STRAUSS AND CORBIN

Grounded Theory

Basics

Grounded theory is not a descriptive method - The goal is to conceptualize contextual reality using empirical data What are the major issues/problems for the

participants, and how do they solve/address them?The theory: Conceptual representation that

explains people’s actions regardless of time and place **(note the ontological implications of this)

The Conditional Matrix

In each context there are conditions that involve processes that result in consequences

The grounded theorist thinks in terms of incidents and actions (hence the focus on processes) – coding is done in terms of conditions, processes, and consequences**What are the major issues/problems for the

participants, and how do they solve/address them?Unit of analysis is the incident (not the

participants)

Procedure

General research questionSite selection and accessRole of the literature in developing questions

and fieldwork strategies – Glaser and Strauss conflict Glaser does not refer to GT as qualitative – uses

inductive AND deductive reasoning to discover and verify hypotheses generated from the data

Initial data collection (everything you encounter is data)

Procedure

Codes: Identifying anchors that allow the key points of the data to be gathered

Concepts: Collections of codes of similar content that allow the data to be grouped

Categories: Broad groups of similar concepts that are used to generate a theory

Theory: A conceptually-based explanation of how the participants approach, address, and resolve major incidents and issues in context

Procedure

Open Coding: Purpose: The first level of abstraction – get above the

data; abstracting from actual words (in-vivo coding) Examination of data (written notes, transcripts, etc.)

to find codes and define concepts – grouping of common themes, ideas, etc.

Tedious: Examination of data line by line to conceptualize each incident

Codes are gradually combined into concepts

Procedure

Open Coding (cont.) As concepts emerge, more data collection and analysis

are done (constant comparative)

Procedure

Open Coding (cont.) Concepts are combined into categories Categories have properties, which have dimensions The ultimate goal is the development of a core

category

Procedure

More data collection based on open codingAxial coding (S & C) - Narrowing focus to a

limited number of categories (no longer brainstorming) – path to formation of core category

Begin the theory – linkage of one category to another

Procedure

Selective coding using the core category – how are your categories related/connected to your core category?

Sort and integrate your analytic memos (written throughout) – what are the connections between concepts? Between categories?

Write your theory Theoretical sampling – further data collection

(can be at other sites) to refine your theory based on your understanding of the core category

Validity

Goal of GT: To conceptualize contextual reality using empirical data Does the theory fit the data? (retrospective hypothesis

fitting) How does the theory hold up in that context? Internal validity

Validity

Goal of GT: To conceptualize contextual reality using empirical data Fit (the context you studied) Relevance (to participants – not just academic) Workability (theory works with solution variation) Modifiability (can successfully change to account for

new data)