To See the Wood for the Trees: The Development of Theory from Empirical Interview Data Using Grounded Theory

2014 ◽  
pp. 23-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maike Vollstedt
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Interview Data

scholarly journals Exploring the Complexity of Student Learning Outcome Assessment Practices Across Multiple Libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Harp Ziegenfuss ◽  
Stephen Borrelli
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Student Learning Assessment

Objectives – The purpose of this collaborative qualitative research project, initiated by the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), was to explore how librarians were involved in the designing, implementing, assessing, and disseminating student learning outcomes (SLOs) in GWLA member academic libraries. The original objective of the research was to identify library evaluation/assessment practices at the different libraries to share and discuss by consortia members at a GWLA-sponsored Student Learning Assessment Symposium in 2013. However, findings raised new questions and areas to explore beyond student learning assessment, and additional research was continued by two of the GWLA collaborators after the Symposium. The purpose of this second phase of research was to explore the intersection of library and institutional contexts and academic library assessment practices. Methods – This qualitative research study involved a survey of librarians at 23 GWLA member libraries, about student learning assessment practices at their institutions. Twenty follow-up interviews were also conducted to further describe and detail the assessment practices identified in the survey. Librarians with expertise in library instruction, assessment, and evaluation, either volunteered or were designated by their Dean or Director, to respond to the survey and participate in the interviews. Interview data were analyzed by seven librarians, across six different GWLA libraries, using constant comparison methods (Strauss & Corbin, 2014). Emerging themes were used to plan a GWLA member Symposium. Based on unexpected findings, after the Symposium, two GWLA researchers continued the analysis using a grounded theory methodology to re-examine the data and uncover categorical relationships and conceptual coding, and to explore data alignment to theoretical possibilities. Results – Seventeen categories and five themes emerged from the interview data and were used to create a 3-part framework for describing and explaining library SLO assessment practices. The themes were used to plan the GWLA Assessment Symposium. Through additional qualitative grounded theory data analysis, researchers also identified a core variable, and data were re-evaluated to verify an alignment to Engeström’s Activity and Expansion Theories (Engeström, 2001, 2004). Conclusions – The findings of this multi-phased qualitative study discovered how contextual, structural, and organizational factors can influence how libraries interact and communicate with college departments, and the larger institution about student learning outcomes and assessment. Viewing library and campus interaction through the activity theory lens can demonstrate how particular factors might influence library collaboration and interaction on campuses. Institutional contexts and cultures, campus-wide academic priorities, leadership at the library level, and changing roles of librarians were all themes that emerged from this study that are important factors to consider when planning the design, implementation, assessment and dissemination of library SLOs.

scholarly journals Goals and Distractions: Explanations of Early Attrition from Traditional University Freshmen

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Rausch ◽  
Matthew Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
First Year ◽  
Theory Method ◽  
Act Scores ◽  
Grounded Theory Study ◽  
Grounded Theory Method

This grounded theory study was designed to investigate the factors that influenced 20 "traditional" university freshmen to withdraw prior to the end of their first year at two Midwestern universities. A two-hour audio- taped interview was conducted with each of the participants, and the grounded theory method was utilized to analyze the interview data. Eighteen of the twenty participants had strong high school GPAs and ACT scores, and would not have been identified as being at-risk for attrition. The grounded theory that emerged from the participants' data indicated that an absence of clear educational goals, as well as individual and institutional distractions, interacted to contribute to the participants' withdrawal from their universities.

scholarly journals Getting to the Nitty-Gritty of Grit: A Descriptive Characterization of Gritty L2 Learners from Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-155
Author(s):  
Mark R. Freiermuth ◽  
Chomraj Patanasorn ◽  
Latha Ravindran ◽  
Hsin-chou Huang
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
English Language ◽  
Willingness To Communicate ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
L2 Learners

Understanding the make-up of gritty L2 students has garnered quite a lot of attention recently. In this descriptive narrative-based study, we looked at the interview data of eight English language learners who recorded high scores on a nine-item grit questionnaire. Specifically, two female university students each from Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan were interviewed and their interview scripts were transcribed and then coded looking for common threads to emerge from the data by applying the tenets of Charmaz’s (2006) Grounded Theory. The data show that beyond perseverance, gritty L2 students enjoy learning the L2, are consistently curious about the L2, are generally not bored by the L2, are confident using the L2 (not letting anxiety dissuade them), are extraverted—encompassing a strong willingness to communicate, have focused L2 vision and have had experiences and/or encounters that bolstered their L2 grittiness. As for encouraging L2 grit development, we suggest that good L2 classroom practice include frequent communicative activities so that students can see the practical side of learning a L2 with the hopes of strengthening their L2 vision.

“That Is So Common Everyday . . . Everywhere You Go”: Sexual Harassment of Workers in Assisted Living

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth O. Burgess ◽  
Christina Barmon ◽  
James R. Moorhead ◽  
Molly M. Perkins ◽  
Alexis A. Bender
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Worker Characteristics ◽  
Physical Touch ◽  
Theory Project

In assisted living (AL) facilities, workers are intimately involved in the lives of residents. Existing research on AL demonstrates the imbalance of this environment, which is a personal home for the residents and a workplace for staff. Using observational and interview data collected from six AL facilities, this grounded theory project analyzes how AL staff define, understand, and negotiate sexual comments, joking, and physical touch. We developed a conceptual model to describe how such harassment was perceived, experienced by AL workers, and how they responded. Sexualized behavior or harassment was experienced by workers of every status. We found that words and actions were contextualized based on resident and worker characteristics and the behavior. Staff members refused to engage residents, redirected them, or reframed the words and gestures to get the job done. Reporting the incidents was less common. We conclude by discussing implications for policy and research.

Confessions of a Self-Directed Learner

2022 ◽  
pp. 15-36
Author(s):  
Jeneva Clark ◽  
Jonathan M. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Sorting Data ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach

After a trio of hour-long interviews with a self-professed self-directed learner, the authors present an honest narrative conveying an authentic account of a real human being who has directed their own learning. In this chapter, vignettes of raw interview data are presented as conversations to tell a biographical story while discussions of related ideas and principles provide context for those stories. The authors analyzed 20,576 words from interview transcripts for emergent themes using a grounded theory approach. After coding, memoing, and sorting data, salient themes that emerged included identity, patience, motivation, agency, trust, and classroom practice.

scholarly journals Student voices that resonate – Constructing composite narratives that represent students’ classroom experiences

2021 ◽  
pp. 146879412110161
Author(s):  
Olivia Johnston ◽  
Helen Wildy ◽  
Jennifer Shand
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theory Construction ◽  
Student Voices ◽  
Grounded Theory Study ◽  
Research Findings

Words and stories have the power to resonate with people. Composite narratives can be constructed using multiple participant accounts, representing their experiences while also capturing the properties and categories of qualitative research findings. The ability of composite narratives to represent the multiple facets of theory construction through a singular narrative point-of-view is unique and provides a concise and credible method to present research findings. This paper explains how composite narratives can be constructed to present the research data that findings are built upon through an illustrative example of the process. The example of a composite narrative presented in this article is one of a larger set from a grounded theory study about a substantive group of Australian students’ experiences of their interactions in the classroom that communicate their teachers’ expectations of them. Narratives have the power to affect change in society by enhancing the transferability of research findings, presenting research findings with impact because they are engaging and memorable for readers. Qualitative researchers who are interested in composing composite narratives to reflect multiple participants’ different experiences, through interview data, will benefit from the justification and example of the technique, which provides a model for future research.

scholarly journals Boys are Reading, but their Choices are not Valued by Teachers and Librarians

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Virginia Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Reading Practices ◽  
Reading Problem ◽  
Non Fiction ◽  
Children And Young Adults ◽  
Study Participants

A Review of: McKechnie, Lynne (E.F.). “ ‘Spiderman is not for Babies’ (Peter, 4 Years): The ‘Boys and Reading Problem’ from the Perspective of the Boys Themselves.” The Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science 30.1/2 (2006): 57-67. Objective – This study looks at what constitutes legitimate reading material for boys and how this material is defined in light of assessed gender differences in reading, and is part of a larger, ongoing research project on the role of public libraries in the development of youth as readers. Design – Semi-structured, qualitative interviews and book inventories. Setting – The research originated from the MLIS 566 (Literature for Children and Young Adults) class at the Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. Subjects – Forty-three boys, ages four through twelve, were interviewed. Most of the boys lived in Ontario, although a few came from other Canadian provinces. Methods – Library school students who were registered in a Literature for Children and Young Adults class interviewed children and young adults about their reading and information practice as part of a “Book Ownership Case Study” assignment. The researcher also interviewed children and young adults, for a total of 137 case studies. For the purpose of this article, a data subset for the 43 boys included in the larger project was analyzed. The boys ranged in age from four to twelve years. The mean age was eight and the median age was nine. The theoretical perspective of reader response theory was used to situate the study. This theory has the relationship between the text and the reader as its focus, and it suggests that to understand the reading habits of boys, there needs to be recognition that the experts about their reading are the boys themselves. The interviews, which explored reading preferences and practices, were qualitative, semi-structured, and took thirty minutes to complete. In addition to the interview, each boy’s personal book and information material collection was inventoried. The researcher used a grounded theory approach to analyze the inventory and interview data to pull out themes related to the research questions. Grounded theory “uses a prescribed set of procedures for analyzing data and constructing a theoretical model” from the data (Leedy and Ormrod 154). Main Results – The collection inventories revealed that all 43 study participants had personal collections of reading materials. The collections ranged from eight volumes to 398 volumes. There was a mean volume total of 108 and a median of 98 books per boy. In addition to books, other materials were in the collections. Video recordings were owned by 36 (83.7%) of the boys, 28 (65.1%) of participants had computer software, 28 (65.1%) owned audio recordings, and 21 (48.8%) of the collections also included magazines. In the interview data analysis, a number of themes were revealed. All of the boys except one owned fiction. Some genres appeared frequently and were different than the ones found in the inventories taken of the girls in the larger study. Genres in the boys’ collections included fantasy, science fiction, sports stories, and humorous stories. The boys also discussed genres they did not enjoy: classic children’s fiction, such as The Adventures of Robin Hood, love stories, and “books about groups of girls” (61). All but five boys had series books such as Animorphs, Captain Underpants, Redwall, and Magic Treehouse in their collections. All study participants except for one owned non-fiction titles. When asked what their favourite book was, many of the boys chose a non-fiction title. Holdings included subjects such as “jokes, magic, sports, survival guides, crafts, science, dictionaries, maps, nature, and dinosaurs” (62). In addition to books, the boys reported owning and reading a wide range of other materials. Comics, manga, magazines, pop-up and other toy books, sticker books, colouring books, puzzle books, and catalogues were among the collection inventories. Only one boy read the newspaper. Another theme that emerged from the interview data was “gaming as story” (63). The boys who read video game manuals reported reading to learn about the game, and also reading to experience the game’s story. One boy’s enjoyment of the manual and the game came from the narrative found within. Various reading practices were explored in the interviews. Formats that featured non-linear reading were popular. Illustrations were important. Pragmatic reading, done to support other activities (e.g., Pokeman), was “both useful and pleasurable” (54). And finally, the issue of what counts as reading emerged from the data. Many boys discounted the reading that “they liked the best as not really being reading” (65). Some of the boys felt that reading novels constituted reading but that the reading of computer manuals or items such as science fair project books was “not really reading” (65). A distinction was made between real books and information books by the boys. Conclusions – The researcher explored what has been labelled as the “problem” of boys reading in this paper. She found that the 43 boys in this study are reading, but what they are reading has been undervalued by society and by the boys themselves. Collection inventories found a large number of non-fiction books, computer magazines, comic books, graphic novels, and role-playing game manuals—items not necessarily privileged by libraries, schools, or even by the boys themselves. The researcher suggests that “part of the ‘boys and reading problem’ then lies in what we count as reading” (66). By keeping what boys are actually reading in mind when it comes to collection development and library programming, children’s librarians can “play a central role in legitimizing the reading practices of boys” (66).

scholarly journals Antecedents of Children of Alcohol Abused Parents: Grounded Theory Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Abijo Temitayo Serah ◽  
Huzili Hussein ◽  
Hanif Suhairi
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Alcohol Abuse ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Working Hypothesis ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach ◽  
Depth Interviews

<p>This research endeavored to fill the knowledge gap in children of alcohol abuse parents by uncovering one of the five fundamental themes of children of alcohol abuse parent, that is, the antecedents that add to the working hypothesis or paradigm model of the phenomenon. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 children and seven parents who were recruited through Alcohol Abuse and Family Support Agency. A Grounded Theory approach was adopted to analyze the transcribed interview data. Nvivo 10 software was used in analyzing the data by methodologically coding and categorizing the data in open, axial and selective coding. Five major themes emerged from the analysis, which is referred to as antecedents of parents’ alcohol abuse phenomenon, Description of alcohol abuse phenomenon, Contexts and prevailing conditions affecting alcohol abuse, coping strategies and consequences of alcohol abuse on children. Based on this, the study was set out to construct a grounded theory of the phenomena of children in the alcohol abused families in Nigeria rooted in the description of their own comprehensive experience. This study is planned to benefit all parties: parents, teachers, counselors and other stakeholders to minimize the effect of parent alcohol abuse on children.</p>

From “invincibility” to “normalcy”: Coping strategies of young adults during the cancer journey

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
BAUKJE MIEDEMA ◽  
RYAN HAMILTON ◽  
JULIE EASLEY
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Disease Treatment ◽  
Coping Theory ◽  
To Come

Objective: Little research has been undertaken regarding the psychological impact of cancer on those stricken during the young adult years. Specifically, research on the coping strategies of young adults with cancer is limited.Method: In this qualitative, Grounded Theory study, we did not set out to examine coping; rather, it emerged as a major phenomenon in the analysis of interview data from 15 young adults with cancer.Results: These young adults used various coping strategies to come to terms with the cancer diagnosis, management of the illness, its treatment, and treatment sequelae. The coping strategies varied considerably from person to person, depended on the stage(s) of the illness, and were rooted in their precancer lives. We were able to discern a pattern of coping strategies used by most participants. The prevailing goal for all participants was to achieve what they called “normalcy.” For some, this meant major changes in their lives; for others it meant to “pick up” where they had left off before the cancer diagnosis.Significance of results: To aid the understanding of the issues that influence coping, we have developed a model to illustrate the bidirectional nature and the complexities of the coping strategies as they relate to the phases of the disease and the disease treatment. The model also affirms Folkman and Lazarus' coping theory.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document