2. Key Ideas
• Defining Grounded Theory
• When to use Grounded Theory
• Key characteristics of Grounded Theory
research
• Conducting a grounded theory study
• Evaluating a grounded theory study
3. What is grounded theory
research?
• A grounded theory design is a
systematic, qualitative procedure used
to generate a theory that explains, at a
broad conceptual level, a process, an
action, or interaction about a
substantive topic.
4. When do you use grounded
theory research?
• To generate a theory rather than use
one “off the shelf”
• To explain a process, action, or
interaction
• When you want a step-by-step,
systematic procedure
• When you want to stay close to the data
5. How did grounded theory
develop?
• 1965 Barney Glaser and Anselm
Strauss book Awareness in Dying
• 1990, 1998 Strauss and Corbin
prescriptive form with predetermined
categories and concerns about reliability
and validity
• 2000 Charmaz introduces
“Constructivist” method
6. Types of grounded theory
designs: The systematic design
• Open Coding: properties and dimensionalized
properties. Identifying, naming, categorizing,
describing phenomena found in the text.
• Axial Coding: researcher selects one open
coding category and places it at the center as
the Central Phenomenon and then relates all
other categories to it.
• Selective Coding: writing a theory based on
the interrelationship of the categories from
axial coding
7. Open Coding to the Axial
Coding Paradigm
Open Coding Categories
Category
Category
Category
Category
Category
Axial Coding Paradigm
Context
Causal
Conditions
Core
Category or
Phenomenon
Strategies Consequences
Intervening
Conditions
One open coding
category as core
phenomenon
8. Types of grounded theory
designs: The emerging design
• Grounded theory exists at the most abstract
conceptual level rather than the least abstract
level as found in visual data presentations
such as a coding paradigm
• A theory is grounded in the data and not
forced into categories
• Four essential criteria: fit, work, relevance,
modifiability
9. • Fit
• Fit has to do with how closely concepts
fit with the incidents they are
representing, and this is related to how
thorough the constant comparison of
incidents to concepts was done
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10. • Relevance
• A relevant study deals with the real
concern of the participants and is not
only for academic interests.
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11. • Workability
• The theory works when it explains how
the problem is being solved with much
variation.
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12. • Modifiability
• A modifiable theory can be altered
when new relevant data are compared
to existing data. GT is never right or
wrong, it just has more or less fit,
relevance, workability and modifiability.
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13. Types of grounded theory
designs: A constructivist design
• Philosophical position between positivist and
post-modern researchers
• Theorist explains feelings of individuals as they
experience a phenomenon or process
• Study mentions beliefs and values of the
researcher and eschews predetermined
categories
• Narrative is more explanatory, discursive, and
probing the assumptions and meanings for the
individuals in the study.
14. Key characteristics of
grounded theory designs
• A process approach
• Theoretical sampling
• Constant comparative data analysis
• A core category
• Theory generation
• Memos
15. A process and categories within the flow
of research in Grounded Theory
The research problem leads to
A study of a central phenomenon
in grounded theory research questions
That addresses a process
Which contains
- a sequence of activities
- including actions by people
- including interactions by people
Which a grounded theorist
begins to understand by developing
- categories
- relating categories
- developing a theory that explains
16. Zig-zag approach to data
collection and analysis
Data Collection Data Analysis
Close to Saturated
Categories
Third
Interview
Second
Interview
First
Interview
More Refined
Categories
Refined
Categories
Preliminary
Categories
Toward
Saturation of
Categories
17. Memoing
• Memos are notes the researcher writes
throughout the research process to
elaborate on ideas about the data and
the coded categories. In memos, the
researcher explores hunches, ideas,
and thoughts, and then takes them
apart, always searching for the broader
explanations at work in the process.
18. Conducting a grounded theory
study
• Decide if grounded Theory design best
addresses the research problem
• Identify a process to study
• Seek approval and access
• Conduct theoretical sampling
• Code the data
• Use selective coding and develop the theory
• Validate your theory
• Write a grounded theory research report
19. Evaluating a grounded theory
study
• Is there an obvious connection between the
categories and the raw data?
• Is the theory useful as a conceptual
explanation for the process being studied?
• Does the theory provide a relevant
explanation of actual problems and a basic
process?
• Can the theory be modified as conditions
change or further data are gathered?
20. Evaluating a grounded theory
study
• Is a theoretical model developed or generated
that conceptualizes a process, action, or
interaction?
• Is there a central phenomenon (or core category)
specified at the heart of the model?
• Does the model emerge through phases of
coding? (e.g. initial codes to more theoretically
oriented codes or open coding to axial coding to
selective coding)
• Does the researcher attempt to interrelate
categories?
21. Evaluating a grounded theory
study
• Does the researcher gather extensive data so as
to develop a detailed conceptual theory as well
saturated in the data?
• Does the study show how the researcher
validated the evolving theory by comparing it to
the data, examining how the theory supports or
refutes existing theories in the literature, or
checking theory with participants?
22. Strengths and weaknesses
Due to the difficulties and weaknesses
encountered when applying grounded
theory, this methodology is still not widely
used or understood by researchers in
many disciplines (Allan, 2003
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23. Strengths:
• An effective approach to build new theories
and understand new phenomena
• High quality of the emergent theory
• Emergent research design reflects the
idiosyncratic nature of the study
• Findings and methods are always refined and
negotiated
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24. • Requires detailed and systematic procedures
for data collection, analysis and theorizing
• The resulting theory and hypotheses help
generate future investigation into the
phenomenon
• Requires the researcher to be open minded,
and able to look at the data through many
lenses
• Data collection occurs over time, and at many
levels, helping to ensure meaningful results
25. Weaknesses:
• Huge volumes of data
• Time consuming and painstakingly precise
process of data collection/analysis
• Lots of noise and chaos in the data
Prescribed application required for the data-
gathering process
• There are tensions between the evolving and
inductive style of a flexible study and the
systematic approach of grounded theory.
26. • It may be difficult in practice to decide when
the categories are “saturated” or when the
theory is sufficiently developed
• It is not possible to start a research study
without some pre-existing theoretical ideas
and assumptions
• Requires high levels of experience, patience
and acumen on the part of the researcher
