Problematics of grounded theory

Innovations for Developing an Increasingly Rigorous Qualitative Method

Dados Bibliográficos

ID2403243
AutoresJason Adam Wasserman (0000-0002-1891-1350, Texas Tech University, autor correspondente), Jeffrey Michael Clair (University of Alabama at Birmingham, autor correspondente), Kenneth L Wilson (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Kenneth Wilson (0000-0001-5264-6522, University of Alabama at Birmingham, autor correspondente)
Ano2009
Volume9
Fascículo3
Páginas355-381
Data de publicação2009-07-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoQualitative Research (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1468-7941 • E-ISSN: 1741-3109
EditoraSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1468794109106605
OpenAlexW2018459387
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas34
Referências citadas27

Our purpose in this article is to identify and suggest resolution for two core problematics of grounded theory. First, while grounded theory provides transparency to one part of the conceptualization process, where codes emerge directly from the data, it provides no such systematic or transparent way for gaining insight into the conceptual relationships between discovered codes. Producing a grounded theory depends not only on the definition of conceptual pieces, but the delineation of a relationship between at least two of those pieces. Second, the conceptualization process of grounded theory is done in hierarchical fashion, where individual codes emerge from the data but then are used to generate insight into more general concepts and thematic statements. But various works on grounded theory have failed to provide any systematic way of using data specific levels of scale (the codes) to gain insight into more macro levels of scale (concepts and themes). We offer fractal concept analysis as a means of resolving both of these issues. By using a logic structure generator, fractal concept analysis delineates self-similar conceptual frameworks at various levels of abstraction, yielding a method for linking concepts together within and between levels of scale encountered in the grounded theory coding and categorization process. We conclude that this fractal analytic technique can bolster the aims of grounded theory as a formalized and systematic process for generating theory from empirical data

Categorization · Conceptualization · Epistemology · Grounded theory · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Computer Science · Cross-Cultural and Social Analysis · Educational Research and Analysis · Qualitative Research Methods and Applications · Artificial Intelligence