Grounded Theory
A Practical Guide
1st Edition
Published on 20. December 2010
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-84860-992-1 (ISBN)
Description
Nominated for The Qualitative Book Award for 2013
Watch Melanie Birks' interview on grounded theory
This is a highly practical book which introduces the whole range of grounded theory approaches. Unlike most existing books in this area, which are written from a particular philosophical standpoint, this text provides a comprehensive description of the strategies and techniques employed in this methodology.
Birks and Mills accessible and highly-readable text is driven by practical case examples throughout to help the reader get to grips with the process of doing grounded theory analysis for themselves. The book deploys a variety of educational activities to guide readers through both the principles and the application of grounded theory, making this an ideal starter text for those new to the approach.
This is an ideal first introduction to grounded theory for any student or researcher looking to use grounded theory approaches in their analysis for the first time.
Watch Melanie Birks' interview on grounded theory
This is a highly practical book which introduces the whole range of grounded theory approaches. Unlike most existing books in this area, which are written from a particular philosophical standpoint, this text provides a comprehensive description of the strategies and techniques employed in this methodology.
Birks and Mills accessible and highly-readable text is driven by practical case examples throughout to help the reader get to grips with the process of doing grounded theory analysis for themselves. The book deploys a variety of educational activities to guide readers through both the principles and the application of grounded theory, making this an ideal starter text for those new to the approach.
This is an ideal first introduction to grounded theory for any student or researcher looking to use grounded theory approaches in their analysis for the first time.
Reviews / Votes
'Overall, Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide by Melanie Birks and Jane Mills (2011) is a well-written, easy to read and understand text that is highly organized and practical' -The Qualitative Report
'As a guide for learning grounded theory the book is outstanding' -
International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches
Melanie Birks and Jane Mills are to be congratulated on compiling a book on grounded theory that reviews the field and provides excellent advice to the researcher... Birks and Mills provide a framework for researchers who wish to undertake research that follows a principled approach to making choices about important issues for researchers from diverse backgrounds and with varying levels of experience and or expertise... The book is well written, easy to understand and well set out. Each chapter begins with learning objectives and concludes with a summary, critical questions and leads to appendices that suggest that the reader pursue additional examples of grounded theory.
Professor Ruth Rentschler
Australasian Journal of Market & Social Research
Activity boxes prompt the reader to captalise on the activity conducted in the previous chapter. This activity becomes prospective in its focus and enables knowledge and learning to be taken forward in order to embrace the present chapter... The content of this paperback provides a fundamental approach to comprehend the processes involved in developing a grounded theory.
Jane Ryan
Qualitative Research
Grounded Thoery: A Practical Guide is comprehensive and covers topics in depth. This book could be used as a text for an introductory class for graduate students. The format is very appealing and useful for teaching; it is well structured and clearly written. Each chapter includes learning objectives, introduction to the chapter, activities, a "window into GT" (grounded theory; well-chosen examples), a "working grounded theory" (exercises), critical thinking questions, boxes, bullets, models, and conclusions.
Martha Ann Carey
Qualitative Health Research
I fell in love with the fact that Grounded Theory allows ideas and information to flow in as it comes, without the biases. Research automatically takes shape while processing thoughts and information in your mind, helping you to discover a lot more then what you started with.
Ekta Kudale
MA student, Wilfrid Laurier University
Overall, Grounded Theory is a very enlightening experience and will likely serve as an effective guide for any grounded theory research that I perform over the next few years. Thank you very much.
Michael Aiello
MA student, Wilfrid Laurier University
The book, and the theory itself, offered some attractive tenets for aspiring researchers, specifically in terms of identifying personal biases or assumptions that may not be self-evident. While this is not unique to the theory, I found the attitude towards personal bias and the utility hidden within very welcoming, as it offers a potential tool as opposed to an inherent weakness.
Jason Molloy
MA student, Wilfrid Laurier University
I'd like here to praise the extensive focus on practical advice given in Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide. Rather than present grounded theory as a magic bullet that bypasses all the shortcomings of other qualitative research methods, Birks and Mills present the depth and frequency of the pitfalls, that research inherently contains... grounded theory will be given serious consideration when I begin looking at doing field work.
Russell Ramey
MA student, Wilfrid Laurier University
I found reading Grounded Theory illuminating in a variety of ways. The activities provided throughout the book were highly informative in that they offered a practical method in allowing the reader to "play" with the some of the techniques presented in each chapter... I really had the chance to understand just how much qualitative information is able to surface, in regards to not only research data, but the way my own thoughts, assumptions and connections play in to the discoveries being made. For me, it was refreshing to know that it is encouraged to just let my mind "run wild," without having a specific question that needs to be answered... Overall, I absorbed that grounded theory, for me, has become the "orthodoxy" of qualitative research methods, and I very much appreciate Birks and Mills presentation of the text.
Keri Raif
MA student, Wilfrid Laurier University
Your book helped me find a love of Grounded Theory
Marisha McAuliffe
PhD Student, School of Design, Queensland University of Technology
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 242 mm
Width: 170 mm
Weight
520 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84860-992-1 (9781848609921)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Book
02/2015
2nd Edition
SAGE Publications Ltd
€186.01
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
Melanie Birks is employed as Professor of Nursing (Teaching and Learning) at James Cook University, a role which serves her passions for education, research and nursing. Her primary focus is on the promotion of scholarship in teaching and learning through mentorship and fostering a culture of research. She has extensive experience in international education, having taught in Hong Kong, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia.
Her research interests are in the areas of accessibility, innovation, relevance and quality in nursing education to ensure preparation of graduates who are industry-ready and able to make a contribution to the profession. Her commitment to research is reflected in her publication history, which includes numerous journal articles and book chapters. Most recently, she co-authored a qualitative research text for graduate students, Qualitative methodology: A Practical Guide with Dr Jane Mills.
Jane Mills is Associate Professor, Director Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Research and Deputy Dean of the Graduate Research School at James Cook University, Cairns Campus, Australia. In this role Jane works closely with students and academic staff to build research and research education with the intent of creating a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference. Jane's research in in the areas of primary health care, health workforce development, health systems strengthening, and teaching and learning uses both grounded theory and mixed methods. Jane has published extensively in the area of qualitative methodology with her work on grounded theory particularly well received. She has been writing with Melanie for nearly 10 years and together they have produced a number of important peer-reviewed articles and books that have guided students in their own work. Visit Jane Mills' website at http://research.jcu.edu.au/portfolio/jane.mills/.
Her research interests are in the areas of accessibility, innovation, relevance and quality in nursing education to ensure preparation of graduates who are industry-ready and able to make a contribution to the profession. Her commitment to research is reflected in her publication history, which includes numerous journal articles and book chapters. Most recently, she co-authored a qualitative research text for graduate students, Qualitative methodology: A Practical Guide with Dr Jane Mills.
Jane Mills is Associate Professor, Director Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Research and Deputy Dean of the Graduate Research School at James Cook University, Cairns Campus, Australia. In this role Jane works closely with students and academic staff to build research and research education with the intent of creating a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference. Jane's research in in the areas of primary health care, health workforce development, health systems strengthening, and teaching and learning uses both grounded theory and mixed methods. Jane has published extensively in the area of qualitative methodology with her work on grounded theory particularly well received. She has been writing with Melanie for nearly 10 years and together they have produced a number of important peer-reviewed articles and books that have guided students in their own work. Visit Jane Mills' website at http://research.jcu.edu.au/portfolio/jane.mills/.
Content
Essentials of grounded theory
Planning a grounded theory study
Quality processes in grounded theory research
Positioning the researcher in a grounded theory study
Data generation and collection
Data analysis in grounded theory
Theoretical integration
Presenting a grounded theory
Evaluation and application of grounded theory
Situating grounded theory in the context of current debate
Glossary
Appendix A Working grounded theory - An example
Appendix B Windows into grounded theory - Contributor biographies
References
Planning a grounded theory study
Quality processes in grounded theory research
Positioning the researcher in a grounded theory study
Data generation and collection
Data analysis in grounded theory
Theoretical integration
Presenting a grounded theory
Evaluation and application of grounded theory
Situating grounded theory in the context of current debate
Glossary
Appendix A Working grounded theory - An example
Appendix B Windows into grounded theory - Contributor biographies
References