An Interdisciplinary/ Collaborative Approach to Qualitative Research
Michelle Ghoston, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies; Tiffany Drape, Agricultural and Extension Education;
Joseph Mukuni, Career and Technical Education; Chloe Ruff , Educational Psychology;
Dr. Elizabeth Creamer, Professor , Educational Research and Evaluation
Cider Presentation 2011
Introduction
 Grounded theory offers a way of constructing
sociological reality; using this method fosters
developing analytic and conceptual constructions of
the data.
Grounded theorists aim to create
theoretical categories from the data and then
analyze relationships between key categories. The
researcher constructs theory from the data,
examining the lived experiences of the research
participants (Charmaz, 1990).
 Collaboration creates the opportunity for significant
theoretical insight.
Collaboration is further
comprised of mutual discussion and individual
reflection.
 A classroom project allowed this group of
researchers, an opportunity to collaborate in the
development of a grounded theory of how care was
demonstrated to a client, as depicted in two popular
movies (Good Will Hunting and Antwone Fisher).
*This poster depicts a concept map which represents the initial
coding scheme, followed by a grounded theory model, and
ultimately a map noting the process: phase by phase.
Concept Map for Showing
Authority
Example of a
Final Grounded
Theory Model
Depiction of grounded theory of the role of positive
relationships for healing and well being to occur
 The model shows the categories of codes that emerged
as central to the process of caretaking, as well as
identified elements of the context that are important,
and the outcomes.
 The model was refined through theoretical sampling. In
this case, application to a second movie.
 The central hypothesis is that a positive relationship is
necessary for healing and wellbeing to occur.
Benefits of a Collaborative
Approach
Enrichment of student’s point of view by fellow
students’ and faculty member’s alternative viewpoints;
Possibility of mentoring from both peers and faculty
member;
Enjoyable and effective learning;
Increased retention of learned material;
Good preparation for community of practice
Depiction of an initial coding scheme, that was later
refined and narrowed.
The concept map shows an early step in the process of
developing a grounded theory
It illustrates how the concepts in the grounded theory are
tied to the data through the open/descriptive codes.
Map of the Overall
Process
References
Charmaz, K. (1990). Discovering' chronic illness: Using grounded theory. Social
Science & Medicine, 30(11), 1161-1172. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(90)90256-r
Skinner, E. A., & Belmont, M. J. (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal
effects of teacher
behavior and student engagement across the school year. Journal of
Educational Psychology, 85(4),
571-581.
Created by C.L. Bohannon
Engagement
Engagement in educational experiences is
subtle and focuses on cognitive, behavioral, and
affective indicators. Engaged students show
sustained behavioral involvement in learning
tasks and initiate action when given the
opportunity (Skinner & Belmont, 1993).
Sustained behavioral involvement is shown
through:
 Continuous peer review
 Feedback on assignments & discussion
points
 Increased expectations throughout course
 Focused feedback from one partner to
build rapport
 Multi-level feedback led to increased
engagement