Grounded Theory and Disability Studies: An Investigation Into Legacies of Blindness
Powered By Xquantum

Grounded Theory and Disability Studies: An Investigation Into Leg ...

Chapter 1:  Introduction
Read
image Next

This is a limited free preview of this book. Please buy full access.

Glaser also identified six main intellectual occurrences that shaped what he termed the discovery of grounded theory:

  • Qualitative math. Even though he was trained in quantitative methods, Glaser was largely influenced by P. F. Lazarsfeld at Columbia University, who asserted that there were elements of qualitative data, particularly in the stages before the development of quantitative testing, that could be coded mathematically and vice versa. ‘The definition of qualitative math is circular… (1) there was no qualitative hypothesis or concept that could not have a mathematical concept developed for it and (2) …most mathematical formulas, particularly statistical[,] can be stated qualitatively’ (Glaser, 1998, p. 22).
  • Verification or generation. Again influenced by Lazarsfeld, in his pursuit of theory Glaser argued that it should be induced in the field rather than initially generated before entering the field and then verified, as experimental studies did. ‘In grounded theory I decided to… increase the relationships between the generated categories and properties. Verification hobbled the generation of theory and the generation of inducted hypotheses, and often its value was not relevant’ (Glaser, 1998, p. 23).
  • Index formation and constant comparisons. During the fieldwork, Glaser argued that all instances should be constantly compared to all elements of the existing data that had been gathered, even when they appeared to be irrelevant originally, in order to induce theory.

    • To continually compare each incident to incidents and categories generates meaningful properties of categories. This constant comparison is a far richer yield of concepts and the relationships between them than is the yield from just summing. A theory is generated. (Glaser, 1998, p. 24)

  • Explication de text. Influenced by his training at the Sorbonne, Glaser believed that literature should be read as a part of the data and not as a background to the research. In particular, and like his approach to the objectivity of the fieldwork, he believed that all text should be read line by line and should be seen as devoid of influences
    •