A Critique of Four Grounded Theory Texts

Abstract

This article is a review of Discovery of Grounded Theory by Glaser and Strauss, Basics of Qualitative Research by Strauss and Corbin, Constructing Grounded Theory by Charmaz, and Situational Analysis by Clarke across six categories, including the authors' purposes, structure of the books, practical applications of the books' methods, how the authors approach theory and data emergence, how the authors judge grounded theory research and finally, if the authors have achieved their purposes. For the most part, I found that all books accomplished their purposes. Discovery was weak in practical applications but strong on logical arguments for the usage of grounded theory. Basics contained many practical tools but some of the techniques discussed forced data into certain categories. Constructing was written in a very clear, easy-to-follow format that novices might find useful. Situational contained many tools, but with a focus on situations rather than actors.