Deviant Case Sampling — Selecting Extreme or Outlier Cases

Deviant case sampling is a purposive qualitative sampling strategy in which the researcher intentionally selects cases that are unusual, exceptional, or markedly different from the norm — outliers, extreme successes, or conspicuous failures. The goal is not statistical representation but deep learning from cases that illuminate the boundaries of a phenomenon, challenge prevailing assumptions, or reveal processes that typical cases obscure.