Social work has embraced Evidence Based Practice (EBP), and there is widespread recognition of the need for more high quality research on social work practice (Gambrill, 1999). While qualitative research is theoretically included in the reviews of practice research that are necessary for EBP, most reviews are heavily based on quantitative research. One reason is that there is no consensus on what constitutes “quality” in qualitative research. Although grounded theory is widely used in social work research, there is no clear agreement about what constitutes a good grounded theory study. This roundtable provides an opportunity for social work researchers to discuss the standards for quality in grounded theory research.

One difficulty in establishing uniform standards for grounded theory studies is that controversies have developed since GT was developed (Glaser & Strauss,1967). Even the founders of the method have since debated heatedly about the “true” meaning of grounded theory (Glaser, 1992). Any quality standards developed will naturally depend on how these questions are answered.

A number of authors have identified standards against which the methodological quality of qualitative research can be measured (Anastas, 2004; Drisko, 1997; Padgett, 1998. Recent evaluations of qualitative research in general (Shek, Tang & Han, 2005) and of grounded theory studies in particular (Wells,1995) have found the quality of social work research weak. Wells (1995) criticized social work authors for using the term “grounded theory” to describe their work when the methods used did not contain many of the core components of true “grounded theory”.

This roundtable provides an opportunity for a lively discussion of the issue of how methodological quality should be defined in grounded theory studies. It will also provide basic information to those who are interested in learning about this methodology. By bringing together social work researchers who have developed standards as well as those who utilize this model in their research, the roundtable will lead to clearer standards, as well as criteria most appropriate for social work research.

References

Anastas, J.W. (2004) Quality in qualitative evaluation: Issues and possible answers. Research in Social Work Practice 14, 57-65.

Drisko, J.W. (1997) Strengthening qualitative studies and reports: Standards to promote academic integrity. Journal of Social Work Education 33, 185-197.

Gambrill, E. (1999) Evidence-based practice: An alternative to authority-based practice. Families in Society 80, 341-350.

Glaser, B. (1992) Basics of grounded theory analysis. Mill Valley, CA:Sociology Press.