How to Improve the Validity and Reliability of a Case Study Approach?

Authors

  • Cátia Quintão Polytechnic Institute of Gaya (ISPGAYA), V.N.Gaia, Portugal
  • Pedro Andrade Polytechnic Institute of Gaya (ISPGAYA), V.N.Gaia, Portugal
  • Fernando Almeida University of Porto & INESC TEC

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/jise.v9i2.2026

Keywords:

case study, research methodology, reliability, validity

Abstract

The case study is a widely used method in qualitative research. Although defining the case study can be simple, it is complex to develop its strategy. Furthermore, it is still often not considered to be a sufficiently robust research strategy in the education field because it does not offer well-defined and use well-structured protocols. One of the most frequent criticisms associated with the case study approach is its low validity and reliability. In this sense, this study aims to concisely explore the main difficulties inherent to the process of developing a case study, also attempting to suggest some practices that can increase its reliability, construct validity, internal and external validity.

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Author Biographies

  • Cátia Quintão, Polytechnic Institute of Gaya (ISPGAYA), V.N.Gaia, Portugal

    CÁTIA QUINTÃO, B.Tech, is a researcher at ISPGAYA. She works in the IT industry as a software developer. Her major research interests lie in the area of cybersecurity, network management, and databases.  Email: ispg2018100273@ispgaya.pt

  • Pedro Andrade, Polytechnic Institute of Gaya (ISPGAYA), V.N.Gaia, Portugal

    PEDRO ANDRADE, B.Tech, is a researcher at ISPGAYA. He works in the IT industry as system administrator and network manager. His research interests include network configuration and the internet of things. Email: ispg2018100238@ispgaya.pt

  • Fernando Almeida, University of Porto & INESC TEC

    FERNANDO ALMEIDA, PhD, is a professor and researcher at University of Porto and INESC TEC. His research interests include software engineering, innovation, and research paradigms. Email: almd@fe.up.pt

References

Fusch, P., Fusch, G. E., & Ness, L. R. (2018). Denzin’s Paradigm Shift: Revisiting Triangulation in Qualitative Research. Journal of Social Change, 10(1), 19-32.
Leung, L. (2015). Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(3), 324-327.
Levy, J. S. (2008). Case Studies: Types, Designs, and Logics of Inference. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 25(1), 1-18.
Queirós, A., Faria, D., & Almeida, F. (2017). Strengths and Limitation of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods. European Journal of Education Studies, 3(9), 369-387.
Riege, A. (2003). Validity and reliability tests in case study research: a literature review with “hands‐on” applications for each research phase. Qualitative Market Research, 6(2), 75-86.
Street, C. T., & Ward, K. W. (2012). Improving validity and reliability in longitudinal case study timelines. European Journal of Information Systems, 21(2), 160-175.
Yin, R. K. (2017). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.

Additional Files

Published

2021-02-21

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2020): Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2021 Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

How to Improve the Validity and Reliability of a Case Study Approach?. (2021). Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 9(2), 264-275. https://doi.org/10.32674/jise.v9i2.2026