Grounded Theory
A qualitative methodology for building theory directly from data through iterative coding, comparison, and theoretical sampling.
Grounded theory develops explanatory theory from the ground up rather than testing an existing one. Data collection and analysis alternate: early interviews are coded, emerging categories guide who or what to sample next, and the constant comparative method refines categories until new data add nothing further, the point called saturation. Coding typically moves from open coding through more focused stages toward a core category that integrates the account.
For a thesis, grounded theory is demanding because it requires iterative fieldwork rather than a single sweep of data collection, and it suits questions about processes where existing theory is thin. Document your coding decisions and memos carefully; that trail is how you show examiners the theory genuinely emerged from the data rather than being imposed on it.
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