DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

Cyclical and
iterative
nature of
research
than provide understanding or paint a
vivid picture. It enables users to
explain and predict events, thereby
providing guides to action.” (1998,
p.25)
“Once concepts are related through
statements of relationship into an
explanatory theoretical framework,
the research findings move beyond
conceptual ordering to theory.”
(1998, p.22)
“In fact, in many ways, research may
be conceived of as a circular process,
one that involves a lot of going back
and forth and around before finally
reaching one’s goal.” p.30
“Given the idea that explanations,
including explanations of causality, in
human affairs are not monolithic but
always involve a complex network of
conditions and effects, the key problem is
how to draw well-founded conclusions
from multiple networks…We need a
theory that explains what is happening –
but a theory that does not forcibly smooth
the diversity in front of us, but rather uses
it fully to develop and test a wellgrounded
set of explanations.” (1994,
p.207)
“We might look for a more “circular”
linkage between research questions,
methods, data collection, and interim
analyses, as each analysis opened up new
leads.” p.23
A Note on Differences between Grounded Theory and the Interactive Model
Given the above similarities between Grounded Theory and the Interactive Model, the
reader may be left thinking how the two methods distinguish themselves as distinct
methods. The key differences are in the emphasis given to various components. Miles
and Huberman (1994) place great emphasis in their sourcebook on the use of tables
and diagrams, to the point where many researchers identify their method with the use
of these graphic devices. They describe at length the varieties of tables and diagrams,
their various uses at different stages of the research project, while presenting a host of
examples throughout the sourcebook. It is almost as though they are implying that is
in the judicious use of tables and diagrams that a qualitative study lends itself clarity,
quality and validity. On the other hand, Strauss and Corbin’s Grounded Theory (1998)
only mention tables and diagrams briefly, as one of many ways of bringing order to
parsed data. They have a more diverse set of data ordering processes. They put more
emphasis on rigorous “microanalysis” (Strauss and Corbin, 1998, p.65), which
involves detailed line-by-line analysis of data to generate categories, and also
emphasise the importance of asking rhetorical questions and making comparisons
among data codes in the process of analysis. Other methods they suggest include axial
coding, the flip-flop technique and central categories, which are given minimal
consideration in Miles and Huberman’s approach.
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