Good afternoon Ain. I hope you are well. When you do research, your aim is not only to add knowledge in the practitioners world but also in the existing theory. So, you need to find existing theories or frameworks that can apply to your work e.g disaster/crisis management and use these theories in order to analyze your data through their lenses and see what you can add in them, verify them or refute them. I hope I helped a little bit. Take care Angie.

Hi Angie, thank you for your answer. Do I need a theory or framework if I use grounded theory approach?

The "author of the comment" clearly indicates you need to speak to theory in your proposal. Therefore, you need to provide evidence that you are aware of (i.e., have knowledge of/have read) the theories that might inform the work. As A. Bistaraki stated above, the theoretical links might be to disaster/crisis management  - you need to provide an inkling or suggestion of to what theory the findings might be linked. (For example - the work is not likely linked to learning theories but might be linked to [fill in the blank]_______ .) I hope this is somewhat helpful.

One way of strengthening the theoretical links is through adding in examples of existing literature / published material that supports the points you are making.  So if you are suggesting that there is a strong need to value the experiences of nurses in regard to their individual experiences during disasters, cite other works that also state this, and look at the rationale these authors have given.  Similarly, look to the existing literature in this area and the identified areas for further research, and use these comments as evidence justifying a need to carry out the research, and to link to the wider body of knowledge which is developing in this area.  The underpinning theory that you are using (in your case it sounds like grounded theory) can be a further source to link to similar types of study or to similar reasons for studying a phenomena.  Often the suggestion to  strengthen theoretical links means there is a need to show stronger connection with existing evidence base, and to give a clear indication that you are familiar with the current knowledge in regards to your topic, the way it is thought about in an academic sense, and the type of arguments people are making about it.  This dent mean you can't make your own points and arguments, just that you need to start from a position of strength, with convincing evidence from other published theorists/authors that you then build on.  Your research sounds interesting - I would be interested in seeing how it develops.

Hi to all! Interesting comments. Just one point I want to make regarding Sandra's answer, grounded theory is the methodology that Ain uses. So, it is totally different from the theories that underpin a research. To me, methodology is the strategy that a researcher will use to answer his/her question including data collection methods and analysis, whereas a theory will help the researcher understand the phenomenon under study and illuminate the findings. 

this is the good thing with research gate, in that it generates discussion and alternate view points.  My understanding has always been that the paradigm includes epistemological, ontological and methodological elements (i.e. that this is the overview and values underpinning the research) and that the practicalities of the process i.e. the tools are represented in the methods.  Grounded theory has certainly been positioned as a theory, a paradigm and a methodology, as well as having practical application and generated a number of discussion regarding its application and its tools, and has continued to evolve over time.  An interesting early article by Guba and Lincoln is attached, outlining the methodological values associated with the paradigms within qualitative research, but there are many ways of interpreting and using research approaches, so thank you for your comments Angie.  It all adds to the wider understanding and keeps us thinking and questioning.

Good afternoon! Thank you sandra! I totally agree with you regarding the paradigm concept and actually I am using exactly these terms in my thesis which is a case study. What I am saying is that apart from what paradigm (ontology, epistemology, theoretical perspective and methodology) we use, according to the issue we are investigating there are many theories/frameworks that we can apply and use their lenses in order to explain our findings. For example, my issue is interagency collaboration and irrespective of my methodology (case study) there are many theories of collaboration that I can use in order to verify or extend or even refute. It is great that we can have such a dialogue here! Thanks again!

Hi Ain, I came across this article and I think it will be useful to read it. In this paper, grounded theory is used as a methodology and social-technical theory as a theoretical link. Take a look!!!

Hi,

Interesting question that I'm just now seeing.  Normally with other research methods, you would base your research on a solid theoretical framework because theory directs the variables that are important to study and suggests the relationships among variables in the propositions of that theory.  I agree with all the prior answers except that Glaser and Strauss developed  grounded theory methodology  to generate theory from the research itself.  Theory emerges from your research.   When using grounded theory, you bracket out what you think you know about whatever you are studying to let the findings guide you.  Your sample size continues to grow until your data are saturated meaning nothing new is being added.  Hope this helps!

Hi all! Thanks for the comments. It is a bit late for me to say thanks to all of you. It is well-explained and the file attached are helpful. I use Charmaz on Constructivist Grounded Theory which she recommends to have a glance on the literature related to the field. I am now at the stage of writing out my discussion, so, obviously it will help me to integrate my point with your inputs.