Editing Grounded theory (section)

==Philosophical underpinnings==

Grounded theory combines traditions in [[positivism|positivist philosophy]], general [[sociology]], and, particularly, the [[symbolic interactionism|symbolic interactionist branch of sociology]]. According to Ralph, Birks and Chapman,<ref name="Ralph, Birks & Chapman (2015)">{{cite journal|last1=Ralph|first1=N.|last2=Birks|first2=M.|last3=Chapman|first3=Y.|year=2015|title=The methodological dynamism of grounded theory|url=http://eprints.usq.edu.au/28092/1/Ralph_Birks_Chapman_PV.pdf|journal=International Journal of Qualitative Methods|volume=14|issue=4|pages=160940691561157|doi=10.1177/1609406915611576|s2cid=31136971 }}</ref> grounded theory is "methodologically dynamic"<ref name = "Glaser-Strauss">Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967) ''The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research''. Chicago: Aldine.</ref> in the sense that, rather than being a complete methodology, grounded theory provides a means of constructing methods to better understand situations humans find themselves in.

Glaser had a background in positivism, which helped him develop a system of labeling for the purpose of [[Coding (social sciences)|coding]] study participants' qualitative responses. He recognized the importance of systematic analysis for qualitative research. He thus helped ensure that grounded theory require the generation of codes, categories, and properties.<ref name="Aldiabat">{{cite journal|last1=Aldiabat|first1=Khaldoun|last2=Navenec|first2=Carole-Lynne|title=Philosophical Roots of Classical Grounded Theory: Its Foundations in Symbolic Interactionism|journal=The Qualitative Report|date=4 July 2011|volume=16|pages=1063–80|url=http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR16-4/aldiabat.pdf|access-date=5 December 2014}}</ref>

Strauss had a background in [[symbolic interactionism]], a theory that aims to understand how people interact with each other in creating symbolic worlds and how an individual's symbolic world helps to shape a person's behavior. He viewed individuals as "active" participants in forming their own understanding of the world. Strauss underlined the richness of qualitative research in shedding light on social processes and the complexity of social life.<ref name="Aldiabat"/>

According to Glaser, the strategy of grounded theory is to interpret personal meaning in the context of social interaction.<ref name = "Glaser, 1992"/> The grounded theory system studies "the interrelationship between meaning in the perception of the subjects and their action".<ref name="tojqi.net">{{cite journal|title=Clarification of the Blurred Boundaries between Grounded Theory and Ethnography: Differences and Similarities|journal=Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry|date=July 2011|volume=2|url=http://www.tojqi.net/articles/TOJQI_2_3/TOJQI_2_3_Article_1.pdf|access-date=5 December 2014|archive-date=2 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202223410/http://www.tojqi.net/articles/TOJQI_2_3/TOJQI_2_3_Article_1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Grounded theory constructs symbolic codes based on categories emerging from recorded qualitative data. The idea is to allow grounded theory methods to help us better understand the phenomenal world of individuals.<ref name="Aldiabat"/> According to Milliken and Schreiber, another of the grounded theorist's tasks is to understand the socially-shared meanings that underlie individuals' behaviors and the reality of the participants being studied.<ref name="Aldiabat"/>