1. Chapter 6
Integrating Theory Into
Qualitative Research
Foundational, Grounded,
and Critical-Reflexive
Theories

2. The Meaning Of “Theory”: What It Is,
What It Isn’t
• Foundational Theory
– Conflict, Marxist, structural functionalism,
symbolic interaction, and feminist theories
• Grounded Theory
• Critical-Reflexive Theory
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3. Foundational Theory In Action:
Research Illustrations
• Foundational Theory in Action
– Theory 1, Irrational Choices
– Theory 2, A Culture Of Overconsumption
– Theory 3, Rational Action Theory—coping
With The Economy
– Theory 4, The Capitalist System In The Era Of
Globalization
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4. Foundational Theory In Action:
Research Illustrations
• Foundational Theories in Action
• Connecting Theory with Research Design
and Methods
• When Does Theory Begin? Before the
Beginning
• Foundational Theories and the
Problematic of a Research Project
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

5. Grounded Theory In Action:
Research Illustrations
• To See the World in a Grain of Sand
• Key Elements of Grounded Theory
– Comparative
– Textual database
– Open coding
– Axial (relational) coding
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Grounded Theory In Action:
Research Illustrations
– Comparative analysis of the relationships
• But Is Grounded Theory Really Built from
the Ground Up?
• The “Always Already” Contradiction of
Grounded Theory
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7. Critical-reflexive Theory In Action
• Getting Back to “Bias”—Simply but Not
Simplistically
– Ideas, theories, categories & concepts never
simply emerge from data/research experience
• The Theory-Research “Dialogue”
– Research is always both inductive and
deductive
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8. A Practical Guide For Overcoming
The Abstraction Paralysis
• Levels of Analysis
– Macro-level
– Mesolevel
– Microlevel
– Level Of Analysis And Research Design And
Methods Choices
– Level Of Analysis And Choice Of Theory
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. A Practical Guide For Overcoming
The Abstraction Paralysis
– Working At One Level To Understand Another
Level
• Research and Theory: A Continuous
Conversation
• How Much Theory?
– Theory-heavy And Theory-light—two
Approaches
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. A Practical Guide For Overcoming
The Abstraction Paralysis
• From Empirical Observation to Reflexive
Theorizing: Four Steps for Getting Started
– The objective–subjective split
– The macro–meso–micro distinctions
– The “them and us” division between
researcher and researched
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. A Practical Guide For Overcoming
The Abstraction Paralysis
– Step 1: Verstehen Or Mastering The
Vocabulary Of The Milieu You Are Studying
– Step 2: Sorting Out The Difference Between
Insider And Outsider Meanings
– Step 3: Producing Thick Descriptions And
Thick Interpretations
– Step 4: Reflecting On Macro–micro Linkages
© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.