Using correspondence analysis in multiple case studies

Abstract

In qualitative research of multiple case studies, Miles and Huberman proposed to summarize the separate cases in a so-called meta-matrix that consists of cases by variables. Yin discusses cross-case synthesis to study this matrix. We propose correspondence analysis (CA) as a useful tool to study this matrix. CA is a quantitative method that yields a graphical display of the rows and of the columns of a matrix. The rows and the columns receive coordinates that can be interpreted as quantifications, hence the cases can be compared using these quantifications. Using an example from qualitative educational research into teaching philosophy, we illustrate both methods and their complementarity. We discuss special features of the application of CA to case study research, such as flexible ways of coding the data, and the stability of the CA solution when the number of cases is much smaller than the number of variables.