Thoughts regarding researchers
utilizing Grounded Theory
*R
eflection
1 RN. Associate Professor, Graduate Program, Escola de Enfermagem Anna Nery, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. CNPq researcher. Rio de Janeiro,
RJ, Brazil. [email protected] 2 RN. Ph.D. student, Escola de Enfermagem Anna Nery, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Teaching, Research and
Community Service Coordinator, Nursing Service, Teaching Maternity. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. [email protected] 3 RN. Ph.D. Faculty, Graduate
Program, Escola de Enfermagem Anna Nery, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. [email protected] 4 RN. Ph.D.
RESUmo
Estudo de natureza descriivo-relexiva, objeivando apresentar as caracterísicas do pesquisador que uiliza o método Te-oria Fundamentada nos Dados e delinear relexões sobre o desenvolvimento das apidões do pesquisador para tornar-se um Teórico Fundamentado. A discussão teóri-ca foi embasada nos referenciais dessa me-todologia e apoiada na literatura. O arigo apresenta as principais demandas de estu-dos qualitaivos com a Grounded Theory e
importantes comportamentos, aitudes e caracterísicas desenvolvidas pelos pesqui-sadores. Constata-se que a aprendizagem acerca da Teoria Fundamentada nos Dados vai além da habilidade para operacionalizar um conjunto de procedimentos e técnicas. Implica, também, em desaios de transfor-mação na postura como pesquisador e em novas formas de pensar e pesquisar, reu-nindo conhecimentos a parir dos dados para formar uma teoria.
dEScRiToRES Enfermagem
Pesquisa em enfermagem
Pesquisa metodológica em enfermagem Pesquisa qualitaiva
AbSTRAcT
This descripive-relexive study was per-formed with the objecive to present the characterisics of researchers who use the Grounded Theory method, and outline the development of apitudes for the re-searcher to become a Grounded Theorei-cian. The theoreical discussion was based on the frameworks of this methodology and supported by the literature. The aricle presents the main demands of qualitaive studies using Grounded Theory, and im-portant behaviors, aitudes and charac-terisics developed by the researchers. It is concluded that learning about Grounded Theory involves more than operaionaliz-ing a group of procedures and techniques. It also involves facing challenges to change one’s aitude as a researcher and develop new ways of thinking and researching, gathering knowledge based on data to form a theory.
dEScRiPToRS Nursing
Nursing research
Nursing methodology research Qualitaive research
RESUmEn
Estudio de naturaleza descripivo-relexiva que objeiva presentar las caracterísicas del invesigador que uiliza el método Teo-ría Fundamentada en los Datos y delinear relexiones sobre el desarrollo de las api-tudes del invesigador para transformarse en un Teórico Fundamentado. La discusión teórica se basó en los referenciales de esa metodología y obtuvo apoyo en la litera-tura. El arículo presenta las principales demandas de estudios cualitaivos con
la Grounded Theory e importantes
com-portamientos, acitudes, caracterísicas desarrolladas por los invesigadores. Se constata que el aprendizaje de la Teoría Fundamentada en los Datos va más allá de la habilidad para poner en operaividad un conjunto de procedimientos y técnicas. Im-plica también desaíos de transformación en la postura como invesigador y nuevas formas de pensar e invesigar, reuniendo conocimientos a parir de los datos para expresar una teoría.
dEScRiPToRES Enfermería
Invesigación en enfermería
Invesigación metodológica en enfermería Invesigación cualitaiva
Joséte Luzia Leite1, Laura Johanson da Silva2, Rosane mara Pontes de oliveira3,
marluci Andrade conceição Stipp4
REFlExõES SoBRE o PESqUISADoR NAS TRIlhAS DA TEoRIA FUNDAMENTADA NoS DADoS
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Rev Esc Enferm USP 2012; 46(3):765-9 www.ee.usp.br/reeusp/Thoughts regarding researchers utilizing Grounded Theory
Leite JL, Silva LJ, Oliveira RMP, Stipp MAC inTRodUcTion
This descripive and relexive study emerged from
ex-periences in the graduate subject Qualitaive Research
Methods: the Grounded Theory Approach, ofered at Es
-cola de Enfermagem Anna Nery of Universidade Federal
do Rio de Janeiro, in the second semester of 2009, and
aciviies in the interest group: Grounded Theory. On the
occasion of the subject, the group is integrated, providing interested students with learning on the methodological and analyic procedures, as well as the theoreical con-structs supporing research techniques.
The teaching-learning strategies, put in pracice in seminars, presentaions, criical readings, interest group meeings and group debates simulated growth, based on the apprehension of new contents and opportuniies to share theoreical and pracical knowledge in research. This whole intellectual mobilizaion was experienced both individual and collecively.
Thus, learning about Grounded Theory (GT) as a qualitaive method goes beyond the skill to put in pracice a set of procedures and techniques. It also involves a new form of thinking an researching on a certain social reality in Nursing, joining knowledge based on data and study them to establish a theory. This challenge implied changes in our pos-ture as researchers. For nursing, Grounded Theory represents a very promising method-ological framework for qualitaive research, as it permits knowledge construcion about phenomena that have hardly or not been ex-plored, deriving from nursing pracice, as well as the proposal of theories rooted in the data. These theories can considerably contribute to Nursing knowledge and pracice, as they emerge from the invesigaion of human
inter-acions and from the meanings the social actors atribute(1).
This study aims to: presents the characterisics of re-searchers who use the Grounded Theory method and relect on the development of invesigators’ apitudes to become Grounded Theory researchers.
THE RESEARcHER in THE QUALiTATiVE APPRoAcH USinG GRoUndEd THEoRY
Qualitaive research is considered, from an inter/ cross-disciplinary focus as a set of muliple pracices, methods, forms and a muli-paradigmaic focus. The term
itself qualitaive refers to an emphasis on the qualiies of
processes, of social experience, of meanings, i.e. of what cannot be experimentally measured. Qualitaive research-ers, inluenced by muliple ethical and poliical postures, are commited to understanding and interpreing human
experience. Therefore, in qualitaive studies, they under-line reality in its socially constructed nature, the values of the invesigaion, the relaion between researchers and
their objects and the challenges of research(2).
The qualitaive research laboratory is daily life and, therefore, the development, descripion and operaion of theory in qualitaive studies will be the result and product of the invesigaion process. To advance on the consolida-ion of Nursing as a Science, it is fundamental to develop theories that sustain speciic nursing knowledge and, con-sequently, that this is the base of autonomous and
evi-dence-based pracice(3).
In general, what marks researchers who, insigated by some pracical quesion, focus on a qualitaive project, are atributes like intuiion and sensiivity. During the study, however, some other characterisics and skills emerge or are even developed. Qualitaive researchers who intend to accomplish a study through Grounded Theory, like in other qualitaive approaches, need to keep in mind the commitment emphasized above and, at the same ime, examine techniques and meth-odological procedures. In the trajectory the diferent phases and requirements of Grounded Theory (GT) research need to fol-low, they need to develop apitudes to be-come Grounded Theory researchers.
Two sociologists, Barney Glaser and An-selm Strauss, originally developed Grounded Theory as a research method in 1967, under the inluence of earlier approaches, espe-cially analyic inducion and Symbolic Interac-ion, established in sociology since the Chica-go School. They qualitaive analyic rules they proposed inluenced a large number of con-temporary qualitaive methods. According to
them, in contrast with a priori theoreical
ori-entaion, theories should be based, rooted in the data obtained in the ield, especially in acions, interac-ions and social processes. Thus, research should produce
or discover a theory to explain the phenomenon(4).
Qualitaive research is ground for muliple interpre-taive pracices. Especially concerning Grounded Theory, this methodological mode is rooted in the epistemologi-cal posture of Interpreivism, according to which social/ human acion is inherently signiicant, i.e. it has inten-ional contents, a system of meanings it belongs to. In this sense, researchers are responsible for understanding the meaning that consitutes this acion. This understanding is an intellectual process through which researchers gain
knowledge about the object(5).
In other words, the main aim of Grounded Theory is to produce theoreical constructs that explain human acion inserted in its social context. The social processes emerg-ing from this scenario are the bases for the invesigator to explain the phenomenon, through interpretaion, using
Grounded Theory represents a very promising methodological framework for qualitative research, as
it permits knowledge construction about phenomena that have
hardly or not been explored, deriving from
inducive and deducive approaches. Therefore, the the-ory that emerges from the invesigaion is based on data
instead of a pre-exising theoreical body(6).
The value of this method is precisely the ability not on-ly to create the theory, but to derive it from the qualitaive data that were joined. For the analysis process, interpreta-ion is the key elements, which is exhausively systemaic. In contrast with theories deriving from speculaions or ex-perience-based concepts, grounded theories tend to pic-ture reality more and, consequently, ofer greater
discern-ment and understanding of the research phenomenon(7).
inVESTiGAToR cHARAcTERiSTicS And APTiTUdES To bEcomE A GRoUndEd THEoRY RESEARcHER
Creaive aitude, curiosity and estheic look
Creaivity and curiosity consitute important tools that favor a change in our way of seeing the world, as they simulate relecion and inquiry. It is fundamental for re-searchers to be able to learn by themselves; through the pracice of cogniive strategies; through the acivity to
in-vent, create and through relexive consciousness(8).
In an ethical perspecive, a scieniic study demands commitment from researchers, which goes beyond the achievement of results and the study conclusion. This commitment surpasses methodological requirements and research techniques. There should be a desire to change reality, to transform it, to recreate it. This spring for hu-man ethics should be valued in knowledge producion and in the development of nursing researchers.
To obtain a transformaion that will be consolidated, creaivity is needed. Producing knowledge that intends to transform social reality is a creaive acivity. A creaive horizon is capable of detaching researchers from the mere reproducion of what exists, from the immediate, and proj-ects them into the future, to what emerges and is almost al-ways unknown. A creaive individual establishes an estheic relaion with reality, based on sensiivity, going beyond the
physical and concrete existence of the object(9).
For Grounded Theory researchers, the interpreive pro-cess is the foundaion that permeates the whole trajectory of data coding and categorizaion. This process should be well described, detailed and reviewed, demanding a constant cu-rious look on the data from researchers and a creaive and estheic relaion to organize and present them, besides es-tablishes connecions among the categories and, inally, pre-sening the paradigmaic model (when this is the goal).
The constant look of curiosity on the data is the ele-ment that allows researchers, during the enire analyic process, to seek new reading angles, new senses for the coniguraion of hardly explored realiies in scieniic terms. Curiosity associated with creaive aitude contrib-utes to signiicantly apprehend the phenomenon.
Criical thinking, lexibility and openness to exchange
Scieniic knowledge is an important value in nursing acions, enhancing the exercise of autonomy. For evi-dence-based and high-quality nursing pracice, it is funda-mental for nurses, in the wide range of contexts they are inserted in, to be research consumers and/or producers, through educaional processes and pracical experience. Research is, then, a link between theory, educaion and pracice. The qualitaive research process itself contrib-utes to the development of relexive thinking and criical reading skills, through which researchers analyze the data
collected in the ield(10-11).
The irst and important step is to understand that phenomena are complex and, hence, that meanings are not easy to understand. To study a phenomenon using Grounded Theory, researchers need to be self-relexive. This means saying that they need to use the low of ideas, those deriving from the wealth of data as well as theorei-cal ideas, as this will help them to make the study analyi-cally dense. They need to develop the ability to return, as oten as necessary, to criically analyze situaions and
ac-knowledge research trends and biases(7).
Gaining criical thinking takes ime and demands intel-lectual involvements, as well as researchers’ gradual and constant development. At the same ime as it is consid-ered a very raional process, it is highly emoional. Think-ing criically is reasonThink-ing, examinThink-ing concepts, ideas, as-serions, beliefs, acions, inferences, presupposiions, principles, arguments, reasons, jusiicaions, character-isics, examples and experiences. It is the art of thinking consciously about one’s own and other people’s thinking, quesioning the propriety of the contents, measuring and
applying models or criteria to assess and interpret(12).
Criical thinking skills on the data are fully demanded from researchers who use Grounded Theory. They need to face their data as precious materials that will allow them to make comparisons and discover properies and dimen-sions, as these are what the grounded theory will emerge from. They need to intensely work on and appreciate what can be done with the data, based on their interacion in the interpretaion process. Flexibility and openness to useful criicism are two other important characterisics that are strongly emphasized in training seminars for researchers using this method. During all research phases, exchange of ideas and interchange deriving from group discussions are highly beneicial aitudes for researchers’ learning and
de-velopment, as well as for the quality of the research(7).
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Leite JL, Silva LJ, Oliveira RMP, Stipp MAC
Theoreical sensiivity and commitment to the interviewees and society
Theoreical sensiivity is a fundamental requisite to ac-knowledge the relevance of certain concepts, the importance of certain facts and the theoreical weight obtained from the data to develop the grounded theory. It is developed across the whole research work, from the concepion of the proj-ect, through data analysis, unil the theory is designed. This capacity generally increases during the development of the research project, to the extent that the researcher makes
ef-forts to enhance the theoreical density of the analysis(7).
Theoreical sensiivity refers to the ability to disin-guish diferences and data variaions, in conceptual terms, in the coding and interpretaion process of the meanings. Researchers need to deeply understand their data and ob-serve their interacion in research. This ability is based on the knowledge gained in scieniic literature, professional experience and especially the researcher’s experience in
the analyic process of Grounded Theory(13).
In the context of the post-posiivist paradigm, theoret-ical sensiivity can be considered a criterion of strictness for the grounded theory, as it emphasizes the use of self-relecion, making the researchers demanding with regard
to research and analysis quesions(14).
For qualitaive researchers, the data collecion ield is not only an environment selected for the research, but al-so a context in which human relaions will demand much more than research techniques. The relaions between the researcher and research subject constructed during the study development should be highlighted. These re-laions established during data collecion will guarantee the success of the ield research. This demands sensiivity from the researchers to promote dialogue and
recepive-ness in the study scenario(15).
For researchers who develop a study using Grounded Theory, the ield research is essenial to enhance the wealth of data. Each meeing with the subjects, whether for inter-views or observaion, represents an opportunity to appre-hend the complexity of the meanings and acions that are socially constructed in daily life. Therefore, in an incessant movement of comings and goings to the data collecion ield, it is fundamental for researchers to be open to listen, sen-siive to words and acions, so as to interpret and code the data the subjects declared or manifested in the scenario.
In qualitaive research, the ability to look, listen and write is a requisite to construct knowledge rooted in the researchers’ experience and learning. The diicul-ies, challenges, discoveries and victories in this exercise of sensiivity, approximaion and distancing during data collecion and analysis are important research steps that need to be socialized.
In general, researchers who use Grounded Theory in-tensely want to contribute. The method itself determines that the subjects’ words and acions be highly valued. Therefore, most researchers hope that their work will be
of direct relevance or potenial for the academic and
non-academic public(7).
In the context of this higher target, the constant exer-cise of sensiivity is fundamental for the researchers, start-ing with the elaboraion of the research quesions, based on concerns originaing in nursing pracice or even from knowledge gaps, even when the intent is to concreize the study contribuions based on the results. These phases gain a sense of re-signiicaion of the process of being or becoming a nurse-researcher, as a social actor, not only complying with requirements for the sake of scieniic en-dorsement and advancing to a commitment to efecive transforming acions.
Determinaion
Like other qualitaive methods, Grounded Theory is an analyic reference framework that demands research-ers’ intense involvement in all of its phases and processes, especially regarding energy and ime. The paricipaion of research aids is hardly possible and, therefore, an aitude
of dedicaion is necessary(1).
Besides, in qualitaive research, the best indicators of research quality are its internal coherence, strict use of the method and the author’s idelity to the theoreical frame-work. To achieve these indicators, researchers certainly need determinaion. Speciically in Grounded Theory, the use of techniques and procedures to develop the grounded theory is generally exhausive for the researchers, demand-ing an extra dose of efort and determinaion to reach their targets and achieve the research goals. In this method, the researchers unavoidably become totally absorbed and de-voted to the work process, especially due to the need for abstract thinking. Like analysts, they move along with the
research and feel safe with the data and results(7,16).
The constant relaion with the data, the concomitant collecion and analysis process, the requirement for a detailed descripion of the enire process, among other Grounded Theory research requisites, can arouse am-biguous feelings of pleasure/displeasure, delight/disgust, desire for approximaion/distancing. This intellectual and emoional mobilizaion indicates the researchers’ sensiiv-ity and transformaion during the research act.
Determinaion is the ability to balance this ambiguity and coninue to reach targets, without stopping relexive-criical work, overcoming the obstacles of the ieldwork, the analyic process and deadlines set. All of this demands theoreical discipline, methodological rigor but, above all, knowledge producion results from a certain dose of
phantasy, emoiveness and moivaion(9).
concLUSion
produc-ion needs to respond not only to the requisites nursing teaching is confronted with, but also serve as sources of problem-solving transformaions in care pracice. Thus, we are facing the challenges of construcing valid knowl-edge that minimizes the great gap exising between what is scieniically produced and what is applied in health acions. Nurse researchers need to be creaive subjects, agents of transformaion, because Nursing will keep on ighing for social and poliical condiions that permit hu-manizaion and evidence-based pracice.
Great advances have been conquered through research aimed at understanding the processes of living, geing ill, caring and being cared for, among other phenomena that are loaded with meanings and concepions. Qualitaive nursing research ofers the possibility to approach the sub-jecive dimensions of experiences, human acions and in-teracions, going beyond the strictly biomedical view, which is common in the discussion of the health-disease process.
Diferent perspecives, currents and disinct method-ological routes exist to address meanings. Choosing one strategy will equally depend on the research problem and
the researcher’s posiioning in one paradigm. In the list of possibiliies, researchers who aim to construct a theory, rooted in data, to explain a study phenomenon have elect-ed Groundelect-ed Theory. The strictness and systemaic deini-ion of the analyic process in this method have stood out and have inluenced the credibility of qualitaive results.
In a general perspecive, the characterisics and api-tudes highlighted in this paper can apply to any qualitaive research. What is paricular, however, is that to develop a study based on Grounded Theory, the set of these charac-terisics is fundamental for researchers to be theoreically sensiive or, in other words, to be capable of using deduc-ive and inducdeduc-ive processes to interpret and atribute concepts with a high level of abstracion.
We consider that Grounded Theory has been greatly welcomed in nursing due to its solid contribuion for a bet-ter understanding of hardly explored phenomena and for the producion of explanatory models and theories. Through its systemizaion of data collecion and analysis, it provides a useful framework to guide researchers in the study of inter-personal aciviies among people in the care universe.
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