Case Study Methodology

This chapter describes case study methodology, emphasizing the valuable contribution it can make to understanding the inter-relationship of people’s sociocultural and physical context and their occupations. Such evidence can support the development of pragmatic, occupationally focused interventions to promote community and individual participation. The application of case study methodology is illustrated using a study that explored how poverty influenced the pattern of occupation of an adolescent girl, Coco, living in a city in Aotearoa New Zealand. Gaining multiple perspectives on Coco’s everyday experience of growing up with her whānau/family revealed constraints on her occupational choices that limited her development, while also identifying resources within the whānau, school, and local community that fostered well-being.