The Case-study Model

Abstract

In seeking an evaluation approach and organizational framework for a complex cross-cultural evaluation conducted in India, a multiple-case, replication design, with each individual case embedded with multiple units of analysis, was found to be well suited to the challenge. Enabling a quantitative look at individual units as well as at intervening factors, while promoting a somewhat goal-free look at overall contexts, the approach produced overarching cross-case answers while still remaining sensitive to the innuendos and idiosyncrasies of each cultural setting. A discussion of the rationale behind the approach is followed by a brief description of its application in the India study in terms of data collection, analysis and presentation of findings. With the demand for cross-cultural evaluations increasing, ongoing exploration for new conceptualizations of evaluation is warranted.