Beyond the Paradigm Conflicts: A Four-Step Coding Instrument for Grounded Theory

Abstract

Grounded theory (GT) has established itself as a rigorous process that allows in-depth analysis. The popularity of GT demands that implementation process be made easy to understand and adopt especially for novice grounded theorists. This article, therefore, introduces an analytic instrument to enable grounded theorists to organize handling of data and coding in a sophisticated manner with productive results. The Ünlü-Qureshi instrument, an analytic tool for grounded theorists, comprises four steps: code, concept, category, and theme. Each step helps in understanding, interpreting, and organizing the data in a way that leads toward theory emerging from the data. The Ünlü-Qureshi instrument was used in two studies using GT: one where students’ feedback was examined and other where mentoring patterns were studied. Both studies found the Ünlü-Qureshi instrument a useful tool. This article explains the GT steps and implementation of Ünlü-Qureshi instrument for grounded theorists, especially novice researchers.