Fabiola V. Cárdenas Maldonado
National University of San Marcos (UNMSM, Peru)
This presentation aims to highlight the practical consequences of conducting research based on grounded theory (GT), a methodological approach with significant influence within social science research communities. According to this perspective, the most effective way to engage with social reality is to allow theories to emerge directly from the data through an inductive and iterative process of information generation and analysis. I argue that GT, as a methodological program, reduces the likelihood of cumulative knowledge building. Drawing on GT’s foundational texts and seven meta-analyses of studies conducted within the medical field—where the approach originally emerged—I will show two regressive features of this methodology. First, GT tends to arbitrarily multiply the terminology used by researchers to refer to the same concepts, which fragments evidence and hinders academic communication. Second, due to its binary conception of science, GT often dismisses prior research, thereby reinforcing a divisive tendency among scientific communities.
Chair: Lucas Timmermann
Time: 03 September, 17:30 – 18:00
Location: SR 1.005
SOPhiA 2026 