Applying case study methodology to occupational science research

Case study methodology offers a creative and flexible way to gain a comprehensive understanding of human complexities in context, using various means to collect data. This paper is divided into two parts. Part one provides a brief overview of what case study methodology is; and part two presents an integrated review (Whittemore & Knafl, 2005) on how case study has been used for the study of occupation. Findings indicate that while case study methodology is increasingly used for the study of occupation, many of its essential features are absent in published research, such as a definition of the bounded case in its context, use of multiple sources of data, and detailed information about the research process in the output. Recommendations are provided on these essential features of case study to advance the effective use of case study methodology for studying occupation.