Grounded theory

Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss laid out procedures for the generation of theory from empirical data in their 1967 book, The Discovery of Grounded Theory Commonly used on naturalistic field data. Seeks to understand “what is going on” in a particular case, through systematic analysis of the collected data.

Grounded theory Builds rather than test theory Provides researchers with analytical tools for handling masses of raw data Helps analysts to consider alternative meanings of phenomena Lets researchers be systematic and creative simultaneously Identifies, develops and relates the concepts that are the building blocks of theory

Grounded theory Diametric opposite to the scientific approach of testing hypotheses, which starts with a theory to develop a hypothesis for a situation and collects data to either confirm or falsify the hypothesis.

Grounded theory

Data Collecting Broad and unfocussed (there is no theory yet to guide selection), but “systematically” collected. Generally through interview, focus groups, or observations. Naturalistic approach.

Note taking Writing down a record of the data washing over you. Transcriptions of interviews, focus groups etc. Final outcome: very large amounts of text.

Substantive Coding Consists of: open coding and selective coding. Open coding aims to ‘generate an emergent set of categories and their properties which fit, work and are relevant for integrating into a theory’ Notes are systematically examined and coded against as many categories as may fit. New categories emerge, and new units of meaning fit existing categories.

Substantive Coding Selective coding occurs when the analyst identifies core categories and limits coding to ‘those variables that relate to the core variable in sufficiently significant ways to be used in a parsimonious theory’

Theoretical Coding Uses the coding families to ensure that the analyst works at the conceptual level, writing about concepts and interrelations, rather than being bogged down in the data. Coding continues until the main concern of the research can be accounted for and further coding fails to add significant value in categories or properties. At this point theoretical saturation is deemed to have been achieved.

Memoing A memo is a note to yourself about some hypothesis you have about a category or property, and particularly about relationships between categories Memos aid the abstraction process and provide a trail of decisions made while applying the technique. Grounded theory methodology assumes that the theory is concealed in your data for you to discover. Coding makes visible some of its components. Memoing adds the relationships which link the categories to each other.

Sorting Taking the memos and coded notes, and establishing “what goes with what” to get a map of the relationships. Reading and rereading the notes, the codes and the memos looking for common issues, and allowing inspiration to rise up. [Although pre-conceptions from reading existing literature are a threat, a prepared mind is more likely to see relationships: so reading widely before and during the research is necessary]

Writing Presenting the theory as it appears from the data, with the relationships articulated. Connecting with existing literature to establish theoretical frameworks.