Grounded Practical Theory: Investigating Communication Problems provides readers with an introduction to grounded practical theory (GPT), a framework for doing research about the problems people encounter when they engage in particular communicative practices, techniques for managing those problems, and normative ideas for how to communicate wisely in situations that involve tensions and dilemmas.
Readers learn about the philosophy behind GPT and how its application can strengthen and improve existing communication practices. They review a detailed road map and practical examples for conducting GPT research, including how to analyze discourse. They also learn how past researchers have creatively adapted GPT to study and reconstruct a variety of communicative practices. The text compares GPT with other qualitative approaches and offers guidance for how to choose among different methods. The book concludes with considerations of how GPT may be used in the future.
Grounded Practical Theory is an ideal book for graduate-level courses in qualitative methods or communication theory and an excellent resource for practicing communication scholars and researchers.
Robert T. Craig (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is Professor Emeritus of Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a Distinguished Scholar of the National Communication Association and a fellow and past president of the International Communication Association. He writes about communication theory and philosophy, discourse, and argumentation.
Karen Tracy (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin) is Professor Emeritus of Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is a Distinguished Scholar of the National Communication Association and a fellow in the International Communication Association. She is the author of Challenges of Ordinary Democracy: A Case Study in Deliberation and Everyday Talk: Building and Reflecting Identities.
Industry Reviews
Grounded Practical Theory provides an up-to-date, practical method that is specific to the communication discipline, yet draws from many theories and methods that students may already be familiar with. [...] The text elucidates a communication-focused method and theoretical approach that engages practical problems, promotes reflection, builds theory, and encourages normative change. Along the way, it provides useful reviews of past literature, and shows how grounded practical theory is distinct yet pulls from other influential methodological and theoretical approaches such as grounded theory and ethnography. The book is a perfect complement to advanced qualitative research methods and theory courses and could be the focal text for a module on grounded practical theory. In writing this book, the authors provide a gift and legacy to the communication discipline."
Sarah J. Tracy, Ph.D., Full Professor, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University
"The writing is at once smart, approachable, and consistent throughout the book. It is as if the authors are explaining these ideas to me directly. I can hear their voices. [...] Students will appreciate the concrete advice for doing this work. The strong grounding in communication research exemplars and the metatheoretical review make clear the rich foundations of GPT as an approach distinctive to the communication discipline-a source of pride. Being a practical discipline is inspiring!"
Joshua B. Barbour, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Moody College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin
"Grounded Practical Theory synthesizes theory and method and offers an accessible and useful textbook for students and faculty. [...] The book is clearly written, provides excellent 'behind the scenes' examples, and the content shows both how to use the method and how the method is connected to theoretical traditions."
Laura W. Black, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Communication Studies, Ohio University
"Craig and Tracy's Grounded Practical Theory integrates theory, method, and analysis into a sophisticated meta-theoretical framework. Through empirical examples, they explain the basic tenants of GPT, illustrate how these tenants have been applied in studies of diverse settings and topics, and suggest future directions for growth. Throughout, they explain how GPT is a flexible approach for cultivating practices useful for real-world applications. This is a unique volume."
Christopher J. Koenig, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, San Francisco State University
"This book provides an in-depth overview of GPT and of qualitative research methods more generally especially as they relate to studying discursive practices. The historical and contextual history for the different qualitative methods makes this work a concise, treasure-trove for qualitative researchers in communication."
Theresa Castor, Ph.D., Professor of Communication, University of Wisconsin-Parkside
