrumental case research. The key in both the intrinsic and instrumental case study is the opportunity to learn.

Similar to the intrinsic case, the instrumental case offers thick description of a particular site, individual, group, or occupation. The instrumental case is selected carefully, and formal sampling may happen before selection of the case to ensure that the case will yield fruitful findings pertaining to the research question. Qualitative research methods are best aligned with the philosophical underpinnings of the instrumental case, as described by Stake, where researcher, participants, and readers play a role in reconstructing experience. Jane Appleton contends that although he did not state it explicitly, Stake's approach to case study research is underpinned by constructivism. Stake notes that in qualitative case work triangulation (e.g., drawing upon multiple perceptions/sources of data) is a common means through which researchers increase the trustworthiness of their re-presentation of the case. Data analysis relies upon careful coding with a focus upon aggregate instances in the case report. The case report focuses less on the complexity of the case, as in the intrinsic case, and more on specifics related to the research question. Instrumental case study does not permit generalization in a statistical sense; however, it does attempt to identify patterns and themes and compare these with other cases. In this way, the researcher will use the instrumental case to explore in depth a particular phenomenon and then compare this case with other cases, so that the reader can see the transfer-ability of the case findings.

Application

David Stein, Tonette Rocco, and Kelly Goldenetz use an instrumental case to explore how workforce policies pertaining to older workers need to be modified to match changing demographics. In their instrumental case research design they test existing theory in a real site. They adopt Doering's theory on remaining, retiring, and returning to explain emerging themes from their data. They look to a large midwestern university in the United States to explore how the university is adjusting to changes in the labor force, whether employees over age 55 are remaining in or returning to the workforce, and the subjective experience of being an older worker in the university setting. The site itself did not guide their research; instead, it was a tool to better understand the subjective experience of aging workers. They use triangulation to ensure thick description and increase the trustworthiness of their findings. They examine organization-related documents (e.g., policies, press releases, media coverage) and the human resources' employment database statistics, and they conducted structured interviews with 12 university workers age 55 or older. Stein, Rocco, and Goldenetz note that generalization was not their intent; however, their research suggests patterns for future exploration of specific human resources issues pertaining to aging workers (e.g., strategies to provide better career advice for older workers, redefining flexible work arrangements for the aging workforce).

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