Grounded Theory

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/.

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