Hi is anyone using this approach or has used this approach. What happens if one of your cases drops out and it represents a significant aspect of the issue you are researching?
Has anyone done it and thought - never again or yippee its great? Id welcome comments and thoughts. New to the forum so not overly confident in posting this and already feeling "exposed" :$

I am currently working with a multiple case study approach. It is not without its challenges but I do like this method of working.

Recruitment is the most frustrating part, and there is not much you can do about it if a case drops out. In my study, my 'cases' are schools and early on in the process I had lined up my four schools, only to have one of them drop out. It was frustrating because they had an interesting structure that would have added depth to my study, but (unfortunately) I couldn't force them to take part. It was good that it happened early because I was able to find a replacement school. I was originally planning to collect my data from the replacement school last term, but my contact at the school wanted to postpone as she was very busy at the time, so now I'm all set, ready to go with data collection this term and I find she is on sick leave for four weeks!

It would make it so much easier if everybody could work to my schedule! ;-)

The richness of the data makes a multiple case study well worth while, despite the problems. If your case has dropped out there is nothing you can do about it, except move on and perhaps try and find a replacement case that matches the one who dropped out. In my case I hadn't collected any data from the dropout. How about you?

Great to hear from you Aussiechick - I am at the very early stages and haven't even got to ethics yet but am grappling with which research methodology to go for and multiple case study seems like the best option.  My cases [ as I envisage it] will be groups of professionals working in different organisations.

I have a good network of folk so I think recruiting some participants in some cases will be ok - I also envisage some real challenges for my other cases. How did you recruit schools did you approach the head - I am wondering whether to contact the head of departments, or individuals  or both...and am just trying to work out what will be the best way to recruit.

Thanks so much for your response - as a newcomer Im not sure how do use this site well but Ive given you a vote(up) I look forward to swapping more info with you!
cheers for now

Alli

Thanks for that, Alli.

I think the key to recruitment is persistence. At the beginning of the process I found the recruitment of cases to be the most daunting aspect. I couldn't help thinking, why would they want to participate? What's in it for them? I was worried that I wouldn't get any volunteers so I was SO grateful to those that did and I really tried to minimise any inconvenience for them. As my research design has developed along the way, I have found a way to give something back to the cases that have participated so I feel it is more of an equal relationship now. It's win-win for both of us. But I did find the persistence required in the beginning quite hard. When I was a kid I always dreaded sponsorship events, you know like a sponsored walk or something, because I always found it very difficult to ask people to do me a favour. I'd be like, 'would you mind sponsoring me? Only if you don't mind. It's OK if you don't.' I think there are similarities with recruiting research participants, except I'm asking for their time instead of money. I'm getting over that a bit more now!

With my cases, I wrote to the principals of the schools first. Then I followed that up with a couple of emails until I started to get responses. The principals that replied and said yes all referred me on to someone else within the school and from then on my contact was with them. The research literature likes to call them 'gatekeepers'. So I discussed the nitty-gritty aspects of the project and negotiated access to each school via the gatekeepers rather than the principals.

Good luck with your ethics application! (up)

Hi Aussiechick

thanks very much for this - it maps onto my experience very well.

Thanks for the tip re gatekeepers at least I can do some research around that.

keep in touch and keep warm 8-) !
bye for now

Alli