The History of Grounded Theory
The History of Grounded Theory
Grounded Theory (GT) was first developed by Sociologist Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss while working together on a study called the Awareness of Dying in 1965. During this period, they criticized the predominant approach to qualitative research, which they found to be very limited. Qualitative studies at this time were following traditional methods which basically involved coming up with a hypothesis and conducting research to validate it.
Glaser and Straus found this approach too narrow and limited for qualitative inquiry and unsuitable for their work. They argued the need to allow theories to evolve through social research rather than deducing theories from a priori assumptions.
Driven by this argument and the lack of social theories, Glaser and Strauss pioneered a new methodology for discovering theory by taking an inductive approach to qualitative research. They adopted this method for their study and made the first mention of grounded theory in their book titled Awareness of Dying.
Two years later, Glaser and Strauss decided to formally present their newly developed research method by publishing a book titled Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for qualitative research (1967). The book discussed grounded theory in more detail, explained the rationale for their new method and presented it as a better alternative to the existing qualitative research methods.
After the first publication, the duo continued to work together on various research projects and wrote four more books. In 1978, Glaser published another book titled Theoretical Sensitivity: Advances in the Methodology of Grounded Theory. The book provided more practical insights into how to generate social theories using grounded theory methodology.
Glaser shed more light on the grounded theory process and explained theoretical coding and theoretical sampling in more detail. Glaser's work is often considered as the Classic Grounded Theory. In 1987, Strauss also published a book titled Qualitative Analysis for social sciences.
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Evolution of Strauss and Corbin’s version of grounded theory
In 1990, Strauss worked with Juliet Corbin to refine some of the original grounded theory features. Together, they published the book Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques (1990). The duo shifted from the concept of the natural emergence of theory by designing an analytical coding framework for generating theories from data systematically.
Strauss and Corbin's book also challenged the original grounded theory tenet that a researcher should abstain from literature before embarking on a study. Before the book was published, Glaser criticized their reconfiguration of the original grounded theory and responded by writing two personal letters to Strass where he articulated his reasons for disapproving of their work.
However, Strauss and Corbin went ahead with the publication. In response to this development, Glaser published another book in 1992 titled Basics of Grounded Theory: Emergence vs Forcing. Glaser described his book as a correction of the book published by Strauss and Corbin. In successive years, both factions continue to develop their version of grounded theory.
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The emergence of constructivist grounded theory
The reformation of grounded theory took a new turn in the 1990s when Kathy Charmaz, a former student of Strauss and Glaser, published an article that described a new approach to grounded theory. She described her new approach as constructivist grounded theory and explained how it differs from Glaser and Strauss' methods.
Charmaz argued that neither data nor theories are discovered but are constructed through the researchers' past and present experiences. Additionally, she described Strauss systematic coding frameworks as highly prescriptive and proposed a more flexible approach. In 2006, Charmaz published her book titled Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis. This makes her work the third version of grounded theory.
Although three variations of grounded theory have evolved over time, it is important to note that they all have some familial resemblance and remain within the grounded theory family.
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References
Kenny, M; Fourie, R. (2014). Tracing the History of Grounded Theory Methodology: From Formation to Fragmentation. The Qualitative Report.
Mediani, H. (2018). The Origin and Development of Grounded Theory: A Brief History. Padjadjaran Nursing Journal.
Sebastian, K. (2019). Distinguishing Between the Types of Grounded Theory: Classical, Interpretive and Constructivist. Journal for Social Thought.
