Constructivist Grounded Theory?

Barney G. Glaser Ph.D, Hon.Ph.D Abstract I refer to and use as scholarly inspiration Charmaz’s excellent article on constructivist grounded theory as a tool of getting to the fundamental issues on why grounded theory is not constructivist. I show that constructivist data, if it exists at all, is a very, very small part of the data that grounded theory uses. Introduction Constructivist Grounded Theory is a misnomer. Grounded theory (GT) can use any data; it remains to be figured out what it is. In my book “The Grounded Theory Perspective” (Glaser, 2001) I...

What is Social Constructionism?

Tom Andrews University College Cork Abstract Social Constructionism has been instrumental in remodeling grounded theory. In attempting to make sense of the social world, social constructionists view knowledge as constructed as opposed to created. This paper discusses how social constructionists construct knowledge and argues that social constructionism is concerned with the nature of knowledge and how it is created and as such, it is unconcerned with ontological issues. Society is viewed as existing both as a subjective and an objective reality. Meaning is shared, thereby...

Constructing New Theory for Identifying Students with Emotional Distur...

Dori Barnett Orange County Department of Education Abstract A grounded theory study that examined how practitioners in a county alternative and correctional education setting identify youth with emotional and behavioral difficulties for special education services provides an exemplar for a constructivist approach to grounded theory methodology. Discussion focuses on how a constructivist orientation to grounded theory methodology informed research decisions, shaped the development of the emergent grounded theory, and prompted a way of thinking about data collection and...

Commentary on “Constructing New Theory for Identifying Students with E...

Cheri Ann Hernandez, University of Windsor  Tom Andrews, University College Cork First we would like to commend and thank Dr. Dori Barnett for her willingness to submit her work for the purpose of acting as a constructivist grounded theory research exemplar, with the understanding that she was subjecting her work to the scrutiny of researchers from another grounded theory tradition. We have developed this commentary on Dr. Barnett’s work in the spirit of respect and colleagueship that was recommended in the guest editorial of this Grounded Theory Review issue. We...

Choosing a Methodological Path: Reflections on the Constructivist Turn...

Jenna P. Breckenridge, Queen Margaret University, Derek Jones, Northumbria University, Ian Elliott, Queen Margaret University, Margaret Nicol, Queen Margaret University Abstract Researchers deciding to use grounded theory are faced with complex decisions regarding which method or version of grounded theory to use: Classic, straussian, feminist or constructivist grounded theory. Particularly for beginning PhD researchers, this can prove challenging given the complexities of the inherent philosophical debates and the ambiguous and conflicting use of grounded theory...

About the Authors

Lorraine Andrews is a Lecturer in Midwifery in the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Currently she is a third year PhD student conducting a classic grounded theory study on men’s experiences of becoming a father, which will be complete in 2013. Her research interests include family centred maternity care, postnatal care and transition to fatherhood. Tom Andrews, Ph.D., is a Lecturer in Nursing at Brookfield Health Science Complex,University of Cork,Ireland, specialising in critical care.  Andrews lectures in research methods on...