In the article How to Answer Case Study Questions? King (2011) describes the best practice way of answering questions in
regards to case studies. Her main points
were: focus on the topic sentence, make sure to understand the meaning of the
question, think about the different ways to answer the question, and visualize
the scenario. Before any of these can be
used, one must read the case careful and most likely multiple times to make
sure all the information is understood.
While I did not necessarily
follow these steps in order or even consciously, my case study analysis was
very similar. I would start by reading
through the case and paint a picture of the scenario in my head, or as King
(2011) stated: “See it in your mind's eye as you review it” (para. 6). I would make sure I understood whom
the players were and what their role was in the situation. Then I would re-read the case this time with
the mental picture of what was going on just to make sure I understood all the information.
In terms of the
topic sentence, it is often true that the first sentence of a story gives the
reader an idea of what the story is about, however, I have found that this has
not always been the case when it comes to case studies. While the first sentence does describe who is
involved in the case it does not always state what the major problem is. “This sentence presents the problem and thus holds
key information; it tells you what the problem is about” (King, 2011, para.
4). The topic sentence is important in completely
understanding the case itself.
According to King (2011), the next step in solving
a case study is to find the meaning of the question. Sometimes the question may be what are the
underlines issues going on in this case, other times it could be something more
specific. Either way, the key is to understand
what is being asked and understanding all the information that surrounds that
question. I often write a list of
information I may find relevant as I read through the first time, I then edit
this list as I read through the case a second time. This helps me to fully understand the
questions being asked and the information given.
One aspect of answering case study questions King
(2011) brought up that I had not thought about was looking at different ways to
answer the question. “Think of different
ways that you can answer the case study question and then determine the effects
of each answer on your outcome” (para. 5).
This is a great idea, I had not thought about bringing my answer back to
the question and making sure it made sense.
I know remember from my middle school days of learning how to edit
papers that you should always complete the circle and make sure your writing
answered the question asked. This is definitely
something I will apply for future case studies.
King’s (2011) article had many valid points, some
that I had already been following and some that I will start to apply in the
future. Often times the amount of
information a case study presents can be overwhelming, and it can be difficult
to weed through the information to determine which process are relevant to the question. Following a set list of steps can help make
answering case study questions less difficult.
King, J. (2011). How
to Answer Case Study Questions. Retrieved December 04, 2016,
from
http://www.ehow.com/how_8342765_answer-case-study-questions.html
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