A qualitative research methodology developed by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss for systematically constructing theory from empirical data. Through iterative cycles of simultaneous data collection and analysis, researchers engage in open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, applying the constant comparative method to generate categories and relationships. The procedure enforces theoretical sensitivity through memo-writing and theoretical sampling, ensuring that emerging theory remains grounded in the data rather than imposed upon it. [formal: theoria empirica | substrate: mind | horizon: a life | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
grounded-theory
A qualitative research methodology developed by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss for systematically constructing theory from empirical data. Through iterative cycles of simultaneous data collection and analysis, researchers engage in open…
Definition
Why it is in scope
A qualitative research methodology developed by Glaser and Strauss for systematically constructing theory from empirical data through iterative cycles of data collection, coding, and constant comparison — a human-made research construct designed to generate mid-range theory grounded in observed data.
Names and aliases
- grounded-theoryen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrrhfq2501ljq89d3w4wt2wzINSTANCE_OF →
Grounded-theory is a specific kind of methodology — systematic approach to generating theory from data through iterative collection and analysis. A competent speaker would call it a methodology.
- cmrcnav2700i713vze6dtwed8DERIVED_FROM →
Grounded theory as a formal methodology emerged in the 1960s from the work of Glaser and Strauss. The concept of theory existed for millennia — the method of generating theory systematically from data is what is new. Which came first? Theory predates grounded theory by thousands of years.
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Record identity
- Created
- Jul 22, 2026, 6:24 AM UTC
- Content hash
- 1fb8b7b2506a59628095a525c87c928549766073219c67faf7eaca61b2477e82