Grounded Theory and Grounded Theorizing: Pragmatism in Research Practice

Abstract

Abstract The book is addressed to investigators with some knowledge of and familiarity with research methodswho are keen to learn more about the grounded theory method [GTM]. The method is located against general research issues, such as the nature of doctoral and other research, discussions on epistemology and ontology, and the initial motivations for undertaking a specific research project. The key features of GTM are discussed and exemplified using numerous examples taken from several of the author’s many successful PhD students. The focus is on distinguishing the core and essential features of the method, from those that can be regarded as “accidental.” The author’s concept of Methodological Sensitivity is introduced to explain how insightful research is often dependent on researchers’ adapting one or more methods to their specific project and context. The grounded theory method is illustrated through several examples taken from PhD theses supervised by the author; also the derivation of a grounded theory is drawn from more than 100 published GTM papers. The book includes chapters devoted to discussions of the concept of abduction and abductive logic, now seen as central to GTM, set against an overview of different forms of reasoning—i.e. induction and deduction. Other chapters include personal accounts of GTM-in-use by four successful PhD candidates and a guide that summarizes ways in which issues around GTM can be taken into account and addressed both by researchers (not only PhD students) and by assessors and evaluators (PhD examiners, journal editors, reviewers, and those refereeing research proposals).