QUALITATIVE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND CASE-STUDY METHODS

Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Case-Study Methods

Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Case-Study Methods

Introduction

The following paper is about constructing a research design including the hypothesis for a small research project that would be done by using case study method.

Discussion

Research Study

The research project selected by the author is 'Factors that cause anxiety depression in children'. Anxiety disorder is basically an umbrella that covers different disorders including panic, obsessive or compulsive disorder. Generally, anxiety is a normal human emotion that children normally phase during the early ages of their school life because of the stress of the school environment or facing problems in the family. Due to anxiety disorder, the distress forces the child not to live a healthy life because the disorder linked with serious mental illness.

Hypothesis for the Study

The hypothesis of the study is to figure out the different symptoms of anxiety depression in early adolescents, in relation to the behavioural regulation in children that cause the anxiety depression.

Research Design

Research design is the plan that provides the logical structure that guides the researcher to address research problems and answer research questions. It is one of the most important components of research methodology. Research methodology not only details the type of research design to be implemented but includes the approach to measuring variables and collecting data from participants, devising a strategy to sample participants (units) to be studied, and planning how the data will be analyzed.

Research Approach

The research approach the selected for the study is the qualitative research based on the case studies method. The reason behind selection case studies method in psychology reconstruct a major episode in people's lives by identifying a particular set of problematic or otherwise interesting events and relationships that naturally occurred in the real world. They can be studied or understood only in their context as they merge with their environment, so it is difficult to draw precise boundaries. The analysis and interpretation of case studies is most often intended to lead to a better understanding of the area of inquiry; that is, deriving or testing theories (Plato, n.d.). As in the following study, the researcher is focusing on finding out the factors that lead to anxiety depression among children based on the case study analysis.

Critical Analysis of Case Study Method

As the title of the research is of pure psychology, therefore, several different methodological approaches can be found among the case study method. The positivist style is interested in developing a generalizable theory or laws from evidence by deductive procedures: that is, studying literature, working out which theories might be adequate, and setting up experiments to gather new data to test the theory.

Case studies are not only explorative in their nature; they are rather much more realistic than other designs as they are closer to data. They allow reference to similarities between different persons although these persons are dissimilar at first sight, and vice versa. They may also point to factors that would have been neglected ...