A Pragmatic Definition of the Concept of Theoretical Saturation

Dados Bibliográficos

ID10563418
AutoresJacqueline Low (0000-0002-0336-426X, University of New Brunswick, autor correspondente)
Ano2019
Volume52
Fascículo2
Páginas131-139
Data de publicação2019-01-27
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSociological Focus (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0038-0237 • E-ISSN: 2162-1128
EditoraTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00380237.2018.1544514
OpenAlexW2911793200
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas124
Referências citadas32

In this article I critically discuss the concept of theoretic saturation, first presented by Glaser and Strauss in their classic book The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Over my almost two-decade career of using, researching, and publishing on qualitative methods, I have lost count of the number of qualitative researchers that have defined saturation as an instance where “no new information” emerges from data analysis. I argue that such a definition is problematic. It provides no didactic guidance on how researchers can determine such a point, and it is a logical fallacy, as there are always new theoretic insights as long as data continue to be collected. Finally, much new work on saturation focuses on how many interviews are required to reach it rather than developing definitions of what it is. In response I present what I argue is a more cogent and pragmatic definition of theoretic saturation

Epistemology · Fallacy · Grounded theory · Qualitative research · Saturation (graph theory · Social science · Sociology · Computer Science · Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods · Mathematics · Philosophy · Qualitative Research Methods and Applications · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics