Grounded Theory

What is grounded theory? A systematic method of conducting research that: – Begins with an inductive approach – Involves engaging in simultaneous data collection and analysis – Consists of several flexible guidelines – Emphasizes constructing the analysis – Aims to construct middle-range theories

A method that goes beyond induction – Its strategies lead to making conjectures and hypotheses and to checking them – Therefore, the researcher engages in deductive reasoning as inquiry proceeds

Grounded – Rooted in behaviour, words and actions of those under study Theory – A relationships model that usefully and pragmatically links diverse facts. The connection must represent the ‘best fit’ with the data: coherent, comprehensive and simplest.

Grounded Theory and qualitative research – GT is one of the most widely used qualitative analysis framework in today’s social sciences – GT overlaps with other qualitative research approaches, particularly, with ethnography and case studies – Less culturally-oriented than ethnography – Broader than focused case studies GT techniques of handling and interpreting data can be incorporated into other research methods

Key concepts of Grounded Theory – An approach to describe relationships where little is known or to provide a fresh take on existing knowledge – A method to systematically build integrated sets of concepts from systematically obtained empirical data – A process of composing knowledge through intimate contact with subjects and events under study – A theory that is shaped by data as well as by the researcher

A Brief History 1960s- Glaser and Strauss’ work (The Discovery of Grounded Theory) Glaser’s Theoretical Sensitivity Strauss’ Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists Strauss and Corbin’s Basic of Qualitative Research Basics of Grounded Theory Analysis

When to Use Grounded Theory When I embarked upon a study of stepfather families (Stern, 1976), I wanted to find out how a stepfather is integrated into the existing family system made up of mother and child, so that other such families could try out strategies which seem to influence successful outcomes. The process had not been examined before: it is assumed in the literature that families are integrated. Therefore, I had no basis on which to test existing theory, nor could I utilize identified existing variables, because none were identified. In other words, it was first necessary to find out what was going on in these families. It was appropriate to use Grounded Theory to discover what problems existed in the social scene, and how the persons involved handled them

Wilson’s (1977) study of Soteria House, an experimental community for schizophrenics, where “there are no locked doors, medications or therapies for controlling the behavior of labeled schizophrenics who live at the setting” (p. 1031, examined managing the public presentation of a radically new treatment facility. The problem here involved screening the inmates from public view so as to keep the facility from closing down. Wilson found a system of “limited intrusion” operating. That is, what the public might not understand and accept in severely disturbed individuals allowed to act out their anxieties, the public was not allowed to see. Limiting intrusion, Wilson found, is one way of preserving autonomy.

Glaser and Strauss, Awareness of Dying (1965) Fagerhaugh and Strauss, Politics of Pain Management (1977)

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(1) The conceptual framework is generated from the data rather than from previous studies, although previous studies always influence the final outcome of the work. (2) The researcher attempts to discover dominant processes in the social scene rather than describing the unit under study. (3) Every piece of data is compared with every other piece rather than comparing totals of indices. For this reason, the method has also been called “qualitative comparative analysis” (Wilson, 1977), and “continuous comparative analysis”

(4) The collection of data may be modified according to the advancing theory; that is, false leads are dropped, or more penetrating questions are asked as seems necessary. (5) Rather than following a series of linear steps, the investigator works within a matrix in which several research processes are in operation at once.

Data Collection Writing Sorting Note-Taking Coding Memoing

Maxwell and Maxwell described five steps in the process: – 1) collection of empirical data, – 2) concept formation, – 3) concept development, – 4) concept modification and integration, and – 5) production of the research report.

Data may be collected from interview, observation or documents, or from a combination of these sources. In the stepfather family study (Stem 1978), some data were gleaned from letters and phone calls. However, the bulk of the data were from 85 hours of intensive interviews conducted with 30 San Francisco Bay Area stepfather families. Whole families were interviewed whenever possible. However, individual family members were interviewed separately in almost half of the families under study. Face-to-face contact was made with 62 persons, and the study includes data on 132 parents and children. The makeup of the families represented a variety of social classes and ethnic groups

Open coding is the part of the analysis concerned with identifying, naming, categorizing and describing phenomena found in the text. Essentially, each line, sentence, paragraph etc. is read in search of the answer to the repeated question "what is this about? What is being referenced here?" These labels refer to things like hospitals, information gathering, friendship, social loss, etc. They are the nouns and verbs of a conceptual world. Part of the analytic process is to identify the more general categories that these things are instances of, such as institutions, work activities, social relations, social outcomes, etc.

Pain relief is a major problem when you have arthritis. Sometimes, the pain is worse than other times, but when it gets really bad, whew! It hurts so bad, you don't want to get out of bed. You don't feel like doing anything. Any relief you get from drugs that you take is only temporary or partial.

One thing that is being discussed here is PAIN. Implied in the text is that the speaker views pain as having certain properties, one of which is INTENSITY: it varies from a little to a lot. (When is it a lot and when is it little?) When it hurts a lot, there are consequences: don't want to get out of bed, don't feel like doing things (what are other things you don't do when in pain?). In order to solve this problem, you need PAIN RELIEF. One AGENT OF PAIN RELIEF is drugs (what are other members of this category?). Pain relief has a certain DURATION (could be temporary), and EFFECTIVENESS (could be partial).

Phenomenon Causal conditions Context – Hard to distinguish from the causal conditions. It is the specific locations (values) of background variables. A set of conditions influencing the action/strategy. Researchers often make a quaint distinction between active variables (causes) and background variables (context). It has more to do with what the researcher finds interesting (causes) and less interesting (context) than with distinctions out in nature. Intervening conditions – Similar to context. If we like, we can identify context with moderating variables and intervening conditions with mediating variables. But it is not clear that grounded theorists cleanly distinguish between these two. Action strategies The purposeful, goal-oriented activities that agents perform in response to the phenomenon and intervening conditions. Consequences