Theory Integration

Apply families as heuristic prompts, not a mandatory checklist.

Writing theoretical propositions

Write concise statements of relationship:

• “When X intensifies under condition Y, participants shift to strategy Z, which reduces A but increases B.”

Each proposition should be supportable with multiple incidents and resilient against known negative cases—or qualified where exceptions persist.

Developing a storyline

A GT storyline typically includes:

• Main concern (what participants continually address).
• Core category (what processes that concern).
• Key strategies/categories linked to conditions and outcomes.

Draft the story in plain language first; refine concepts second.

Memo sorting as integration technique

Print or list memos; sort into piles that represent sections of the theory. Rename piles until the outline matches the data. CAQDAS “maps” can substitute if they mirror the same discipline.

Visual models

Create diagrams only after relational claims stabilize enough to be falsified by comparison. Iterate visuals alongside prose (see visual-modeling).

Checking for gaps

Ask:

• Where is the mechanism underspecified?
• Which conditions are missing?
• Do I only explain success, not failure?
• What would a skeptic say is hand-wavy?

Return to theoretical sampling if gaps are empirical.

Evaluating coherence

Coherent integration:

• Uses a stable vocabulary of categories.
• Explains variation, not only central tendency.
• Connects micro interactions to meso patterns where data allow.

Writing integration for publication

Open with the core story; present a model or proposition set; support with excerpts; discuss limits and modifiability.

Checklist

• Core category justified by centrality and recurrence.
• Theoretical coding clarifies relationships, not just labels.
• Propositions stated and evidenced.
• Memo sort yields a defensible outline.
• Gaps identified; sampling/analysis plan updated if needed.

References (starting points)

• Glaser, B. G. Theoretical Sensitivity — coding families and integration.
• Glaser, B. G. Doing Grounded Theory — delimiting and theoretical completeness.
• Holton, J. A. The coding process and its challenges (in Holton & Walsh, Classic GT).