Grounded Theory

Initially developed by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss, grounded theory provides a methodology for developing theory based on data. The goal of grounded theory is to develop rich or dense theory that reflects the complexity of the phenomena being studied. Grounded theory should be abstracted from the data, understandable to the people studied, and generalizable to similar situations.

Different approaches to grounded theory exist. The Glaserian approach reflects the perspective initially developed by Glaser and Strauss. The Straussian approach was initially developed by Strauss and then refined by Strauss and Juliet Corbin. The first two approaches to grounded theory have been viewed as based in postpositivism because they emphasize that theories allow people to explain and predict. Kathy Charmaz developed a more constructivist approach to grounded ...