[.uk] Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and ... (ISBN 141290644X)

Qualitative Research: A step-by-step approach:
Fourth in a series of books about grounded theory, this book describes in detail the procedures and techniques used in the grounded theory method of qualitative research. The first-time qualitative researcher will now be able to go through the process with a competent guide, while the experienced researcher will be able to find answers to unanswered questions. The book starts with an explanation of the theoretical and philosphical foundations of the grounded theory method in qualitative research. Later chapters explain the different techniques that can be used in this approach, with examples. Sections that give definitions of terms used in this research approach provide a clearer understanding of the discussion in each chapter. This book is an ideal companion for anyone wishing to pursue qualitative research.

A Grounded Theory Classic (re-edited):
Excellent book to put in the hands of every student wishing to use qualitative methodology - in grounded theory - for a research project, especially at the graduate level. Strauss (who died in 1996, two years before the new edition of the book was published) and Corbin have thoroughly revised the first edition of "Basics of Qualitative Research" and added, among other things, a FAQ based on their students' questions. Caution, though, the book is NOT a step-by-step manual or a A-to-Z handbook for forging concepts, building categories and properties, etc. and other books will have to be read as an introduction to the technical aspects of qualitative research. Also, a complete newcomer to qualitative analysis may find chapters 5, 6 and 7 unclear until he gets to chapter 8 about open coding. This re-edition of a classic is nonetheless a must-read for every junior researcher pretending to work in the tradition of grounded theory.

Research and Theory Construction:
This book's title shows that "qualitative research" is its primary subject, and "developing grounded theory" is its secondary subject. The opposite is true in the case of the book coauthored earlier by Strauss: "The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research." In the interval between the writing of the two books, Strauss may have realized that his thesis was about research work more than theory construction. But the text of this second book too presents research work as theory construction, as explained below. It could be thought that what is to be called a "theory" is a linguistic issue. But the definition of this term must not prevent the construction of real theories as distinct from empirical knowledge. In lieu of the implicit definition of "theory" that appeared in the earlier book (p. 1), an explicit one is given in this second book: "A set of well developed concepts related through statements of relationship, which together constitute an integrated framework that can be used to explain or predict phenomena" (p. 15). The new and critical but obscure expressions in this definition are "well developed concepts" and "integrated framework," whereas the idea of explaining or predicting phenomena by using a theory appeared also in the earlier definition. As I mentioned in my review of the earlier book, explaining or predicting phenomena can be done by using empirical knowledge too and therefore cannot be considered a distinguishing characteristic of theories. For example, the empirical laws of electromagnetism known before Maxwell served to explain, predict, and control many electromagnetic phenomena but did not constitute a theory. The authors repeat the same mistake when they admit that "a theory is more than a set of (empirical) findings;" and continue by saying, "it offers an explanation of phenomena" (p.22). They also say, "generating theories about phenomena, rather than just generating a set of findings, is important to the development of a field of knowledge" (pp. 22-23). That is correct, but the problem is to know how theories are generated. Also, "findings" too serve to explain phenomena, as mentioned, although they have a narrower scope than theories. "Statements of relationship (between phenomena) are commonly referred to as `hypotheses'" (p. 103). "Any hypotheses and propositions derived from data must be continuously `checked out' against incoming data and modified, extended, or deleted as necessary" (p. 22). The key concept here, which the authors do not clarify sufficiently, is the derivation of hypotheses from data. First, some relationships between phenomena can be deduced from the data. But what is thus produced constitutes not a hypothesis but empirical knowledge about those phenomena. It is when those relationships are "generalized through induction," in Newton's words, that they become general rules which are of hypothetical nature, or hypotheses, because induction yields only probabilities, not certainties, as Bertrand Russell emphasized. The authors seem to ignore this fact. Moreover, when the hypotheses thus derived from data are "continuously `checked out' against incoming data and modified, extended, or deleted as necessary" and those that are conserved are finally supported by all new information, they stop being hypotheses and become empirically known facts. And any set of such facts constitutes empirical knowledge, not a theory. The authors seem not to have a clear view of where induction and deduction are used. "Anytime a researcher derives hypotheses from data, because it involves interpretation, we consider that a deductive process" (p. 22). A relationship that is deduced from the data related to some singular phenomena constitutes empirical knowledge about those phenomena. A hypothesis is created out of that knowledge when it is "generalized through induction." The total process is not only deduction but involves also induction. The authors express these facts in an obscure way thus: "At the heart of theorizing lies the interplay of making inductions (deriving concepts, their properties, and dimensions from data) and deductions (hypothesizing about the relationships between concepts, the relationships also are derived from data, but data that have been abstracted by the analyst from the raw data)" (p. 22). What the authors unclearly describe as "abstracted by the analyst from the raw data" is what Newton meant by the words "generalized through induction." And the generalization must cover phenomena that do not allow the deduction of the hypothesis from the data if the hypothesis is expected to be used to construct a theory. The authors conclude: "At the end, it is hoped, the researcher has systematically developed the products of analysis into a theory" (p. 22). The major mistake in this conception of theory construction is that it ignores the following fact: A hypothesis that is "checked out against incoming data," (i.e. fits the data, is deducible from the data) is no more a hypothesis but empirical knowledge and therefore a system of statements that contains only such tested hypotheses constitutes not a theory but a group of empirical knowledge. The authors repeat the same mistake when they say that a theory "is validated during the actual research process" (213). What can be validated during the "actual" (original) research process is empirical knowledge. A second phase of research is concerned with the validation of the theory, i.e. with showing that the consequences of the theory fit the phenomena, or that they are deducible not only from the theory but also from the phenomena. Consequently, the theory becomes usable in explaining, predicting, and controlling the phenomena. Only when knowledge that is deduced, or readily obtained, from the raw data related to some singular phenomena is "generalized through induction" and assumed, or hypothesized, to be valid also in relation to phenomena that do not make possible the deduction of that hypothesis from the data that a hypothesis is created that can be used to construct a theory. This means that a theory contains at least one hypothesis that cannot be deduced from the empirical data related to all phenomena to which it is assumed to apply. The reason for this is that a law of nature may be deduced from the data related to some phenomena but not from the data related to other phenomena. Consequently, by transferring knowledge from one set of phenomena to another can provide hypothetical knowledge that is otherwise unavailable. A theory is a set of general statements, or laws, of which at least one is such a non-testable hypothesis at the time of the construction of the theory. After a theory is thus constructed, consequences are deduced from it that serve to explain, predict, and control the related phenomena. The usefulness of a theory in doing these things constitutes the proof of its usability and also the proofs of all of its contents, including the non-testable hypothesis, or hypotheses. When phenomena that do not fit a tested and accepted theory are encountered, a more general theory is constructed. The old theory is not discarded by being considered wrong but remains in use in the area where it is valid, because it is simpler than the more general theory. The above-presented knowledge about the content and the method of construction of theories is derived from the grand theories of physics. I have shown in my books how the same method can be used in psychology too. As an example, I constructed a theory of automatic responses such as the symptoms of non-organic mental disorders, dreams, cerebral lateralization as structural response, etc. This theory serves not only to explain and predict those phenomena but also to control them very effectively where this is possible. I had to mention these here because the best test of ideas is their usefulness in explaining, predicting, and controlling the phenomena. Although Strauss and Corbin advocate what they call "grounded theory," which is in reality nothing else than empirical knowledge, they expose their distrust of their work, which contains many unclear points, when they warn the reader by saying, "Remember that a theory is just that - a theory" (p. 213). Theories inspire more respect when their method of construction and their function are better understood. Cognitive-Behavioral Cybernetics of Symptoms, Dreams, Lateralization: Theory, Interpretation, Therapy Theory Construction and Testing in Physics and Psychology

Very helpful:
This book describes all the basics of research in a clear, concise manner. It's useful for the lay person and the experienced researcher alike.

3rd Edition - Still needs editing:
The bottom line with this book is that, while it delivers the goods in terms of an introduction to grounded theory, it's poorly written for a 3rd edition. By the time a text book is in its third version it should be tight, and I'm afraid this book just isn't. Structurally the book is basically fine, but I found myself mentally editing various sentences and paragraphs as I read it because it simply wasn't written very well. This is particularly annoying for a pair of respected qualitative researchers, seeing as language is the stock and trade of qualitative work. Additionally, I felt like it was a little terminology heavy for terms that are not universally accepted as common language for discussing qualitative research, but I'm more forgiving in this latter regard. We are generally a bit challenged in the field when it comes to common language, and there remains a residual need to demarcate one's academic territory. Three stars . . . it could have earned 4 with better writing/editing.