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 question Site selection and access Role 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 coding Axial 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)