Bachelor 2025/2026

Grounded Theory; Traditions and Practices

Type: Elective course (Sociology)

Delivered by: School of Sociology

When: 3 year, 4 module

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Kadir Uysal

Language: English

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Grounded theory (GT) is a popular tool within the qualitative research tradition. Many examples of qualitative research claim to employ GT, often in ways that are not in line with GT principles. This course is designed to give you an introductory opportunity to produce your own, original, GT research. GT is a research methodology that aims to develop theories based on empirical data collected from observations and interviews. It involves systematically analyzing the data to identify patterns and concepts, which are then used to generate theories that explain the phenomena being studied. Students of the course will have the opportunity to learn and practice all the steps of a GT project, which will enable them to apply such practices in their theses. The course begins by providing a historical and philosophical context for GT, and examination of different traditions of GT. The following weeks are reserved for the practicality of GT methods and offers a valuable opportunity for students to engage in hands-on research. It offers assistance in understanding gathering data, creating research tools, coding data, and deriving theory from the main category identified. The final objective of this course involves the production of a GT research proposal focused on your own research agenda.