Which data collection approach is typically used to study a single subject, integrating multiple sources?

Which data collection approach is typically used to study a single subject, integrating multiple sources?

• A. Large-scale survey.
• B. Ethnographic field study.
• C. Experimental design.
• D. Clinical/case study method.

Answer: (D)

This question hinges on understanding how to study one person in depth by bringing together information from several sources to form a full picture. A clinical or case study method does exactly that: it focuses on a single subject and uses multiple data sources—such as interviews, standardized tests, behavioral observations, school or medical records—to triangulate findings and build a rich, contextual understanding of the individual's development over time. This approach is particularly useful for capturing how different factors interact in a real person’s life and for exploring rare or unique presentations that wouldn’t be evident from a single measure. In contrast, a large-scale survey collects data from many participants to identify patterns and generalizations; an ethnographic field study concentrates on cultural or social contexts of groups (often through extended fieldwork) rather than a single subject; and an experimental design involves manipulating variables to test causal relationships under controlled conditions. Each of these serves different aims and wouldn’t typically provide the in-depth, multi-source portrait of a single adolescent that a case study offers.

This question hinges on understanding how to study one person in depth by bringing together information from several sources to form a full picture. A clinical or case study method does exactly that: it focuses on a single subject and uses multiple data sources—such as interviews, standardized tests, behavioral observations, school or medical records—to triangulate findings and build a rich, contextual understanding of the individual's development over time. This approach is particularly useful for capturing how different factors interact in a real person’s life and for exploring rare or unique presentations that wouldn’t be evident from a single measure.

In contrast, a large-scale survey collects data from many participants to identify patterns and generalizations; an ethnographic field study concentrates on cultural or social contexts of groups (often through extended fieldwork) rather than a single subject; and an experimental design involves manipulating variables to test causal relationships under controlled conditions. Each of these serves different aims and wouldn’t typically provide the in-depth, multi-source portrait of a single adolescent that a case study offers.