Philosophical Underpinnings
Grounded theory was developed as a way of conceptualizing research information.
Although grounded theory was developed by two social scientists, Glaser and
Strauss (1967), its philosophical underpinnings are from a variety of paradigms,
including positivism, postpositivism, and constructivism. Positivism focuses on
deductive reasoning and logical thinking, suggesting that the world is ordered
in an organized fashion. Postpositivism contends that true reality may exist,
but we can never truly know it. The constructivist view is that the researcher
and the inquiry are linked. This suggests that humans do not truly discover
knowledge, but rather they create or construct it through their interactions
(Hall, Griffiths, & McKenna, 2013). One can clearly see the influence of each
of the epistemologies on the development of grounded theory.Method
A few characteristics make grounded theory different from other qualitative
methods. The most important difference concerns the review of literature. In
most research methods, an extensive review of literature is done prior to be-
ginning the study to shed light on the phenomenon in question and identify
gaps in the literature. In grounded theory, just enough literature is examined
to identify the gaps in the literature, but a more extensive review of literature
is done only after the research is completed (Glaser, 1978). The purpose of this
approach is to avoid bias because a grounded theory must emerge from the data
and never be forced by preconceived notions. Writing in a reflective journal
is an effective strategy for raising self-awareness, thus reducing bias. After the
theory has been generated, a thorough review of the literature is done, and the
researcher compares the theory with other research. This is known as comparative
analysis, and Glaser and Strauss (1967) listed the following steps: (1) obtain-
ing accurate evidence, (2) making empirical generalizations, (3) specifying a
concept, (4) verifying theory, and (5) generating theory. Grounded theory is
dynamic and subject to change as new data become available. One could almost
say that a grounded theory is never really finished but that it can be constantly
validated and refined.Data Collection and Management
Data are gathered mainly through interviews. As with other qualitative meth-
ods, the face-to-face interviews are video- or audiotaped and are conducted
using open-ended questions. The researcher keeps detailed field notes and
methodological logs to record observations and reflections. The interview
questions may become more focused as the study progresses so the researcher
can discover the major processes taking place.234 CHAPTER 9 Qualitative Designs: Using Words to Provide Evidence