Grounded Theory for beginners: a contribution to research in education

Authors

  • Nuno Miranda e Silva Centro de Estudos em Educação e Psicologia da Universidade de Évora (UÉ), Évora, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3574-7679

Keywords:

Grounded Theory , Qualitative Research , Education , Research Methodology

Abstract

Grounded Theory is one of the most commonly used types of qualitative research. However, in Portugal, it is little applied in the educational sciences, despite its potential for the study of complex environments, such as education. This dissonance suggests that this type of research is not sufficiently well known, or it is believed to be difficult to use. My objective is to offer a panoramic view of Grounded Theory, which constitutes a model to initiate the practice. I describe when it becomes relevant, the steps and characteristics of the process (data collection to build theory, open coding, immediate data analysis, induction, openness, memos and constant comparison) and the expected scientific product. I conclude that the use of this research type can contribute to scientific developments, as it is based on flexible and heuristic procedures and welcomes the uncertain nature of education and the serendipity that emerges from it.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Nuno Miranda e Silva, Centro de Estudos em Educação e Psicologia da Universidade de Évora (UÉ), Évora, Portugal

Nuno Miranda e Silva é licenciado em Ciências do Desporto, pela Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Mestre em Gestão e Administração Educacional, Pela Universidade Aberta e investigador de Doutoramento em Ciências da Educação, junto do Centro de Investigação em Educação e Psicologia da Universidade de Évora. Tem desenvolvido investigação nas áreas das políticas educativas e liderança educacional à luz da Teoria da Complexidade, da investigação em educação e projetos e pesquisas na área do desporto e da sua relação com a inclusão social. É professor do Ensino Básico e Secundário no Agrupamento de Escolas de Montemor-o-Novo, e formador de professores.

References

Amado, J. (2013). Investigação qualitativa em educação. Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra.

Amado, J., & Ferreira, S. (2013). Estudos (auto)biográficos – Histórias de vida. In J. Amado (Ed.), Manual de investigação qualitativa em Educação (pp. 169-185). Universidade de Coimbra.

Au, W. W. (2008). Devising inequality: a Bernsteinian analysis of high‐stakes testing and social reproduction in education. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29(6), 639-651. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690802423312

Berger, G. (2009). A investigação em educação: Modelos socioepistemológicos e inserção institucional. Educação, Sociedade & Cultura, 28, 175-192.

Bowers, B., & Schatzman, L. (2009). Dimensional analysis. In J. M. Morse, P. N. Stern, J. Corbin, B. Bowers, K. Charmaz, & A. E. Clarke (Eds.), Developing Grounded Theory: The second generation (pp. 86-125). Left Coast Press.

Bryant, A., & Charmaz, K. (2007). Grounded theory research: Methods and practices. In A. Bryant, & K. Charmaz (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of Grounded Theory (pp. 1-28). SAGE Publications.

Charmaz, K. (2005). Grounded Theory in the 21st century: Applications for advancing social justice studies. In: N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (pp. 507-535). Sage Publications.

Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory. Sage Publications.

Clarke, A. E. (2005). Situational analysis: Grounded Theory after postmodern turn. Sage Publications.

Clarke, A. E., Friese, C., & Washburn, R. S. (2017). Situational Analysis: Grounded Theory after the interpretive turn. Sage Publications.

Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research. Sage Publications.

Coutinho, C. (2011). Metodologia da investigação em Ciências Sociais e Humanas: Teoria e prática. Almedina.

Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Pearson Education Inc.

Erikson, F. (1986). Qualitative methods in research on teaching. In M. C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (pp. 191-161). MacMillan.

Fernandes, D. (2019). Avaliações externas e aprendizagens dos alunos: uma reflexão crítica. Linhas Críticas, 25, 644-660.

Feyerabend, P. F. (1991). Adeus à razão. Edições 70.

Feyerabend , P. K. (2010). Against Method. Verso Books.

Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. Jossey-Bass.

Glaser, B. G. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity. Sociology Press.

Glaser, B. G. (1998). Doing Grounded Theory: Issues and discussions. Sociology Press.

Glaser, B. G., & Holton, J. A. (2005). Staying open: The use of theoretical codes in Grounded Theory. The Grounded Theory Review: An International Journal, 5(1), 20.

Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Tqualitative research. Aldeline Transaction.T

Hamido, G. (2007). Escola, ecologia viva e reflexiva: O poder de mudar. Interacções, 7, 141-178.

Hooge, E., Burns, B., & Wilkoszewski, H. (2012). Looking beyond the numbers: Stakeholders and multiple school accountability. OECD Education [Working Papers, n. 85]. OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5k91dl7ct6q6-en

Khun, T. S. (2009a). A estrutura das revoluções científicas. Guerra & Paz. Khun, T. S. (2009b). A tensão essencial. Edições 70.

Labaree, D. F. (2012). A sermon on educational research. International Journal for the Historiography of Education, 74-83.

Lakatos, I. (1989). La metedología de los programas de investigación científica. Alianza Universidad.

Laudan, L. (1977). Progress and its problems. Routledge.

Madaus, G. F., Russell, M. K., & Higgins, J. (2009). The paradoxes of high stakes testing: How they affect students, their parents, teachers, principals, schools, and society. IAP.

Menezes, I., & Ribeiro, N. (2017). A investigação em Ciências da Educação em Portugal nos últimos 30 anos: Evoluções, tendências e tensões vistas a partir das teses de doutoramento. In Conselho Nacional de Educação, Estado da educação 2016 (pp. 234-252). Conselho Nacional de Educação.

Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.

Miranda, N., & Pereira, S. (2020). O que a pandemia nos pode ensinar acerca da avaliação externa das aprendizagens? Revista Internacional de Educación para la Justicia Social, 9(3e), 259-280. https://doi.org/10.15366/riejs2020.9.3.014

Morse, J. M., Stern, P. N., Corbin, J., Bowers, B., Charmaz, K., & Clarke, A. (Eds.). (2009). Developing Grounded Theory: The Second generation. Left Coast Press.

Schatzman, L. (1991). Dimensional analysis: Notes on alternative approach to grounded theory of qualitative research. In D. R. Maines (Ed.), Social organisation of social processes: Essays in honour of Anselm Strauss (pp. 303-314). Aldine Press.

Silva, N. M. (2019). Liderar organizações complexas: O caso das escolas. Chiado Books.

Silva, N. M. (2022a). Memorandos visuais: Exemplo. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.35637.76009

Silva, N. M. (2022b). Memorandos: Exemplo de evolução de um tema. https://doi.org/10.13140/ RG.2.2.18860.54400

Silva, N. M., & Dinis, S. P. (2021). Três anos de teses de doutoramento em educação: O que investigamos e como investigamos? Revista Portuguesa de Pedagogia, 55, 1-30. https://impactum-journals.uc.pt/rppedagogia/article/view/9645

Star, S. L. (1989). Regions of the mind: Brain research and the quest for scientific certainty. Stanford University Press.

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded Theory procedures and techniques. Sage Publications.

Twist, M., Steen, M., Kleiboer, J., Sscherpennise, J., & Theisens, H. (2013). Coping with very weak primary schools: Towards smart interventions in Dutch education policy, a governing complex education systems case study [OECD Education Working Papers, No. 98]. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/19939019

Downloads

Published

2022-04-25

How to Cite

Miranda e Silva, N. (2022). Grounded Theory for beginners: a contribution to research in education. Cadernos De Pesquisa, 52, e08563. Retrieved from https://publicacoes.fcc.org.br/cp/article/view/8563

Issue

Vol. 52 (2022)

Section

Theories, Methods, Educational Research

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Cadernos de Pesquisa

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:

a. Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right to first publication, with the paper simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution license that allows the sharing of the paper with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal.

b. Authors are authorized to assume additional contracts separately, for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the paper published in this journal (for example publishing in institutional repository or as a book chapter), with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal.

c. Authors are allowed and encouraged to publish and distribute their paper on-line (for example in institutional repositories or on their personal page) at any moment before or during the editorial process, as this can generate productive changes, as well as increase the impact and citation of the published paper (See The Effect of Open Access).