ABSTRACT
Research involving evaluations and interventions that use random control clinical trials is a subset of the wider body of empirical research using grounded theory methods that is well adapted to a mixed methods approach (Creamer, 2018). One reason for this compatibility is that this type of research is necessarily generally framed by a multi-layered set of research questions that seek to measure the outcomes of an activity, course, or program as well as to identify that conditions that facilitate and inhibit them. A systematic approach to MM-GT can generate a substantive explanation for the failure of quantitative methods to support the effectiveness of the activity in producing the targeted outcomes. It can also provide valuable insight about how the intervention might be refined in future iterations. Using two examples from this literature, this hands-on workshop provides participants with the tools to develop a theoretical framework from quantitative and qualitative evaluation data.
NARRATIVE
Leading figures who write about grounded theory differ in the emphasis they place on it as a process or product. Corbin and Strauss (2008) use the term more generically to refer to a set of procedures to develop to use qualitative analytical constructs to develop theoretical constructs. Charmaz (2014) the leading proponent for a constructivist framing of grounded, defines it as a set of systematic procedures to analyze qualitative data inductively to construct conceptual frameworks or theories. Classic grounded theory is often represented in a figure that is variously called a paradigm model (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) or a conditional matrix that identifies the core phenomenon, contextual and more local conditions that influence the phenomenon, actions/strategies, and outcomes (Johnson, McGowan, & Turner, 2010). Noting its suitability for understanding complexity in the human world, Johnson et al. (2010) contend that mixed methods are well suited for use with classical grounded theory.
Using two examples from this literature and data collected during the session in the form of a critical incident, this hands-on skill oriented workshop provides participants with the tools to develop a theoretical framework from quantitative and qualitative evaluation data. Objectives for the workshop include to (a) review the distinctions between multi-method, mixed method, and fully integrated mixed method research; (b) distinguish the potential value-added of using a mixed method approach to evaluation research; (c) illustrate the steps involved in generating a grounded theory through theoretical coding of qualitatively and quantitatively derived constructs, and (d) to investigate ways that theories can be tested and refined, including through theoretical sampling.
The quality of research in applied fields, like education, has been criticized for the failure to incorporate theory and to generate knowledge that is transferable to other settings. This workshop reflects standards of quality in evaluation theory and methods by demonstrating ways to generate and test theories developed using mixed method approaches to grounded theory.