The Grounded Theory

Introduction

The Grounded Theory

The grounded theory was developed by sociologists Glaser and Strauss in 1967, and was a reaction against unbridled empiricism and grand theory uninformed by research evidence (Hewitt and Cramer, 2011). Grounded theory is mainly used in qualitative research and usually documented as being a reaction against the dominant sociology of the twentieth century. It is a systematic methodology used in the social sciences, involving the discovery of theories through data analysis. The reason for this approach was because qualitative research was becoming a more widely accepted domain, not merely a precursor to quantitative research. Also those case studies in themselves are not considered to attain the full potential of qualitative research. Like many approaches, it has its flaws. For instance, this method can cause pointless data collection. This could be because there is no consensus stating which areas to research, seeing as the theory is developed after the completion of research. Another problem Potter (1998) discovered is that the method usually revolves are common sense theories, and notions which go beyond this are usual dismissed. The process of the grounded theory merely codifies what normal people usually think about something they engage in. There is also a risk that this method is used to excuse inadequate qualitative analysis considers this method to be inadequate as it lacks scientific reasoning.

Discussion

Critiques

Purpose; the purpose of this paper is to explore the implementations and implications of Grounded Theory as an exploratory and inductive research method in the LIS studies. The paper seeks to illustrate the opportunities and challenges that this methodology has brought to the methodological paradigms of LIS research body.

Design/methodology/approach; the paper is based on two blended constituents including a selective literature review and the author's personal experience in using Grounded Theory. Regarding the paper's scope it possesses a holistic approach to the issue and does not examine the results of individual reviewed studies in detail.

Findings; The results suggest that up to now there have been a considerable number of studies in the LIS area that have successfully employed Grounded Theory. Nevertheless, it does not mean that this methodology is applicable in any research context. Accordingly, there is not a unanimous agreement on the usefulness of this methodology in the research community. Nevertheless, these arguments not only did not diminish the value of Grounded Theory but also helped grounded theorists to enhance this methodology's credibility and trustfulness.

Comparison of two papers

Grounded theory is a qualitative research design, recognized internationally, which has been used to develop theories relevant health phenomena. However, in the field of Spanish nursing, TF has had little consideration. Therefore, this article focuses on the qualitative methodology and illustrates its contribution to nursing research in Spain and its usefulness for nursing. Also, briefly presents distinct methodological characteristics of grounded theory.

In recent years there has been an increase of qualitative research in nursing. This clear rise in favor of qualitative methodology is explained by the diversity of problems and issues of health or disease that ...