Grounded Theory in Applied Linguistics Research: A Practical Guide

Grounded Theory (GT) has been used extensively in management, organizational studies and ‘caring professions’ such as in psychology, education and the medical profession. But outside these areas, GT is often mistakenly associated with qualitative research traditions such as action research or ethnography. This book demystifies GT for language teachers and researchers. Issues related to epistemology and similar qualitative methodologies will be addressed in order to dispel some of the misconceptions of GT in the TESOL community. Real life examples of how GT is used in the field will help to illustrate a number of opportunities and challenges that are frequently encountered. A distinguishing feature of this book is the linking of GT to ways in which it can generate deeper insight and suggest new ways to address issues in the classrooms and institutions of language teachers. Issues related to disseminating findings, ethical considerations and potential future developments of GT will also be discussed.