Bryman: Social Research Methods: 3e 
Multiple choice questions
Case studiesBryman: Social Research Methods: 3e
Chapter 22
http://www.groundedtheory.com/
This is the main ‘official’ website about grounded theory, founded by Barney Glaser himself. The Grounded Theory Institute runs seminars and conferences about the method, has its own international journal and an online forum. This is the place to go to if you are really keen on pursuing grounded theory!
http://www.analytictech.com/mb870/introtoGT.htm
Here is a more straightforward account of what grounded theory is and how to use it. Written by Steve Borgatti, the paper outlines the key principles of grounded theorizing and then goes on to discuss open, axial and selective coding in turn, using worked examples of qualitative data. There is also a brief mention of ‘theoretical memos’ as a helpful tool for such analysis.
http://staff.bath.ac.uk/psscg/QM-Nar-lec.htm
This page provides a user-friendly and accessible summary of the main features of narrative analysis. It has been compiled by Chris Griffen at the University of Bath, but is based on a chapter about ‘Narrative in Social Research’ by Steph Lawler (in Tim May’s [2002] book, “Qualitative Research in Action”. London: Sage). Here you can find out about the core beliefs and principles to which narrative analysts adhere, and learn more about structural approaches, Bruner’s influential ideas and the role of narratives in folk psychology. Visit the website and then read the original chapter!
http://www.clarku.edu/~mbamberg/LabovWaletzky.htm
This paper was written by William Labov and Joshua Waletsky from Harvard University, and is taken from the “Journal of Narrative and Life History” (Vol. 7, 1997, 3-38). The article provides a formal account of the theoretical framework used in narrative analysis and focuses on how this method can reveal the various linguistic styles used by different social groups. The authors draw upon some interesting data from four linguistic studies they conducted with a sample of 600 ‘uneducated’ people.
http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU22.html
Janet Heaton, a Research Fellow at the University of York, has written this useful account of the role played by secondary analysis in qualitative research. She firstly outlines what secondary analysis is and suggests that it has not been very widely applied to qualitative data, despite its potential value. She then goes on to consider some of the methodological and ethical factors involved in such research, and her theoretical reflections on the debate will be of use to anyone who is thinking about using this technique in their own research project.
View print version