Constructivist grounded theory: Research on digital technology practices in higher education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5294/edu.2023.26.3.3Keywords:
Qualitative analysis, higher education, methodology, teaching practice, educational technologyAbstract
Within the qualitative paradigm, grounded theory (GT) stands as a solid research method, highly productive when the object of study is unknown, little explored, dynamic, or fuzzy. It facilitates original analyses based on reiterative comparisons of the data, from which a substantive “grounded” theory emerges. However, as a method that has been improved and fine-tuned over six decades, GT presents several perspectives: classical, Straussian, constructivist, and situational. This article aims to show the constructivist GT method in a study on innovative teaching practices (with digital technologies) of public higher education teachers in Brazil, exemplifying different stages of the methodology and data analysis process. In addition, the construction of substantive theorization is illustrated in praxis, where the emerging theory is the active, fundamental, and collaborative aspect that derives from the study in question, showing the benefits of applying the method to research. Finally, the article makes important contributions to novice researchers who wish to go through their data supported by constructivist GT analysis tools and to all those who want to explore this solid qualitative method.
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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
Grant numbers Nº 88881.284139/2018-01.



