Using Grounded Theory In Research

‘Employing a qualitative methodology, underpinned by a constructivist world view, has provided the means to generate rich, deep and contextualised understandings of the research issue, and an appreciation of the socially constructed and experienced realities of the participants.’ (Highfield 2012)

Cleary, M., Hunt, G. E., Walter, G., & Robertson, M. (2009). Dealing with bullying in the workplace. Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services, 47(12), 34-41. doi:10.3928/02793695-20091103-03

For this research article the author has chosen to use a grounded theory approach. Grounded theory is a qualitative method of research which allows the researchers to construct meaning of the selected topic via a process of development and reflection of the data collected (Charmaz, 2014). Grounded theory provides a flexible and intuitive process to data collection and analysis allowing the construction of a theory that is truly grounded from the data (Charmaz, 2014).

This article is an excellent example of work that is based on grounded theory and demonstrates the ways in which qualitative research provides the kind of rich data that are often lacking when a quantitative study is used. This is not to say that either qualitative or quantitative studies are better than each other. Rather, these different types of studies provide different types of data, and these different types of data provide answers to different types of questions.

1. The two specific data methods of data collection were firstly; an interview schedule providing a variety of questions about child protection and alcohol problems. It was developed by the research team for the child protection and alcohol and other drugs (AOD) policy, service and researcher key, which informants produced by the research team. And secondly, the capacity of electronic data, to record the alcohol and drug related protection not only for children, however also for family concerns.

The Glaser and Strauss (1967) method of grounded theory will be used in the analysis of the study. Grounded theory is a methodology that is systematic and involves constructing theory by analyzing data. Grounded theory starts with a question and researchers review the data collected over and over to look for repeated ideas or concepts using doces to group the theories into categories and possibly into new theories (Broadhed, 1983). There are five steps when using grounded theory(p.87:.

Consequently, qualitative research approach emerges from the philosophical belief that truth is socially constructed and subjective to individual experiences associated with critical theory, constructivism, interpretatism, and naturalistic paradigms (Feilzer, 2010; Ponterotto, 2010; Ryan, Coughlan, & Cronin, 2007; Scotland, 2012; Venkatesh, Brown, & Bala, 2013; Vishnevsky & Beanlands, 2004). Paradigms are the philosophical underpinning that guides qualitative research methodology as result evaluating scientific merit slightly differs from the quantitative methodology. As a result, the scientific merit of qualitative lies in the credibility (trustworthiness), dependability (consistency), transferability (applicability), and comfirmability (verification/neutrality) of the data to answer the research question (Ellis & Levy, 2009; Horsburgh, 2002; Ponterotto, 2010; Ryan, Coughlan, & Cronin, 2007; Vishnevsky & Beanlands, 2004).

120). Data using the grounded theory method is collected using journals, case notes, and information from previous studies (Sheperis et al., 2010). In addition, it was stated that interviews and data collected from interviews is the richest type of data since the data has such variety (Sheperis et al., 2010). However, in order for the participants to feel like the researcher can be trusted, allowing the participant to further open up and divulge information, the researcher must be sensitive and open in order to maintain a good client-researcher relationship (Sheperis et al., 2010). A limitation of this type of theory would be a researcher who does not possess the skill of being open and sensitive to their clients, not allowing proper data collection to take place on part of lack of provided information from participants. In comparison, a strength of this type of theory is that the grounded theory model looks at the data first, making researchers stop, take a look at the data, thinking about what was gathered, and then looking at the word or the topic which was researched in a different set of lenses or from a different view (Sheperis et al., 2010). Furthermore, this type of theory can be used to analyze complex social problems such as violence within groups or relationships. These problems can be between people and social structures or groups, without needing the

This qualitative study is based on the Grounded Theory methodology, a design of inquiry from a sociological perspective in which a researcher derives a general abstract theory of a process or interaction grounded in the views of participants in a study to analyze the data. This theory has two unique concepts: the constant comparison of data with emerging categories and a theoretical sampling of different groups to maximize the similarities and differences of information (Creswell, 2009, p. 13). The basic concept of this research method is to choose research participants who have lived through the phenomenon that you want to study. This meant that participants are experts of the phenomenon that the researcher sought to understand (Auerbach and Silverstein, 2003). These techniques involve a): filtering texts, which means explicitly stating your research concerns and theoretical concerns and selecting the relevant text from your interviews, which is done by reading through the transcripts one-by-one with step one in mind and highlighting relevant codes; b): listening to the transcripts for relevant information, which involves recording repeating ideas by grouping together related passages of your

Discuss how and why particular research methods are used at the sociocultural level of analysis.

The social sciences employ three main types of research methodologies: qualitative research, quantitative research, and mixed-methods research. Qualitative research is a catch-all term that describes field research within social settings (Saint-Germain, 2002). It does not have a control group or require the researchers to impose variables and is not going to be sufficient to establish causation. However, qualitative research is excellent at providing descriptions of behavior. While qualitative research is descriptive, quantitative research is predictive. It makes predictions known as hypotheses, tests those hypotheses, and attempts to establish cause and effect (Xavier, 2012). Mixed-methods research, as its name implies, employs a mixture of qualitative and quantitative elements in its research design. Generally, a mixed methods approach is appropriate when a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, together, provide a better understanding of research (Fischler, 2012).

Bullying, harassment and discrimination amount to core issues in all workplaces and are an integral connection between employee relations and effective human resource management. Bullying and harassment occurs when an employee is mistreated and victimized by fellow workers or supervisors through repeated negative instances of offensive slurs, detrimental feedback, verbal abuse and intended isolation through social exclusion. These instances correlate to “low satisfaction with leadership, work control, social climate, and particularly the experience of role conflict” (Einarsen et al. 1994). Not all departments within

The reason grounded theory has been chosen is because it allows for the theory to be constructed, and derived from data collected during the research process and not prior to beginning the research. This process allows for the researcher and coder to see everything clear for the first-time because this methodology is ideal for explorative research of a new, or relatively new social experience (Kabat-Zinn,

Grounded theory - aims to generate theory which can explain the psychological phenomenon and also help him understand how social interaction is used by human beings to define reality. focuses on the process and connects different stages of theory together.( example: To gain understanding of psychological experiences of patients suffering from a specific disease)

This is important in order to gain data that is qualitative, that should give an account of views and emotions. The grounded theory approach also involves theoretical sampling which investigates incidents, and populations, therefore this tells us that the method used was relevant to this study. A theory should then that stem from the data, this concept was correct in this case, as several themes emerged from the results. The data is analysed as it is collected using interviews, or observations (Punch 1998 cited in Bell 2008). The researcher’s methods related to the grounded theory approach, as indicated.