It has been almost a month since I last blogged. When I last blogged, I talked about evaluation history. That blog was a bunny path from what I had been talking about: methodology. I was talking about the implementation
, monitoring
, and delivery 
of interventions which are to be evaluated. Another methodology I want to talk about is case study. I did go through the archives to locate the blogs relating to case study. They are below.
http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/programevaluation/2015/01/15/blogging-case-study/
http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/programevaluation/2013/06/12/causation/
http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/programevaluation/2013/06/07/one-of-the-5cs-clarity/
I’ve also identified the references (on my shelf) that refer to case study. I’m sure there are others; there always are. They are the following.
Robert O. Brinkerhoff has developed a method, the Success Case Method 
, as an evaluation approach that “easier, faster, and cheaper than competing approaches, and produces compelling evidence decision-makers can actually use.” As an evaluation approach, this method is quick and inexpensive and most of all, produces useful results.
Robert E. Stake has taken case study beyond one to many with his recent book, Multiple Case Study Analysis
. It looks at cross-case analysis and can be used when broadly occurring phenomena need to be explored, such as leadership or management. He also wrote the book, “The Art of Case Study”
(among others).
Robert K. Yin wrote two seminal books on case studies, one in 1993 (now in a 3rd edition 
, 1993 was the 1st edition) and the other in 1989 (now in the 5th edition 
, 1989 was the 1st edition).
Another book I have on my shelf is “Case Study Method”
edited by Roger Gomm, Martyn Hammersley, and Peter Foster. Nigel Fielding at the University of Surrey says, “This book collects together key sources on a “hardy perennial” topic, guaranteeing its relevance for academics, researchers, and students on higher level methods programmes. Well-known authorities in the field are represented by carefully constructed contributions.” Both Stake and Yin are cited in this work. It is a relatively new book (2000) as opposed to updated versions of classics.
Start with Yin; move on to Stake; include Gomm, Hammersley, and Foster as well as Brinkerhoff in your review. Case study methodology yields qualitative data; it is a form of qualitative research. It will yield richness and depth. Although valuable, it is a lot of work.
my 
.
molly.
