Abstract

STUDY ON LEVELS OF THEORY: GRAND TO GROUNDED

NEERU SALARIA

Volume: 3 Issue: 4 2013

Abstract:

Theories tied to observation and meant to apply in a particular area of application are called “grounded” by Glaser and Strauss (1967). In their study of the awareness of death, Glaser and Strauss demonstrated that middle-range theory is constructed by “grounding” it in observation—that is, building a theory by relying more on observed data than on abstract ideas. Yet, the so-called “grounded theory” approach does not rely entirely on induction (reasoning from particulars to generalizations), but rather moves back and forth from data gathering to deduction (reasoning from generalizations to particular cases) to test the theory.Grounded theories may serve as building blocks for formal theories, while remaining close enough to real-world observations as to give us confidence in their validity. An example from information seeking would be Kuhlthau’s (1993a) model of the search process. Kuhlthau’s model was developed through close observation of the ways that information seekers construct knowledge by tying it to what they already know as they pass through various stages of uncertainty and understanding. It self derived from a general, psychological theory (i.e., Kelly, 1963), Kuhlthau’s model could be expanded into a more general theory of information seeking through further observation and development.

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