Grounded Theory - Lecture No. 3 - Advanced Research Method

Grounded Theory is a method of research in which you develop a theory from Concepts that emerge through observations.

History

In the 1960s, positivism dominated the social sciences. Many social scientists (sociologists, economists, political scientists, researchers of marketing and advertisement, management and business etc.) were drawn to methods that involved hypothesis testing, statistical manipulations, mathematical modeling or computer analyses. Statistics and experimental design dominated the research.

Data collection Technique

Drawing repeated sampling until no new concepts emerge  … and Constant-comparative method of coding.
This approach was developed by Glaser & Strauss in “ The discovery of grounded theory” (1967). 
Just keep in my mind that the words like method, techniques, approach are used interchangeably meaning more or less the same.

Features of GT Method

Theoretical sampling, sensitivity and saturation.
Constant comparison method .
Specific ways of coding (open, axial, selective).
In other words, Collecting data, coding data and analyzing data is multidimensional rather than linear. On how in business research, see: O’ Reilly et al. (2012) in Organizational Research Methods .

Theoretical sampling involves a series of samples and analyzing data simultaneously until no new idea emerge and the sample is said to be saturated.

Samples are not limited to participants. They can include events, particular time periods etc.

Examples: observation of work relations in an office, shop-floor at various hours of the work  during day or a night-shift etc.

The Theoretical Sensitivity is achieved by falling on existing literature during data analysis phase – until concept saturation.

Constant ComparisonMethod is that you compare the data from one interview or observations with data from another interview or observation. This process is supposed to adjustment of the tentative theoretical categories as the new data are collected and thus leads to saturation .

Open Coding is based on the concept of data being ‘cracked open’  as a means of identifying relevant categories. Axial coding is most often used when categories are in an advanced stage of development, and selective coding is used when the ‘core category’ or the central category that correlates other categories in the theory is identified and related to other categories.

This lecture is provided by Sir, Mustafa Kamal, for complete lecture kindly pdf file given below.

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