Abstract
Conducting qualitative research is an art. A skilled artist produces a high-quality piece of artwork using experience, tools, and intrinsic attributes developed over the years. In the same manner, a qualitative researcher produces a high-quality piece of research. Novice researchers need to gradually develop understanding and practice the fundamentals of qualitative research. In this context, the current chapter provides guided practical sessions, and research problems for experimentation and to improve their research capabilities. Conceptual sessions address interview technologies, recording tools, transcribing standards, coding, memoing, categorizing, and development of themes, which are the fundamentals in the grounded theory approach. The guided practical sessions that are selected carefully to make the targeted research group more comfortable and familiar with the coding process focus on the application of grounded theory approach for researchers to get a better understanding of concepts while clearing potential doubts in applications.
TopMain Focus Of The Chapter
The purpose of this chapter is to give novice career researchers an introduction to understanding the Grounded Theory Method in a simple way and use it in their qualitative research approaches. The examples given in the chapter allow the reader to gather a better coverage, including interviews, transcribing, coding process, achieving of saturation level, use of snow ball sampling, code book, grouping, and finally conceptualizing. The author believes that although a few examples are described in the chapter, ideas and methods of Grounded Theory are adequately covered.
The term “categories” and “groups” are used interchangeably in this chapter. If the same topic is looked at by a different researcher, he/she may use different “codes” for transcribed interview notes. It is similar to drawing by different individuals when they asked to draw a “face of a pretty woman”. Out of many drawings, many observers will agree with one drawing as the “Best”. To draw a better drawing, you need to practice more and more while adhering to basics as the foundation. This is true for many areas such as sports. Quality comes from practice. The readers are advised to conduct their own research using Grounded Theory Method and improve the quality of your qualitative research.
To facilitate the early career researchers to take-off, the author decided to design a set of semi structured interview questions for one of the above research topics, which a given in the annexure