Inside the Black Box: Revealing the Process in Applying a Grounded Theory Analysis

Authors

Peter Rich, Brigham Young UniversityFollow

Abstract

Qualitative research methods have long set an example of rich description, in which data and researchers’ hermeneutics work together to inform readers of findings in specific contexts. Among published works, insight into the analytical process is most often represented in the form of methodological propositions or research results. This paper presents a third type of qualitative report, one in which the researcher’s process of coding, finding themes, and arriving at findings is the focus. Grounded theory analysis methods were applied to the interpretation of a single interview. The resulting document provides a narrative of the process one researcher followed when attempting to apply recommended methodological procedures to a single interview, providing a peek inside the black box of analysis often left unopened in final reports.

Keywords

Analysis, Grounded Theory, Process, Methods, Data Representation, Teaching

Publication Date

6-18-2012

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2012.1759

Recommended APA Citation

Rich, P. (2012). Inside the Black Box: Revealing the Process in Applying a Grounded Theory Analysis. The Qualitative Report, 17(25), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2012.1759