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Grounded Theory

Grounded theory was developed in the 1960s. It was a reaction to the dominance of quantitative research methods in which a theory is formed then an empirical study is carried out to discover whether the hypothesis is proven. Grounded theory is the opposite: a theory is systematically verified by the collection and analysis of data.

Any research has three major components: collecting data, interpreting data and producing research reports. In traditional research the theory is developed as a separate component before these three are tackled, and is not reviewed until the data has been collected and interpreted. In grounded theory research the theory is grounded in the data, which is to say that it is reviewed and revised as necessary at any point in the process.

There are seven main features of grounded theory research.

1:	Grounded theory assumes that there is an issue which needs to be researched.
2:	The aim is to build theory that is faithful to and helps to explain this issue.
3:	Research question(s) have to be flexible and free enough to explore the issue in depth, and should gradually become narrower during the research process, but they should not become so narrow that they block the possibility of further discovery.
4:	Grounded theory is cumulative: analysis begins at the start of the research project, and data collection, analysis and theorising run alongside each other throughout the research process.
5:	Grounded theory tends to be oriented towards practical action rather than towards abstract ideas.
6:	In order for a theory to be grounded, it must have: Fit: does it fit the issue being researched? Understanding: does it make sense to both service users and service providers? Generality: is the theory sufficiently abstract to make it applicable to the issue being researched in different contexts? Control: does the theory provide a framework for action to achieve change in the issue being researched?
7:	The process of developing the grounded theory must be 'theoretically sensitive'. This refers to a personal quality of the researchers which has been defined as "the ability to recognise what is important in data and to give it meaning" (Strauss and Corbin, 1990). There are techniques for developing theoretical sensitivity which can help researchers to combat their own biases, prejudices and assumptions.

Data is of crucial importance in any research, and particularly so in grounded theory research. Working with the data can increase insight into the issue being researched. Researchers have to remember that the data don't lie, so if the theory doesn't fit the data then there's something wrong with the theory and they need to go back to the data to revise the theory. Researchers need to maintain an attitude of healthy scepticism: nothing is final until it's fully supported by data and the theory fully explains every aspect of that data.

Grounded theory is a scientific discipline which is also very creative. Alternating between collecting and analysing data requires both creativity and scientific rigour.

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