Multi-Site Case Study

Conceptual Overview and Discussion

The capacity of a multi-site case study to elicit common findings from across different settings is one of its design strengths. Case depictions of each site are also developed and show the particular and unique as well as what is common to all. As a result, richer and deeper understandings of a phenomenon are revealed. This prospect of providing dense descriptions with generalizable insights into a phenomenon is why Robert Herriott and William [Page 588]Firestone argued that findings from a multi-site case study gave greater confidence to the research field than a single case study. Yet a multi-site case study is not inherently better than a single case study. Rather, the challenge for case researchers is to select the type that is appropriate for the intended research. A decision to select one form of case study over the other—or any other method—is usually best taken in light of the research purposes, questions, conditions, and resources at play. As with a single case study, a multi-site case study can be made up of qualitative only, quantitative only, or mixed method data. Descriptive, exploratory, or explanatory are common types of case studies that suit different research purposes and circumstances. For example, exploratory and explanatory cases are suited to research that is intended to produce theory. Because it is a flexible method and strategy, a multi-site case study design can become the overarching framework of research that consists of several related investigations or it can be nested within a larger study.

The need for researchers to anticipate ethical and procedural issues in the field work and reporting of multi-site cases is especially pronounced. For example, some participants who are interviewed may have unusual speech patterns that identify them, if their perceptions are included in a report verbatim. Careful observing and listening practices during field work can help reduce the risk of this ultimately happening. In addition, when reporting quotes, commonly used words can replace any idiosyncratic terms that participants have used. These research practices are time-consuming but necessary ethically. Moreover, the very act of asking an individual to give time to being part of, reading about, or acting upon findings from a study warrants respect from a researcher. It is unethical to encourage individuals to change their ways because of findings from a sloppy or unsound study. A researcher's first obligation is to participants and, if not taken seriously, may result in long-term unintended consequences for the participants at the case sites. For example, some minorities such as indigenous groups in many Western countries have often felt poorly treated by researchers who undertook studies that involved them yet never shared those findings with participants.

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