An analysis of the use of grounded theory in software engineering

Authors

  • Marcelo Werneck Barbosa PUC Minas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14488/1676-1901.v17i1.2326

Keywords:

Grounded Theory. Qualitative Methods. Software Engineering. Systematic Review.

Abstract

 Software Engineering (SE) is constituted by phenomena that are built socially and culturally, not technically. Research conducted in this area should comprehend such phenomena. However, qualitative methods, suited for this kind of research, are not commonly used in SE. Despite this fact, a recent growth in the number of qualitative studies in the area has been observed, particularly using Grounded Theory (GT). Grounded Theory is based on a set of systematic procedures of collecting and analyzing data in order to generate, elaborate and validate substantive theories on socially phenomena. In this context, this work aimed at performing a systematic literature review for characterizing studies on SE that used Grounded Theory. Results show an increase in the number of SE studies using GT, particularly in research involving human behavior in projects that use agile methods or are developed in a distributed way. It was observed that most studies do not phrase a specific theory actually, but use this research method as a way of identifying categories and concepts of the context studied.

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Published

2017-03-15

How to Cite

Barbosa, M. W. (2017). An analysis of the use of grounded theory in software engineering. Revista Produção Online, 17(1), 26–48. https://doi.org/10.14488/1676-1901.v17i1.2326

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Vol. 17 No. 1 (2017)

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