Tweetchat: Grounded Theory – what does it offer to research?

Our second #ResNetSLT Twitter Journal Club took place on Wednesday, 24th February, 2016.

It proved to be another lively discussion – but at the same time we hope it felt very welcoming and a comfortable experience for those who are new to Tweetchatting.

Our stats showed the hour generated 271 tweets from 34 participants, with possibly a few more watching our discussions from the sidelines.

The combined potential impressions on Twitter totalled 295,546, which is a really powerful reach.

We emphasised that everyone is most welcome to join us, and we were very pleased to see that we again had a range of AHP professionals engaging in our chat.

Of course, distance is no barrier – that is the value of our virtual online community and we really hope to continue to hear more voices from across mainland EU in the months ahead.

Please click here to see the detailed analysis of the Tweetchat.

We were also delighted to be awarded the Speechwoman SLT site of the month by Professor Caroline Bowen, a highly prized accolade that has been running since 1998.

The Tweetchat was based around this article: Skeat and Perry (2008) 'Grounded theory as a method for research in speech and language therapy'.

Over the hour we explored some examples of Grounded Theory, and discussed the importance and significance of this particular qualitative research approach.

You can find the pre-chat information and questions here.

We hope that posting a brief overview of the key themes that came out through our discussions will give the chance for everyone to continue the conversation!

The link to the full transcript is here and the key themes included:

• GT – and qualitative research in general – is essential for understanding the influences on patient engagement
• Many people feel that GT is complex, confusing and daunting as a research method: others report that they've found it a great tool which takes time but yields valuable insights
• There are some strong advocates for GT who have experience of using this in AHP research – so we are encouraging them to share their stories and maybe we'll be able to post some mini video interviews here on our blogsite
• Maybe we can start a 'map' of GT fans?!
• It was recommended that clinicians could find a 'research buddy' to help them apply a GT approach in practice-led research – don't hesitate to get in touch with your local CAHPR Hubs or colleagues in academic posts to mentor you when you try to use GT for the first time

Please post a comment below to add your own feedback on the chat – thanks!

We'd like to thank Dr Janet Wood who led the discussions, along with Dr Joanne Fillingham who again chaired the chat with Dr Hazel Roddam.

Thanks also to Dr Emma Pagnamenta and International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders for arranging open access to the papers for our Tweetchat Journal Clubs.

Please join #ResNetSLT again on Wednesday, 30th March, 2016 7.30 - 8.30pm (GMT) – see the link to the paper and the pre-chat information here.