Grounded Theory

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I am taking a closer look at this research methodology to better understand the parameters and applications.

In the Introduction to Qualitative Research: Examples for Discussion and Analysis (Merriam & Grenier, 2019), grounded theory is described with the following characteristics (Chapter 1 authored by editors):

  • emphasis on description and verification
  • goal is inductive theory grounded in data; substantive theory is constructed
  • theory is localized; dealing with real-world situations
  • data analyzed through constant comparative; continually comparing one piece of data with another
  • consists of categories, properties & hypotheses; stating relationships among these
  • “hypotheses are tentative and suggestive rather than tested” (p. 10)

In the Introduction to Qualitative Research: Examples for Discussion and Analysis (Merriam & Grenier, 2019), grounded theory is described by Catherine Cronin with the following characteristics (Chapter 1o pgs 235-238):

  • “suited to exploring meaning-making and to building emergent understanding” (p. 235)
  • aim is to “build useful theory to describe or explain a phenomenon of interest”
  • theory developed through “an interactive process that involves the creation and refinement of abstract conceptualizations of particular phenomena” (Jones, Torres & Armino, 2014, p. 77)
  • “grounding of findings in rigorous qualitative inquiry and analysis of data”
  • “is iterative, nonlinear and recursive, with data gathering and analysis proceeding simultaneously and in parallel”
  • located in interpretivist tradition; reality is multiple; foregrounded by the importance of researcher reflexivity (p. 236)
  • importance of researcher accountability in data collection and interpretation; also reflection on “self, process, and representation, and critically examining power relations and politics in the research process” (Sultana, 2007, p. 376)
  • memo writing is a key feature and part of the data collection/ analysis
  • “I struggled at times to make sense of the data, I wrote memos to record ideas and reflections throughout”
  • grounded theory is subjective and socially constructed (p. 236)

References

Cronin, C. (2019). Why constructivist grounded theory? and the importance of researcher reflexivity. In S. B. Merriam & R. S. Grenier (Eds.), Qualitative research in practice: Examples for discussion and analysis (2nd ed., pp. 235–238). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass-Wiley.

Jones, S., Torres, V., & Arminio, J. (2014). Negotiating the complexities of qualitative research: Fundamental elements and issues (2nd ed.). London, UK: Routledge.

Merriam, S. B., & Grenier, R. S. (2019). Introduction to qualitative research. In S. B. Merriam & R. S. Grenier (Eds.), Qualitative research in practice: Examples for discussion and analysis (2nd ed., pp. 3–18). Jossey-Bass.

Saltana, F. (2007). Reflexivity, positionality and participatory ethics: Negotiating fielwork dilemmas in international research. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 6(3), 374-385.