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USE OF GROUNDED THEORY: ITS BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES
Ma i ic P. Udani
Teache I, Si io Tapayan Elemen a y School, Philippines
Ma ica Liza E. Mon e de
Teache III, Apyao Elemen a y School, Philippines
La a P. Pajalla
S uden , G adua e School, G eenVille College, Philippines
Fe L. Baniaga
Teache III, Tanglag Elemen a y School, Philippines
A lene H. Come a
Head Teache I, Daku Elemen a y School, Philippines
ABSTRACT
G ounded heo y is commonly discussed in g adua e s udies bu deepe unde s anding and use o his heo y has
no gi en p emium emphasis. G ounded Theo y (GT) is a quali a i e esea ch me hodology which p ima ily
aims o gene a e heo y and is e y use ul among disciplines such as social sciences and educa ion. This s udy
employed quan i a i e me hod speci ically desc ip i e esea ch design whe e i aimed o desc ibe he bene i s
and challenges encoun e ed by eache s in using G ounded Theo y. The s udy used andom sampling echnique
and selec ed he pa icipa ion o 200 eache s among selec ed public elemen a y schools in he Philippines.
Resea che -made su ey ques ionnai e is used as he main esea ch ins umen . The s udy concludes ha
bene i s o G ounded Theo y include p ac ical heo y de elopmen , pa icipan -cen ic, empi ical sc u iny and
p ecise analysis. Howe e , he e a e challenges encoun e ed by eache s as hey use G ounded Theo y which
include complexi y o implemen a ion, con using and misapp op ia ed he heo y aspec . The s udy p oposed a
aining p og am which may p o ide p ac ical ac i i ies o eache s o comp ehensi ely abso b he bene i s o
ad an ages o GT and e en ually add ess he challenges hey encoun e ed when using GT in educa ional
esea ches. The s udy ecommends o examine he ac o s ha may cause eache s’ di icul y in using and
applying G ounded Theo y (GT) in educa ional esea ches.
Keywo ds:
G ounded Theo y, bene i s, challenges, eache s, esea ches, aining p og am
INTRODUCTION
W i ing a esea ch is one o he mos di icul asks encoun e ed by s uden s, eache s and p o essionals in hei
a ious ields. The scien i ic equi emen in w i ing esea ch becomes a c i ical ask o schola s because o he
p ocesses and p ocedu es needed o be unde aken. Aside om he scien i ic equi emen which esea che s
need o conside , es ing o heo ies and cons uc ion o models om he indings also become p og essi e
ends in w i ing a esea ch. In his ega d, common esea ches which a e adminis e ed in he ield o educa ion
a e quan i a i e and quali a i e esea ches. Teache s in he ield a e commonly inclined in he use o quan i a i e
esea ches whe e hey a e ounded wi h he use o quan i a i e me hod speci ically desc ip i e esea ch. As
eache s pu sue hei p o essional de elopmen s udies o g adua e s udies, hey a e c i ically exposed o he
di e en o ms and na u e o w i ing esea ches. They lea ned he di e en esea ch me hods, ypes and da a
analysis echnique. Howe e , one o he mos less emphasized esea ch design ha has been conside ed also as
less used esea ch me hod is he G ounded Theo y (GT). As de ined by Noble and Mi chell (2016), G ounded
Theo y is a esea ch me hod conce ned wi h he gene a ion o heo y which is g ounded in da a ha has been
sys ema ically collec ed and analyzed. In addi ion, simila s udy discussed ha G ounded Theo y unco e social
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ela ionships and beha io s o g oups known as social p ocesses. The use o g ounded heo y in esea ch
enabled esea che s o gene a e o o mula e heo ies based on hei indings. This con a ene he common use
o eache s in he g adua e le el ha hey me ely es heo y a he han de eloped one. In his ega d, G ounded
Theo y may no ha e been mos ly used as he di icul y and c i ical aspec o de eloping heo y is ea ed o be
me iculous and edious. Based on he collec i e obse a ions o he esea che s, mos eache s in he ield a e
no highly acquain ed o possess knowledge in he concep and use o G ounded Theo y in educa ion- ela ed
esea ches. In his, lessen heo e ical de elopmen in line wi h educa ion becomes an appa en conce n. In
addi ion, as eache s a e less inclined wi h he heo e ical de elopmen based on hei indings, hey only es ed
o alida ed heo ies based on he p e ailing condi ions om which hey a e implica ed o exposed.
Po en ials and challenges a ise om using a g ounded heo y me hodology. I ocuses on he eme gen cha ac e
whe eas esea che s a e likely o mee con adic ions which seem o esul om di e en logics (Rupp, 2016).
P ac ical s a egies a e ound om using g ounded heo y as i lays impo ance o gene a ing p ac ically
ele an heo ies ha helped schola s and esea che s imp o e he p ac ices and sys ems in hei ield o
in e es s. Also, use o g ounded heo y enabled esea che s o cap u e he essence o he p ocesses and
phenomena being s udied (Cos a & Schoales, 2022). The G ounded Theo y me hod is widely applied ye
equen ly misunde s ood. The sha ed co e o G ounded Theo y is a icula ed as he p inciples o aking he
wo d g ounded se iously, cap u ing and explaining con ex - ela ed social p ocesses and pu suing heo y h ough
engagemen wi h da a and pu suing heo y h ough heo e ical sampling (Timonen e al., 2018). The belie ha
g ounded heo y esea ch is easy o lea n and o do and ha anyone can do i wi hou any aining o minimally.
A me hodological ex canno each how o iden i y in e ences o how o pe o m p ocesses and abs ac ion and
concep ualiza ion (Mo se e al., 2021). Fu he , he cons uc i is s app oach o G ounded Theo y me hodology
allows o he in es iga ion o unde s udied phenomena and alued he cons uc ion o a heo y aking in o
conside a ion wi h highe le el o scien i ic alue (Bobblink e al., 2024).
The e is a s ong knowledge gap based om he collec i e eadings o he esea che s on he challenges and
bene i s o using G ounded Theo y in educa ional esea ches. The esea che s examined he e a e less s udies
published ela ing o he use o G ounded Theo y among educa ion- ela ed esea ches. Wi h his, hey ound ha
his s udy is g ea signi icance in desc ibing he bene i s and challenges o G ounded Theo y o educa ion-
ela ed esea ches. Also, his s udy suppo ed he SDG4 (Quali y Educa ion) as he s udy may p o ided
signi ican baseline which can be used o de elop eache s’ unde s anding in using G ounded Theo y in hei
esea ches.
OBJECTIVES
This s udy desc ibed he bene i s and challenges o using G ounded Theo y in educa ion- ela ed esea ches as
pe cei ed by eache s. Speci ically, ollowing ques ions we e answe ed in he s udy:
1. How may he bene i s o using G ounded Theo y in educa ion- ela ed esea ches as pe cei ed by
eache s, be desc ibed in e ms o :
1.1 p ac ical heo y de elopmen ;
1.2 pa icipan -cen ic;
1.3 empi ical sc u iny; and
1.4 p ecise analysis?
2. How may he challenges in using G ounded Theo y in conduc ing educa ion- ela ed esea ches be
desc ibed in e ms o :
2.1 complexi y o implemen a ion;
2.2 s uc u e; and
2.3 heo e ical aspec ?
3. Based om he indings, wha aining p og am may be p oposed in o de o de elop o sus ain
eache s’ unde s anding in using G ounded Theo y in educa ion- ela ed esea ches?
METHODOLOGY
The s udy employed desc ip i e esea ch in o de o desc ibe he bene i s and challenges o using G ounded
Theo y in educa ion- ela ed esea ches. The s udy also used andom sampling echnique which selec ed he
pa icipa ion o 200 pubic school eache s om he selec ed elemen a y schools in he Philippines. On he o he
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hand, he esea che s used a esea che -made su ey-ques ionnai e which was subjec ed o alida ion and
in e nal consis ency measu e. Also, as o he cons uc ion o he esea che -made su ey-ques ionnai e, he
esea che s o mula ed he same using wo (2) pa s. Fo pa 1, i con ained i ems ela ing o he bene i s o
using G ounded Theo y in conduc ing educa ion- ela ed esea ches while pa 2, con ained i ems pe aining o
he challenges encoun e ed by eache s in using G ounded Theo y. To no e, he esea che s selec ed he
esponden s who ha e al eady expe ienced conduc ing educa ion- ela ed s udies using G ounded Theo y. Thus,
he alida ion was done h ough he expe ise o h ee (3) p o esso s o a g adua e school who held Doc o a e
deg ee in Educa ional Managemen and Ins uc ion. The ea e , he esea che conduc ed a pilo es o he non-
included esponden s. Appa en ly, i ems unde pa 1 gained a C onbach Alpha esul o .819 while i ems unde
pa 2 ob ained a C onbach Alpha esul o .718, bo h desc ibed as accep able. In he p ocess o collec ing he
da a, he esea che s used a Google Fo m which was sen o he pe sonal email add esses o he esponden s.
A e all he da a ha e been collec ed, he esea che s ca e ully o ganized he collec ed aw da a using MS
Excel, hen subjec ed o s a is ical compu a ion. As o he da a analysis echnique used, he esea che s used
equency, mean and o e all mean in o de o desc ibe he bene i s and challenges encoun e ed by he
esponden s in using G ounded Theo y in adminis e ing educa ion- ela ed esea ches. Highes e hical s anda ds
we e ollowed h ough he dis ibu ion o in o med consen and adminis a ion o sho o ien a ion among he
esponden s whe e he esea che s discussed and p esen ed he in en and na u e o he s udy.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Teache s used G ounded Theo y whe e hey we e able o o mula e hei heo ies based on he indings o hei
esea ches. Using G ounded Theo y in educa ion- ela ed esea ch o e ed signi ican bene i s pa icula ly in he
de elopmen o heo y which could be u ilized as al e na i e inpu o de elop o sus ain educa ion sys ems
including ins uc ion, assessmen , class oom managemen and he like. Such heo e ical amewo k o heo y
being de eloped om G ounded Theo y-based esea ch, enabled eache s o p ac ically and scien i ically un eil
he condi ions which hey encoun e ep esen ing he di e se condi ions ci cula ing wi hin he sys em o
educa ion in he coun y.
1. Bene i s o Using G ounded Theo y in Educa ion-Rela ed Resea ches. The esul s showed ha
p ac ical heo y de elopmen a iable ob ained a highes mean sco e o 3.87, desc ibed as highly
pe cei ed. On one hand, o he a iables such as pa icipan cen ic gained a mean sco e o 3.72,
pa icipan -cen ic gained a mean sco e o 3.63 and p ecise analysis gained a mean sco e o 3.57, being
he lowes mean sco e. These h ee a iables we e desc ibed as highly pe cei ed. Using G ounded
Theo y in educa ion- ela ed esea ches in e ms o p ac ical heo y de elopmen sugges ed ha he
esponden s highly pe cei ed he bene i s o G ounded Theo y as a aluable me hodology o
gene a ing heo ies ha a e di ec ly applicable o eal-wo ld educa ional si ua ions. In addi ion,
emphasis on p ac ical heo y de elopmen implica ed he need o highe academic discou se and
in o med e ec i e eaching p ac ices and policy-making. On he o he hand, on pa icipan -cen ic, he
esul indica ed ha esponden s highly pe cei ed ha G ounded Theo y when used in educa ion-
ela ed esea ches was s ongly aligned wi h a ce ain esea ch pa icipan s’ iews and philosophies.
This also indica ed ha using G ounded Theo y as highly pe cei ed by he esponden s would enable
esea che s o ac i ely engage hei pa icipan s emphasizing ele ance and posi i e implica ion o he
educa ional ou comes o be con ibu ed by G ounded Theo y-based educa ional esea ch. Meanwhile,
on p ecise analysis, he esul s showed ha he esponden s highly pe cei ed G ounded Theo y posed
p ecise analysis p ocess. This mean ha he esponden s gain bene i s by using G ounded Theo y
because hey we e able o o mula e heo ies ha could p ac ically guide hem o imp o e ce ain
educa ional sys ems locally in hei espec i e schools. The esul s e ealed ha G ounded Theo y as
used in educa ion- ela ed esea ches os e ed ele ance and p ac icali y. Thus, he s udy implica ed ha
u he suppo and aining may ad ance eache s’ abili y o conduc esea ches using G ounded
Theo y. Resul s o he s udy suppo ed he s udy o Hussein e al. (2014) which e ealed ha G ounded
Theo y emphasized he u iliza ion o a a ie y o da a sou ces ha we e g ounded in pa icula con ex .
2. Challenges Encoun e ed by Teache s in Using G ounded Theo y in Conduc ing Educa ion-
Rela ed Resea ches. The esul s showed ha complexi y o implemen a ion ob ained he highes mean
sco e o 3.78, desc ibed as always encoun e ed while s uc u e and heo e ical aspec bo h gained 3.56,
also desc ibed as always encoun e ed. The highes mean sco e indica ed ha he esponden s equen ly
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expe ienced signi ican challenges ela ed o he complexi y o implemen ing g ounded heo y whe eas
such complexi y a ise on i e a i e da a collec ion and analysis. The esul also showed ha he
esponden s expe ienced an o e whelming da a collec ion and analysis p ocesses. In addi ion, pa o
complexi y o implemen a ion, he esul also e ealed ha esponden s always encoun e ed limi ed
ime o he conduc o an ex ensi e da a collec ion su ounding G ounded Theo y me hodology. On
he o he hand, he esul s e ealed ha he esponden s equen ly encoun e ed signi ican challenges
in line wi h he s uc u e o G ounded Theo y. The esul s u he implied ha he esponden s ound
lack o clea guidelines o igid s uc u es in G ounded Theo y, leading o con usion. In addi ion, he
esponden s equen ly encoun e ed ha o ganizing and ca ego izing he da a in o meaning ul codes
and hemes in lic hei solidi ied scien i ic analysis con ibu ing o s uc u al challenges. Las ly, he
esul on heo e ical aspec showed ha esponden s also equen ly s uggled in unde s anding he
heo e ical ounda ion and in eg a ion o heo y and p ac ice. The esul s also e ealed ha esponden s
heo e ical unde pinnings a e no eadily emb aced as hey p oposed heo ies emana ing om hei
g ounded heo y-based esea ches. The s udy implica ed ha eache s expe ienced signi ican ba ie s
in conduc ing educa ion- ela ed esea ches using G ounded Theo y. Also, p ope aining and
consis en men o ing on he p ope implemen a ion and use o G ounded Theo y may educe hese
ba ie s. Hence, esul s o he s udy suppo ed he s udy o Ma ky e al. (2014) which concluded ha
no ice g ound heo y esea che s needed o unde s and he di e en philosophical assump ions ha
in luenced he a ious g ounded heo y app oaches be o e choosing one pa icula app oach.
3. P oposed T aining P og am. This s udy p oposed a aining p og am which aims o ins ill p ope
unde s anding on he p inciples, concep s and p ocedu es abou G ounded Theo y esea ch. Also, his
aining p og am aims o equip eache s as pa icipan s wi h he skills o design and implemen esea ch
using G ounded Theo y. The p oposed aining p og am con ained h ee (3) impo an componen . Fo
componen 1, i con ained an in e ac i e discussion ela ing o he his o y, concep s and impo ance o
G ounded Theo y. On one hand, componen 2, con ained discussions h ough in e ac i e lec u e
sessions ela i e o he esea ch design using G ounded Theo y. Unde his componen , he aining
would discuss p inciples in o mula ing esea ch ques ion, pa icipan selec in and e hical
conside a ions in he conduc o G ounded Theo y. Las ly, unde componen 3, i con ained p ac ical
ac i i ies which would discuss he coding schemes in G ounded Theo y speci ically emphasizing open
coding, axial coding and selec i e coding. Teache s as pa icipan s in his aining p og am would
pa icipa e on lec u e discussion, hands-on w i ing ac i i ies and p esen a ion.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This s udy was a schola ly p oo ha he esea che s signi ican ly showed hei lo e o knowledge. Thus, his
would no be possible wi hou he help and suppo o hei amilies, iends, colleagues, men o s and p o esso s
in he G adua e School Depa men in G eenVille College. Also, he esea che s we e deeply indeb ed o D .
Oli e E. O iz J . o his diligence and unb oken guidance o comple e his wo k. Abo e all, he esea che s
we e deeply hank ul o God he Highes , o he blessings o lo e, wisdom and s eng h.
CONCLUSION
G ounded heo y is commonly discussed in g adua e s udies bu deepe unde s anding and use o his heo y has
no gi en p emium emphasis. G ounded Theo y (GT) is a quali a i e esea ch me hodology which p ima ily
aims o gene a e heo y and is e y use ul among disciplines such as social sciences and educa ion. This s udy
employed quan i a i e me hod speci ically desc ip i e esea ch design whe e i aimed o desc ibe he bene i s
and challenges encoun e ed by eache s in using G ounded Theo y. The s udy used andom sampling echnique
and selec ed he pa icipa ion o 200 eache s among selec ed public elemen a y schools in he Philippines.
Resea che -made su ey ques ionnai e is used as he main esea ch ins umen . The s udy concludes ha
bene i s o G ounded Theo y include p ac ical heo y de elopmen , pa icipan -cen ic, empi ical sc u iny and
p ecise analysis. Howe e , he e a e challenges encoun e ed by eache s as hey use G ounded Theo y which
include complexi y o implemen a ion, con using and misapp op ia ed he heo y aspec . The s udy p oposed a
aining p og am which may p o ide p ac ical ac i i ies o eache s o comp ehensi ely abso b he bene i s o
ad an ages o GT and e en ually add ess he challenges hey encoun e ed when using GT in educa ional
Volume-09 Issue 11, No embe -2025 ISSN: 2456-9348
Impac Fac o : 8.232
In e na ional Jou nal o Enginee ing Technology Resea ch & Managemen
(IJETRM)
h ps://ije m.com/
IJETRM (h p://ije m.com/) [311]
esea ches. The s udy ecommends o examine he ac o s ha may cause eache s’ di icul y in using and
applying G ounded Theo y (GT) in educa ional esea ches.
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