Showing papers on "Grounded theory published in 1995"

Semi structured interviewing and qualitative analysis

Abstract: Book synopsis: The recent widespread rejection of conventional theory and method has led to the evolution of different ways of gathering and analyzing data. This accessible textbook introduces key research methods that challenge psychology's traditional preoccupation with `scientific' experiments. The book provides a well-structured guide to methods, containing a range of qualitative approaches (for example, semi-structured interviews, grounded theory, discourse analysis) alongside a reworking of quantitative methods to suit contemporary psychological research. A number of chapters are also explicitly concerned with research as a dynamic interactive process. The internationally respected contributors steer the reader through the main stages of conducting a study using these methods.

Fairness and Competence in Citizen Participation

Abstract: This article reports progress on developing a theory of public participation that may prove useful to administrative bodies. The authors review a theory of public participation based on Habermas’s theory of communicative action and then reconsider the theory in light of a case study. Participants of a forest policy-making process reported their perceptions of a good process, and the authors used grounded theory methodology to induce criteria of good process. By contrasting the case study results with the theoretical criteria, insights are left into the strengths and shortcomings of the theory.

Building Cooperation in a Competitive Industry: Sematech and the Semiconductor Industry

Abstract: This article presents the results of a grounded theory analysis of observation, interview, and archival data collected at SEMATECH, a research, development, and testing consortium in the semiconduc...

The Coaching Model: A Grounded Assessment of Expert Gymnastic Coaches’ Knowledge

Abstract: An expert system approach (Buchanan et al., 1983) was used to identify and conceptualize the knowledge of 17 Canadian expert high-performance gymnastic coaches. The knowledge elicitation process consisted of open-ended questions and various questioning methods to unveil, explore, and prove important information (Patton, 1987; Spradley, 1979) about coaching. All coaches’ interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the unstructured qualitative data were inductively analyzed following the procedures and techniques of grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). The inductive analysis process allowed the meaning units of the interview transcripts to be regrouped into properties, categories, and components. The components emerging from the analysis consisted of (a) competition, (b) training, (c) organization, (d) coach’s personal characteristics, (e) gymnast’s personal characteristics and level of development, and (f) contextual factors. These components were further developed into a model representing coaches’ kno...

Feminist Grounded Theory: An Exploration of the Congruency and Tensions between Two Traditions in Knowledge Discovery

Abstract: The feminist perspective applied to the method of grounded theory offers an approach to knowledge discovery for nursing that incorporates diversity and change. The epistemological congruency of feminist theory and grounded theory is discussed. Tensions created by the application of feminist methodological features to the grounded theory method are explored and reflexivity suggested as a means of ensuring that both traditions are respected.

Grounded Theory: Evolving Methods

Abstract: Methodological issues raised by recent attempts to refine the process of generating grounded theory are examined in this article. First, the historical context of grounded theory method is reviewed, then several issues of importance to grounded theory methodologists are discussed. Finally, dimensional analysis, described by Schatzman in 1991 as a method for the generation of grounded theory, is proposed.

Hermeneutics: Philosophical Traditions and Nursing Practice Research

Abstract: This analysis begins with the premise that nursing practice research has often ignored or suppressed the fact that nurses participate in and benefit from the same American illness care nonsystem that leaves 40 million citizens without health care. This collective denial has its historical roots in philosophic foundationalism, health care authoritarianism, and nursing's disciplinary isolation. Philosophical hermeneutics offers perspectives that emphasize the inescapability of nursing's history. This article traces some of the main themes in philosophical hermeneutics and their potential significance for nursing practice research. The relationship between hermeneutic philosophy and research methods employed in interpretive traditions (for example, grounded theory) and the role of experimental design in addressing hermeneutic questions are discussed.

Knowing the patient: a process model for individualized interventions.

Abstract: A grounded theory method was used to study nurses' clinical decision making. Field notes, in-depth interviews, and documents were analyzed. The beginning process model contained the core concept, knowing the patient, a purposeful action whereby the nurse uses understanding of the patient's experiences, behaviors, feelings, and/or perceptions to select individualized interventions. Familiarity and intimacy were the properties of the core process; the patient-nurse interaction was the context. Three conditions included time, the nurse's experience, and other nurses' input. Four strategies facilitated the core process: empathizing, matching a pattern, developing a bigger picture, and balancing preferences with difficulties. Different strategies were used, as time and familiarity with the patient varied.

The Knowledge of High-Performance Gymnastic Coaches: Methodological Framework

Abstract: An expert system approach (Buchanan et al., 1983) was used to identify and conceptualize the knowledge of 17 Canadian expert high-performance gymnastic coaches. By using a qualitative research methodology based on the traditions of cognitive anthropology and grounded theory, the first two stages of the knowledge acquisition process for building an expert system (identification and conceptualization) were examined. Open-ended questions and various questioning methods were used to unveil, explore, and probe important information (Patton, 1990; Spradley, 1979) about various coaching situations. All coaches’ interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the unstructured qualitative data were inductively analyzed following the procedures and techniques of grounded theory (Cote, Salmela, Baria, & Russell, 1993; Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1990). This article provides the underlying methodological framework used for the entire project. Details about the coaches studied and the methodological framework ...

Entrepreneurial Processes as Virtuous and Vicious Spirals in a Changing Opportunity Structure: A Paradoxical Perspective

Abstract: We develop the beginnings of a grounded theory of entrepreneurship based on the idea that entrepreneurship, in terms of a changing opportunity structure–-consisting of opportunity detection, opport...

A search for meaning: Making sense of depression

Abstract: This paper describes a qualitative, in-depth interview study which investigates what is subjectively experienced as depression and whether individuals themselves define their experiences as depression. Participants were medically diagnosed as depressed or described themselves as depressed. Theoretically the research draws upon symbolic interactionism and social constructionism, within which is developed a qualitative methodology, incorporating grounded theory and discourse analytic techniques. Themes which emerged from the analysis of accounts include: the identification of a problem of depression through the diagnosis; the need to explain depression; the search for meaning; and individuals' explanations for their experiences of depression. Participants developed explanatory frameworks for their experiences of depression, through which depression was constructed as a problem located in the individual or explained with reference to the individual's particular social circumstances. Based on the data analysi...

Multi-level leadership: Grounded theory and mainstream theory applied to the case of general motors

Abstract: Selected aspects of Hunt's (1991) extended multiple-organizational-level leadership model are used in an illustrative analysis of a case narrative emphasizing Roger Smith's almost decade-long tenure as chair and CEO at General Motors. The illustrative analysis compares and contrasts ways in which grounded theory and mainstream perspectives can be applied to help explain what occurred at various hierarchical-organizational levels during Smith's tenure. Propositions based on the case narrative and selected aspects of Hunt's model are developed and discussed in terms of grounded theory and mainstream perspectives. Two illustrative propositions are analyzed using levels-of-analysis theory in combination with the hierarchical organizational levels emphasized in Hunt's framework.

Idiography and the case study

Abstract: Book synopsis: The recent widespread rejection of conventional theory and method has led to the evolution of different ways of gathering and analyzing data. This accessible textbook introduces key research methods that challenge psychology's traditional preoccupation with `scientific' experiments. The book provides a well-structured guide to methods, containing a range of qualitative approaches (for example, semi-structured interviews, grounded theory, discourse analysis) alongside a reworking of quantitative methods to suit contemporary psychological research. A number of chapters are also explicitly concerned with research as a dynamic interactive process. The internationally respected contributors steer the reader through the main stages of conducting a study using these methods.

The Experience of Living With Insulin-Dependent Diabetes: Lessons for the Diabetes Educator

Abstract: The purpose of this grounded theory study was to investigate the experience of living with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Data were collected from interviews with four participants, and from their diabetes papers and journals. This article summarizes the results of the data collection and presents implications for diabetes educators. The results challenge the traditional compliance/adherence paradigm within which current diabetes education programs operate and provide evidence of the need to move to a new integration paradigm. The new paradigm would replace adherence relationships with collaborative alliances between clients and educators and encourage educators to practice empathy as a way of knowing.

Reflective Practice: A Focus for Caring

Abstract: Nurse education has long been plagued by a perceived disjuncture between theory and practice. This paper explores the use of reflection as a mechanism to enable students of nursing to overcome this problem. A grounded theory approach is used to study a group of first-year students undertaking a 3-year undergraduate nursing course. Results of the study indicate that the use of the reflective processes of clinical debriefing and journaling does impact on the environment, the process, and the focus of learning. Anxiety associated with the learning environment was reduced through peer support and cooperation. In addition, students moved from a passive to a more active mode of learning. The most significant finding was that, over time, reflective processes resulted in the emergence of the client as the central focus of care.

The strategy of grounded theory: possibilities and problems.

Abstract: Kathleen Wells, PhD, is associate professor ; Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences , Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland , OH 441067164. It edited Riessman, by tive is the a Studies pleasure by recent Sherman and in to publication Qualitative Social write and an Work Reid. essay of Research two Research These about books, in books issues Social , edited Qualitatestify raised Work by , by the recent publication of two books, Qualitative Studies in Social Work Research , edited by Riessman, and Qualitative Research in Social Work , edited Sherman and Reid. Th e books testify to the variety of qualitative methods, their potential for enhancing knowledge and informing practice, and the interest of social work researchers in qualitative approaches. The editor-in-chief of this journal commissioned this essay along with others in this volume not only to acknowledge the importance of qualitative methods but also to recognize their complexity and the controversy surrounding their use (Morse, 1994). Indeed, social work researchers do not agree even on how to define, implement, and evaluate qualitative methods, because they cut across social scientific paradigms, academic disciplines, and fields of study and their associated questions (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; Patton, 1990). To promote elaboration of some specific issues, this essay focuses on one qualitative strategy, grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). This approach has been used widely in social work, in other human services professions, and in the social sciences (Strauss & Corbin, 1994). Several authors in Riessman's and Sherman and Reid's books used the strategy. The investigations these authors describe, however, do not conform to my understanding of the approach (Abramson & Mizrahi, 1994; Belcher, 1994; Burnette, 1994; Gregg, 1994; Mizrahi & Abramson, 1994). I suggest not that the investigations lacked rigor or merit but rather that the term "grounded theory" was applied to diverse approaches to knowledge development. Such use complicates the description, evaluation, and teaching of the grounded theory strategy. To clarify the strategy of grounded theory and to promote restricted use of the term, I review the development of the approach, its central features, and criteria for its evaluation. I then suggest some possible reasons for misunderstanding it and identify critical issues regarding its use.

The phenomenon of stress as perceived by Project 2000 student nurses: a case study.

Abstract: This case study was undertaken at a college of nursing in Northern Ireland with its first cohort of Project 2000 student nurses. The aim was to investigate perceived stress on the course. A qualitative approach was adopted utilizing Cox's (1991) transactional model of stress as the guiding theoretical framework. Data were collected through questionnaires and in-depth semi-structured interviews and analysed using a grounded theory methodology. Findings reveal that stress is perceived in relation to non-integration with tertiary education and non-integration with the ward team. This stress results from a tension between dependence and the quest for independence in the pursuit of academic freedom and clinical competence. The dependence/independence continuum has been identified as the core variable underpinning student-reported stress. Valuable insights have been gained in relation to how student nurses perceive and cope with stress associated with the introduction of the new Project 20000 curriculum, especially at this time of flux in nurse education. It is concluded that student stress could be minimized if tutors acknowledged its presence and reflected the course philosophy in their practice. Better liaison between the college and clinical areas may resolve some of the ward staff's negative attitudes and misunderstanding of the course aims. Finally, students have a need to develop clinical skills much earlier in the course than at present, in order to feel valued, to contribute to patient care and to integrate with the ward team.

Nurses' perceptions of the impact of continuing professional education on the quality of nursing care.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to understand what impact nurses perceived continuing professional education (CPE) to have on the quality of nursing care Given that CPE will become mandatory once the necessary legislation has been implemented, the value and worth of CPE with regard to the quality of nursing care, in both a consumer-led and financially-driven NHS, merits serious consideration Little research has been conducted into the real impact that CPE has on the quality of nursing care and this paper begins by providing an overview of the current debate within the profession The method chosen for the study was qualitative and 18 nurses from a large hospital in the South of England were interviewed The data were analysed using the grounded theory method and three categories emerged The categories are descnbed in detail and reveal some of the problems with which the nursing profession is faced The study demonstrates how issues of finance were particularly high, with service managers sometimes negating nurses’ CPE needs However, the study reveals the real importance that nurses attatched to CPE in supporting their professional status and the real impact that CPE and knowledge have on professional competence and the quality of patient care

The process of analysis during a grounded theory study of men during their partners' pregnancies

Abstract: This research builds on the work of Barclay (1993) who studied couples during pregnancy and discovered that there was a mismatch between sexual interest levels of men and women during pregnancy As well, little is known about the social and emotional experiences of men during their partners' pregnancies One antenatal group consisting of six men, whose partners were in the second trimester of pregnancy, attended a series of five meetings and subsequent individual interviews Additional data and insights were gained by the researcher and the research assistant attending other antenatal classes with men and women present The research data consisted of transcripts of tape-recorded interviews, group discussions, observations and field notes made by the researcher and co-leader following each of the group sessions The aim was systematically to develop a substantive grounded theory which was drawn from the experiences of the men during this transitional period in their lives This paper discusses the process of analysis which led to the central phenomenon, the core category of the research, around which the grounded theory is built Five theoretical constructs emerged from the data collected (a) ambivalence in the early stages of pregnancy, (b) relationship with baby not real, (c) how should I be as a father?, (d) coping with the changing roles and lifestyle, and (e) disequilibrium in relationship with female partner The last construct emerged as the basic social process The nature of this relationship changed over the duration of the pregnancy Emotional turmoil and anxiety in men contributed to the ‘mismatch’ in male and female expectations of the relationship The findings of the research suggested that current antenatal classes did not meet the needs of the male partner It appears that if men and women were informed early in the pregnancy that ambivalence, anxiety and increased tension were common experiences during pregnancy then they could get on with the business of working out how they might effectively deal with these changes

Out of the shadows: a study of the special observation of suicidal psychiatric in-patients

Abstract: Special observation is a common nursing activity in psychiatric units, involving intensified observation and assessment of patients deemed at risk of harming themselves or others The activity is problematic because it inevitably violates patient rights, despite the humanistic basis of nursing philosophies and the consumerist ethos of modern health services Nonetheless it is a poorly researched phenomenon and there is little information on which to base training and skill-mix decisions A grounded theory study was therefore carried out in one in-patient unit, concentrating on the special observation of suicidal patients Data was gathered from semi-structured interviews with nursing staff Nine conceptual categories were derived, based on the ambivalent core categories of controlling and helping On the basis of this study it is recommended that policy documents in units with similar problems be reviewed to promote individualized care plans rather than rigid protocols Further, policies should recognize the central role of the nurse in the procedure, and ensure that the patient's named nurse assumes responsibility for implementation, including supervision of the numerous staff usually involved Training programmes should be introduced, taking account of the range of skills and knowledge demanded by the procedure and the need for systematic assessment of suicidal patients

The basic social processes of entrepreneurial innovation

Abstract: Proposes that the understanding of innovation, as so far revealed by academics, has only given a limited insight into what really happens when people innovate. Previous studies have researched innovation using perspectives and methodologies which were unable to reveal what people actually do when they are innovating. This is because these other studies have chosen a level of analysis which is too far removed from the activities carried out by innovators. To examine innovators more closely a “grounded theory” approach has been used. By using a combination of participant observation, individual and focus group interviews, over an extended period of time, the detail of the innovator′s behaviour has been revealed. These insights are known as basic social processes which reflect the ideologies, beliefs, and values which drive innovators. The three basic social processes revealed by this research are, ambiguity, transformation and reflexivity. Although the context of these research findings is situated in a Swe...

Quality nursing care: a qualitative enquiry

Abstract: In spite of the wealth of literature on quality nursing care, a disparity exists in defining quality The purpose of this study was an attempt to seek out practising nurses' perceptions of quality nursing care and to present a definition of quality as described by nurses Eighteen nurses from a large hospital in the south of England were interviewed Qualitative analysis based on a modified grounded theory approach revealed three categories described as ‘structure, process’ and ‘outcome’ This supports previous work on evaluating quality care but postulates that structure, process and outcome could also be used as a mechanism for defining quality The categories are defined by using the words of the informants in order to explain the essential attributes of quality nursing care The findings demonstrate how more informants cited quality in terms of process and outcome than structure It is speculated that the significance of this rests with the fact that nurses have direct control over process and outcome whereas the political and economic climate in which nurses work is beyond their control and decisions over structure lie with their managers

Evolution of a grounded theory: conflict resolution through culture brokering.

Abstract: This article describes the evolution of the middle-range substantive theory of culture brokering. The theory was generated by first conducting a concept analysis that yielded 12 attributes of the concept of culture brokering. The concept analysis was accomplished using the anthropology, health-related, and business literature. In addition, data from an interpretive ethnographic study were used to further develop the concept of culture brokering. The theory was then generated from four grounded theory studies. Each study was used to frame the grounded theory model and to strengthen and refine the categories and links between categories within the basic social process of culture brokering. The culture brokering theory can guide the practice of nurses in situations where conflict is present in the health care interaction. The theory is grounded in the experiences of nurses attempting conflict resolution in the context of health care interactions.

Shaping the External Environment A Study of Small Firms' Attempts to Influence Public Policy

Abstract: Using a qualitative, grounded theory approach, this study examined the public policy interactions of small firms. The small firms' cognitive understanding and sensemaking approaches to government are revealed through an examination of successful and failed influence attempts. Embedded in these attempts, a set of factors (Issue Characteristics and Influence Process) were discovered, which affect the outcome of an influence effort. Issue Characteristics reflected attributes chief executive officers (CEOs) looked for when examining an issue and include Issue Impact, Issue Clarity, and Issue Image. Influence Process factors focus on how influence is acquired and exercised, and include Issue Champion, Persistence, and Coalition Development.

In health visiting, a routine visit is one that has passed.

Abstract: Pressure on British health workers to be more explicit in articulating the function, purpose and outcome of their role has increased with the introduction of general management and shift to a market-place orientation, since implementation of the NHS and Community Care Act (1990) However, a recurring theme in the history of health visiting has been the difficulty which practitioners experience in trying to explain exactly what it is that they do This has often been portrayed as a major failing, and possibly even a reason to discontinue the service This paper will offer a potential explanation for this difficulty, and suggest that the management of uncertainty and ambiguity are central to the role It will draw on a grounded theory study which explored how health visitors choose which approach to use in any particular situation encountered in their work The analysis suggested that health visiting's central focus is on situations which are unpredictable, ambiguous or anomalous The study revealed an approach to health promotion which requires a highly developed ability to cope in a safe and therapeutic way with shifting, uncertain and ill-defined health needs, and to recognize and respond to complex, potentially risk-filled situations Drawing on examples which illustrate the implications of these concepts in practice, the paper suggests that, much as midwives have long claimed that a‘normal delivery is one that is over, so in health visiting a‘routine visit’can only be recognized as such once it has taken place Nevertheless, it will be contended that the particular approach to practice revealed in this study represents a valuable and necessary aspect of health promotion, which has the potential to ensure relevance and acceptability, and which maximizes unexpected opportunities for prevention