Critical Inquiry Exam 2 Practice

Grounded theory is a qualitative research approach designed to generate theory from data rather than test predefined ideas. Its key analytic goal is to build a theory inductively, directly grounded in what the data show, through systematic coding and constant comparison.

In practice, researchers collect data (such as interviews or observations) and break it down into concepts during open coding, then relate these concepts into broader categories through axial coding, and finally integrate them into a coherent theoretical framework via selective coding. This process continues until theoretical saturation is reached, meaning no new properties or relationships are found.

This is distinct from simply describing phenomena without theory development, from quantitative work that tests hypotheses, or from a mere literature review technique, all of which do not focus on generating a grounded, data-driven theory.