2 Grounded Theory Flashcards
Grounded theory analysis
In grounded theory research the aim is to take the next step and generate a theory, a unified theoretical explanation.
In order to conduct grounded theory research, the researcher needs to find participants who have all experienced this process, making it possible for the researcher to develop a theory about the process.
Possible applications of developing such a theory could be to explain a current practice or to provide a resource for other researchers to base their research on.
It is fundamental to grounded theory research that the theory is based on data from participants who can describe their experience of the studied process.
Background
Grounded Theory Research has its background in the field of sociology, and was first developed by the researchers Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss in 1976. In stead of relying on pre-defined theories they preferred to ‘ground’ the theory of (inter-)actions and social processes in the collected data.
Grounded theory research is being used in various more fields than just sociology nowadays, such as nursing, education or psychology, and other related fields.
core elements
Grounded Theory seeks to develop a theory about a process or action allowing the researcher to explain or understand that process or action.
In developing this theory, one is mainly led by the data, and therefore tries to firmly ground the theory in the data.
The interpretations developed and decisions taken by the researcher are recorded in research memos which together can be seen as a research log book.
The data analyses process takes place in a number of iterative steps, between those steps one goes back and forth between participants, gathering new interviews, and the theory by continuously comparing data gleaned from the participants with the emerging theory.
Challenges
The challenging part of the Grounded Theory approach for the researcher is mainly to refrain as much as possible from projecting one’s own ideas on the data, and to let the data speak for itself.
This strong focus on the data and only the data also implies that one cannot easily be selective in analyzing only parts of the data and therefore this approach can also become very laboursome.
