Chapter 13: Grounded Theory Designs Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research Edition 5 John W. Creswell

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to: Define grounded theory research, and describe when to use it, and how it developed Distinguish among three types of grounded theory designs Identify the key characteristics of grounded theory research Identify some potential ethical issues in conducting grounded theory research Describe the steps in conducting a grounded theory study Evaluate the quality of a grounded theory study

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 an interaction about a substantive topic.

When to 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

How Grounded Theory Developed 1967 Glaser and Strauss book, The Discovery of Grounded Theory 1990, 1998 Strauss and Corbin prescriptive form with predetermined categories and concerns about reliability and validity 2000 Charmaz introduces “constructivist” method

Types of Grounded Theory Designs: The Systematic Design (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) Open coding: Properties and dimensionalized properties 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

Open Coding to the Axial Coding Paradigm Open Coding Categories Axial Coding Paradigm Category Context Category Core Category or Phenomenon Category Causal Conditions Strategies Consequences Category One open coding category as core phenomenon Intervening Conditions Category

Types of Grounded Theory Designs: The Emerging Design (Glaser 1992) 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. The four essential criteria are fit, work, relevance, and modifiability.

Types of Grounded Theory Designs: Constructivist Design (Charmaz 2006) Philosophically positioned between positivist and postmodern 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

Key Characteristics of Grounded Theory Designs A process approach: A sequence of actions and interactions among people and events pertaining to a topic Theoretical sampling: The researcher chooses forms of data collection that will yield text and images useful in generating a theory Constant comparative data analysis: An inductive (from specific to broad) data analysis procedure in grounded theory research of generating and connecting categories by comparing incidents in the data to other incidents, incidents to categories, and categories to other categories

Key Characteristics of Grounded Theory Designs (cont’d) A core category: A category that can become the theme that describes or becomes the main theme of the process Theory generation: An abstract explanation or understanding of a process about a substantive topic grounded in the data Memos: Notes the researcher writes throughout the research process to elaborate on ideas about the data and the coded categories

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

Zigzag Approach to Data Collection and Analysis Data Analysis Close to Saturated Categories More Refined Categories Third Interview Toward Saturation of Categories Refined Categories Second Interview First Interview Preliminary Categories

Constant Comparison Procedures in Data Analysis Category I Category II Code A Code B Code C Indicators Raw Data (e.g., transcripts, fieldnotes, documents)

Core Category of Ethnicity in a Theory of Ethnic Minority Students’ Process of Community Building - Hispanic - Black Gender - Male - Female Background - Economic Differences - Diversity - Adapting to Change -Sense of Self Intervening Conditions Community Peer Interactions Causal Condition Phenomenon Properties Properties - Nature of Interactions - Racial Differences - Quantity of Friends - Intensity - Time to Develop Friends - Sense of Belonging - Source - Importance Strategies Withdrawal Passive, low risk Active

Memos Notes the researcher writes throughout the research process Used to elaborate on ideas about the data and the coded categories Researcher explores hunches, ideas, and thoughts, and then takes them apart, always searching for the broader explanations at work in the process

Potential Ethical Issues in Grounded Theory Not advancing the purpose of the study Creating power and authority imbalances in interviewing Not building a useful chain of evidence from data to theory Not engaging in a study that benefits participants

Conducting a Grounded Theory Study Decide if a 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

Evaluating a Grounded Theory Study The researcher identifies the process or action being studied. The researcher generates a theory in the grounded theory project. Throughout the study there is a link among the data, the categories, and the theory.

Evaluating a Grounded Theory Study (cont’d) The researcher uses memoing in the procedure. The grounded theory report presents a visual model of the theory. The researcher uses one of the types of grounded theory designs.