Advancing Grounded Theory: Using Theoretical Frameworks within Grounded Theory Studies

Authors

Donald Mitchell Jr., Grand Valley State UniversityFollow

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Constructivist Grounded Theory, Grounded Theory, Theoretical Framework

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Michelle Sanchez, Dr. Jay Cooper, and TQR for the feedback provided during the construction of this article.

Publication Date

9-8-2014

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1014

Recommended APA Citation

Mitchell, D. (2014). Advancing Grounded Theory: Using Theoretical Frameworks within Grounded Theory Studies. The Qualitative Report, 19(36), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1014