In research in Education, it is common to choose case study as a methodological instrument. However, this method is often applied incorrectly, without its own particularities. Thus, the objective of this article is to identify the characteristics of the case study in dissertations, published between 2020 and 2022, at the Faculty of Education of a public Higher Education Institution from Fortaleza-Ceará, that used this method. Therefore, a research quantitative approach was carried out. Firstly, a survey was carried out in the institutional repository of the institution chosen for this study, 18 dissertations were selected. Finally, the main characteristics of the case study were verified in each work – through the application of an analysis matrix, elaborated by Coimbra (2012). Although many of the characteristics were met, the results point to the choice of the method based on convenience, disconnecting from commitment to the need for studies to be part of the social mechanism.