Exploring the use of entity‐relationship diagramming as a technique to support grounded theory inquiry
Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management
ISSN: 1746-5648
Article publication date: 16 November 2010
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare fundamental concepts from the grounded theory approach to social science research and concepts from entity‐relationship diagramming, a technique used to model data from the field of systems analysis, and propose that entity‐relationship diagramming can be a useful tool for grounded theory researchers.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper compares and contrasts concepts from the two different fields, demonstrating the construction of an entity‐relationship diagram from data from an existing grounded theory research project, and the correspondence between the data model constructs and the grounded theory constructs.
Findings
A strong correspondence was found between these two sets of concepts and suggests that the entity‐relationship diagramming technique may be a useful addition to the social scientist's toolkit when carrying out research using the grounded theory approach.
Originality/value
The paper bridges two distinct fields – information systems and grounded theory – and proposes a novel way for qualitative researchers to analyse and depict data.
Keywords
Citation
Brady, M. and Loonam, J. (2010), "Exploring the use of entity‐relationship diagramming as a technique to support grounded theory inquiry", Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 224-237. https://doi.org/10.1108/17465641011089854
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited