Currently, I am conducting a MA dissertation by using Strauss and Corbin's Grounded Theory. My topic is researching EFL learning demotivation of high school students (16 to 18 years old). My main objectives are to find out demotivating factors, students' coping strategies, and the role of social network in students' remotivation.
I have interviewed 7 students and currently I felt stuck. As Strauss points out, the result should be an overall process, but my findings so far feel somewhat lacking. My process seems all over the place. The number of demotivating factors, coping strategies, and remotivating factors seem much fewer than those of other researches. The discovered findings are also quite similar to those researches as well. Furthermore, I have tried to weave my findings into a process by following the 6 Cs, but the process seem weak and not very persuasive. Therefore, I would like to listen to some advices from people who have experience with similar topics or Grounded Theory. My professor doesn’t know Grounded Theory too well, and he is usually too busy to read my memos carefully to give comments.
If your results are not producing the kind of rich data that you want, you may need to consider either the range of topics that your are pursuing or the eligibility criteria you are using for your participants. In particular, if the processes that you are encountering are "all over the place," then you may need to consider to a more careful targeting of what you are studying and who you are using as informants.
From a GT point of view, this would amount to an evolution in your research questions and research process, based on what you are experiencing in the field.
Straussian grounded theory describes each step from sampling to coding and then to theory formation, explaining the rationale each step of the way. The readers can therefore see how a theory took shape and develop from raw data to refined theoretical propositions/hypotheses.
This article provides details on Straussian Grounded Theory Method: An Illustration:
Article Straussian Grounded Theory Method: An Illustration
We have many students who examine this topic and it appears that you could focus on just onr of the three purposes youve listed which could help focus your work. Good luck!
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