
Advancing Grounded Theory: Using Theoretical Frameworks within Grounded Theory Studies
Author(s) -
Donald Mitchell
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the qualitative report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 35
ISSN - 2160-3715
DOI - 10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1014
Subject(s) - grounded theory , epistemology , constructivist grounded theory , constructivist teaching methods , constructivism (international relations) , sociology , computer science , qualitative research , pedagogy , social science , teaching method , philosophy , international relations , politics , political science , law
The founding fathers of grounded theory (GT) claimed it is an inductive methodological approach. Yet, some scholars argue that purely inductive GTs are not possible given researchers’ involvement in data collection and analysis. Subsequently, a constructivist GT approach was introduced. Still, full-length methodological articles that include rationales or detailed explanations for using constructivist GT approaches are limited in peer-reviewed journals. The purpose of this article is to highlight the ways in which the author used a constructivist GT approach in his dissertation. Within the article, the author provides concrete examples and a rationale for the ways in which he used a theoretical framework within a constructivist GT study. First, the author introduces literature on GT. Next, the author introduces the theoretical framework used in the study, highlighting the introduction of a theoretical framework as a departure from the traditional tenets of GT. Finally, the author highlights the ways in which he used the theoretical framework to shape the research questions, data collection and analysis, and findings.