Introduction to Qualitative Research and Grounded Theory.

This article presents the concepts of the reflective practitioner, evidence-based practice, and different ways of doing qualitative research. By asking questions beginning with "what" and "how" qualitative research seeks the specific quality typical of a phenomenon. Today, one of the most used methods in qualitative research is Grounded Theory. A pattern of meaning-carrying units becomes visible among the observations or answers to open questions, and are then coded into categories. This coding process is described; it is called constant comparison and is pursued until a saturation of a theme occurs, which crystalizes the central meaning of a phenomenon. Useful standards of the themes of validity and reliability in qualitative research are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]