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Cross-check for completeness: exploring a novel use of Leximancer in a Grounded Theory study

Cross-check for completeness: exploring a novel use of Leximancer in a Grounded Theory study
Cross-check for completeness: exploring a novel use of Leximancer in a Grounded Theory study
This paper investigates the potential for Leximancer software to actively support the Grounded Theory (GT) analyst in assessing the ‘completeness’ of their study. The case study takes an existing GT study and retrospectively analyzes the data with Leximancer. The Leximancer output showed encouraging similarities to the main themes emerging from the GT analysis; but not sufficiently at the selective coding level to justifiably claim a definitive cross-check for overall theoretical saturation. Whilst Leximancer is not found to be a substitute for the ‘hard labor’ of GT coding and theory development, it can provide a very useful, efficient and relatively impartial cross-check of completeness/saturation in the open (and possibly axial) coding stage(s) of a GT study. This automated post-analysis check of GT coding is a novel use of a CAQDAS package.
grounded theory, leximancer, software, theoretical saturation, CAQDAS, qualitative research
1052-0147
1029-1045
Harwood, I.A.
8f945742-3e33-445e-9665-0f613f35fc5b
Gapp, R.
bc497245-4c34-4c37-87bd-8eda3b6bce4b
Stewart, H.
0011ccb9-65bb-4396-a479-df6d91d8f938
Harwood, I.A.
8f945742-3e33-445e-9665-0f613f35fc5b
Gapp, R.
bc497245-4c34-4c37-87bd-8eda3b6bce4b
Stewart, H.
0011ccb9-65bb-4396-a479-df6d91d8f938

Harwood, I.A., Gapp, R. and Stewart, H. (2015) Cross-check for completeness: exploring a novel use of Leximancer in a Grounded Theory study. The Qualitative Report, 20 (7), 1029-1045.

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper investigates the potential for Leximancer software to actively support the Grounded Theory (GT) analyst in assessing the ‘completeness’ of their study. The case study takes an existing GT study and retrospectively analyzes the data with Leximancer. The Leximancer output showed encouraging similarities to the main themes emerging from the GT analysis; but not sufficiently at the selective coding level to justifiably claim a definitive cross-check for overall theoretical saturation. Whilst Leximancer is not found to be a substitute for the ‘hard labor’ of GT coding and theory development, it can provide a very useful, efficient and relatively impartial cross-check of completeness/saturation in the open (and possibly axial) coding stage(s) of a GT study. This automated post-analysis check of GT coding is a novel use of a CAQDAS package.

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More information

Published date: 2015
Keywords: grounded theory, leximancer, software, theoretical saturation, CAQDAS, qualitative research
Organisations: Centre of Excellence in Decision, Analytics & Risk Research

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 378068
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/378068
ISSN: 1052-0147
PURE UUID: d9cf308b-8bb2-4298-a56c-2e838e5e83bc
ORCID for I.A. Harwood: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8647-2169

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 26 Jun 2015 14:09
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:08

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Contributors

Author: I.A. Harwood ORCID iD
Author: R. Gapp
Author: H. Stewart

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