1. Grounded Theory Designs
Chapter 14
Grounded Theory Designs
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

2. A Brief History of Grounded Theory Designs
1967 Glaser and Strauss book Discover of Grounded Theory
1990, 1998 Strauss and Corbin prescriptive form with predetermined categories and concerns about reliability and validity
2000 Charmaz introduces “Constructivist” method
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

3. Types of Grounded Theory Design: Systematic Design
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
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

4. Open Coding to the Axial Coding Paradigm
Open Coding Categories
Axial Coding Paradigm
Context
Category
Category
Causal
Conditions
Core
Category or
Phenomenon
Category
Strategies
Consequences
Category
One open coding
category as core
phenomenon
Intervening
Conditions
Category
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

5. Types of Grounded Theory Design: Emerging Design
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
Four essential criteria: fit, work, relevance, modifiability
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

6. Types of Grounded Theory Design: Constructivist Design
Philosophical position between positivist and post-modern researchers
Theorist explains feelings of individuals as they experience a phenomenon or process
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

7. Types of Grounded Theory Design: Constructivist Design
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.
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

8. Key Characteristics of Grounded Theory Design
Studying a process related to a substantive topic
Sampling theoretically involving the simultaneous and sequential collection and analysis of data
Constantly comparing data with an emerging theory
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

9. 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
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

10. Zig-Zag Data Collection and Analysis to Achieve Saturation of Categories
Data Analysis
Close to Saturated
Categories
More Refined
Categories
Third
Interview
Toward
Saturation of
Categories
Refined
Categories
Second
Interview
First
Interview
Preliminary
Categories
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

11. Constant Comparison Procedures in Grounded Theory
Category I
Category II
Code A
Code B
Code C
Indicators
Raw Data (e.g. transcripts,
field notes, documents
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

12. Example of a Theory - A Model of Ethnic Minority Students in the Process of Community Building
Intervening
Conditions
Ethnicity
- Hispanic
-Black
Gender
-male
-female
Background
- Economic Differences
-Diversity
-Adapting to Change
Sense of Self
Peer
Interactions
Community
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
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

13. Conducting a Grounded Theory Study
Decide if Grounded Theory design best addresses the research problem
Identify a process to study
Seek approval and access
Conduct theoretical sampling
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

14. Conducting a Grounded Theory Study
Code the data
Use selective coding and develop the theory
Validate your theory
Write a grounded theory research report
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

15. Criteria for Evaluating a Grounded Theory Design: Theory Evaluation
Is there an obvious connection between the categories and the raw data?
Is the theory useful as a conceptual explanation for the process being studied?
Does the theory provide a relevant explanation of actual problems and a basic process?
Can the theory be modified as conditions change or further data are gathered?
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

16. Criteria for Evaluating a Grounded Theory Design: Research Evaluation
Is a theoretical model developed or generated that conceptualizes a process, action, or interaction?
Is there a central phenomenon (or core category) specified at the heart of the model?
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

17. Criteria for Evaluating a Grounded Theory Design: Research Evaluation
Does the model emerge through phases of coding? (e.g. initial codes to more theoretically oriented codes or open coding to axial coding to selective coding
Does the researcher attempt to interrelate categories?
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

18. Criteria for Evaluating a Grounded Theory Design: Research Evaluation
Does the researcher gather extensive data so as to develop a detailed conceptual theory as well saturated in the data?
Does the study show how the researcher validated the evolving theory by comparing it to the data, examining how the theory supports or refutes existing theories in the literature, or checking theory with participants?
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

19. Applying What you Have Learned: Grounded Theory
Review the article and look for the following:
The research problem and use of quantitative research
Use of the literature
The purpose statement and research hypothesis
Types and procedures of data collection
Types and procedures of data analysis and interpretation
The overall report structure
Educational Research by John W. Creswell. Copyright ©2002 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.