Glaserian grounded theory in nursing research - Springer Publishing

Chapter 1 An Overview of Glaserian Grounded Theory 9
categories are related. As incidents are compared in line-by-line analysis,
the researcher asks the question, “What category does this incident indicate?”
or “What property of what category does this incident indicate?”
Lastly, the researcher asks, “What is the participant’s main concern?”
(Glaser, 1998, p. 140). These categories are then related in hypotheses
using theoretical codes. Glaser says that selective coding “starts only after
the analyst is sure that he has found a core variable” which “then becomes
a guide to further data collection and theoretical sampling” (1992, p. 75).
As hypotheses emerge, they are tested deductively by theoretically sampling
to gather and compare more data. The researcher then generates
concepts to round out the theory. Theoretical sampling is usually done
within the same substantive area so that a theory that describes how the
concerns of that group are resolved can be developed.
Sample
Sample size cannot be predicted at the beginning of a grounded theory
study since it is not possible to know what concern will emerge as problematic
and how it will be resolved. The object of study is the concern
particular to a group of people experiencing the same social situation.
Therefore it is important to ensure homogeneity of the sample, just as
a quantitative design controls for extraneous variables. Later, when a
theory is developed, theoretical sampling can direct the researcher to
other groups in which the same main concern may be occurring, resulting
in further development of the theory. Data collection continues until
categories are saturated and a core category emerges that integrates
most of the categories. For example, in a study of socialization of novice
nurses to the intensive care unit, it was thought that a sample of 15 nurses
would be suffi cient for the study. However, by using the constant comparative
approach, it was found that the male nurses resolved their main
concern (to fi nd out where they fi t into the nursing profession) in a different
way than did the female nurses. Therefore, in order to saturate
the categories, more interviews and observations of male nurses needed
to be done (Osuri; see chapter 10, “Moving On: A Study of Male Novice
Nurses in the Critical Care Unit”).
Data Collection Methods
Data are usually collected initially through tape-recorded interviews
using an interview guide. In his work, Glaser counsels against developing