Instrumental Case Study
Instrumental case study is a qualitative research design, formalised by Robert E. Stake (1995), in which a specific case is studied primarily to gain insight into an external issue or theoretical question — not because the case itself is intrinsically important. The case serves as an instrument for understanding something broader: a policy problem, a theoretical proposition, or a generalised phenomenon. One or several cases are selected because they are expected to illuminate the issue particularly well, and the researcher moves fluidly between the case and the issue throughout the study.
Source record
Citations copied verbatim from the method’s source record. No claim-level verification is inferred from them.
- Stake, R. E. (1995). The Art of Case Study Research. Sage Publications. · ISBN 978-0803957671
- Stake, R. E. (2006). Multiple Case Study Analysis. Guilford Press. · URL
Curated claims
Claims persisted in the evidence ledger, each with its own assessment.
This view does not invent a claim assessment when the ledger has none.
Related methods
Generated from the method graph and shown as machine-suggested relations — no evidence claim is inferred.