Table of Contents
Definition of Grounded Theory
(noun) A theory developed from close observations of a social phenomenon.
Grounded Theory Pronunciation
Syllabification: ground·ed the·o·ry
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /grOUn-duhd thEE-uhr-ree/
- British English – /grOUn-did thIUH-ree/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈgraʊndɪd ˈθiəri/
- British English – /ˈgraʊndɪd ˈθɪəri/
Usage Notes
- Grounded theory was developed by Barney Glaser (born 1930) and Anselm Strauss (1916–1996) and explained in Discovery of Grounded Theory (1967).
- The term is derived from the idea that theory needs to be grounded in observation.
- Grounded theory is contrasted to formal theory which uses deduction.
- Grounded theory is closely related to symbolic interactionism and analytic induction.
- Also called grounded theory method.
Additional Information
- Qualitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Quantitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “grounded” and “theory” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Charmaz, Kathy. 2014. Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide through Qualitative Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- Clarke, Adele. 2005. Situational Analysis: Grounded Theory after the Postmodern Turn. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- Glaser, Barney, and Anselm Strauss. 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
- Strauss, Anselm, and Juliet Corbin. 2015. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Related Terms
- analysis
- continuer
- debriefing
- detached observation
- informed consent
- interview
- method
- qualitative research
- research
- study
Works Consulted
Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.
O’Leary, Zina. 2007. The Social Science Jargon Buster: The Key Terms You Need to Know. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Grounded Theory
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “grounded theory.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 15, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/grounded-theory/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
grounded theory. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/grounded-theory/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “grounded theory.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/grounded-theory/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“grounded theory.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 15 Oct. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/grounded-theory/>.