Grounded Theory in the Wild: Learning Sociology Through Football Fandom
Teaser
Your GT study revealed how Nürnberg supporters defend collective identity through authenticity performances and boundary policing. Fascinating—but does it only explain Nürnberg? Could the same process occur in Barcelona, Buenos Aires, or Birmingham? Comparative analysis is GT’s pathway from substantive theory (context-specific) to formal theory (generalizable across contexts). Today you’ll learn how to identify which aspects of your findings are local particularities versus manifestations of broader social processes. You’ll practice specifying scope conditions (when/where theory applies), designing comparative sampling strategies, and using differences across cases to refine theoretical abstractions. This is how GT generates theory that travels beyond its original empirical site.
Methods Window
Methodological Foundation: Glaser and Strauss (1967) distinguish between substantive theory (developed for specific empirical area like fan culture) and formal theory (developed for conceptual area like identity defense, boundary work, or collective mobilization). GT typically begins with substantive focus but aims toward formal abstraction through systematic comparison.
The Comparative Logic: Comparison isn’t about proving universality but about understanding variation. When you compare German and English fan cultures, you’re not asking “is my theory true everywhere?” but “under what conditions does this pattern emerge, intensify, or disappear?” Differences are theoretically productive—they reveal the causal mechanisms and contextual contingencies that drive social processes.
Constant Comparison Extended: You’ve been comparing incidents within your dataset (Lesson 2). Now extend comparison across:
- Cases: Different clubs, leagues, national contexts
- Time: Historical periods, before/after specific events
- Groups: Different demographic segments, ideological factions
- Concepts: Your categories compared to established theoretical concepts
Assessment Target: BA Sociology (7th semester) — Goal grade: 1.3 (Sehr gut). By lesson end, you’ll specify scope conditions for your theory, identify comparative cases that would test/extend it, and practice translating substantive findings into more abstract formal theory.
Data & Ethics: Comparative analysis often relies on secondary sources (published research, media accounts, historical documents) rather than primary data collection. Always cite sources appropriately and acknowledge limitations of comparing your rich primary data to others’ potentially different methodologies.
Lesson 8 Structure (90 Minutes)
Part 1: Input — The Architecture of Comparison (20 minutes)
Why Compare? Three Purposes
1. Testing Scope Conditions
Your theory emerged from specific context. Comparison reveals boundaries:
Example: Theory: “Commercialization threats → intensified authenticity performances”
- Compare: English Premier League (extreme commercialization) vs. German 50+1 rule clubs (member ownership protects against commercialization)
- Prediction: If theory holds, EPL fans should show even more intense authenticity work than Bundesliga fans
- Alternative finding: EPL fans might have abandoned authenticity discourse, accepting commercialization as inevitable
- Theoretical insight: Maybe theory needs refinement—”Commercialization threats activate authenticity work only when fans perceive resistance as viable“
2. Extending Conceptual Abstraction
Substantive concepts (football-specific) become formal concepts (applicable broadly) through comparison:
Substantive: “Defending authentic supporter identity against touristification”
↓
Formal (via comparison to other contexts): “Defending subcultural identity against mainstream dilution”
How: Compare your football findings to studies of:
- Music subcultures (punk vs. pop-punk commercialization)
- Occupational communities (craft brewers vs. corporate beer)
- Neighborhood gentrification (long-term residents vs. newcomers)
What emerges: The form (identity defense through boundary work) transcends content (specific to football). You’ve discovered a formal process.
3. Generating New Hypotheses
Comparison exposes puzzles your single case couldn’t reveal:
Example: You found German fans use attendance duration as authenticity marker. But comparative reading shows Argentine fans emphasize emotional intensity (being “apasionado”). Why different criteria?
New hypothesis: Authenticity criteria vary by:
- Economic accessibility (when tickets are cheap, duration matters less; when expensive, attendance becomes capital)
- Cultural norms (German culture values consistency/reliability; Argentine culture values passion/emotion)
- Historical context (clubs with stable fan bases emphasize longevity; clubs with fluctuating fortunes emphasize loyalty through adversity)
Comparative Sampling Strategies
Maximum Variation: Select cases as different as possible to map full range
Example: Compare:
- Nürnberg (mid-tier German club, working-class base, anti-commercial tradition)
- Bayern München (elite German club, international brand, mixed class base)
- FC St. Pauli (leftist identity, punk/alternative culture, explicit anti-fascism)
What variation reveals: How club success, class composition, and political identity shape authenticity criteria differently.
Theoretical Sampling for Comparison: Let emerging theory guide case selection
Example: Your theory suggests commercialization drives authenticity intensification. Theoretical sampling says: “Find case with no commercialization pressure—what happens?”
- Possible case: Lower-league amateur club where fans aren’t threatened
- Prediction: Less intense authenticity performance, less boundary policing
- If found: Confirms causal role of commercialization threat
- If not found (still intense performance): Must explain via alternative mechanism (maybe tradition itself, regardless of threats?)
Minimum-Maximum Comparison: Identify extreme cases on key dimension
Example: Your dimension is “commercialization level”
- Minimum: Non-league amateur club, no sponsors, volunteer-run
- Maximum: Manchester United, global brand, corporate ownership
Analytic move: If your theory holds at both extremes, it’s robust. If only holds in middle range, you’ve discovered scope limits.
The Scope Conditions Worksheet
Specify when/where your theory applies:
Template:
MY THEORY: [Core category/storyline in 1 sentence]
APPLIES WHEN (necessary conditions):
-
-
DOES NOT APPLY WHEN:
-
-
INTENSIFIES UNDER:
-
-
DIMINISHES UNDER:
-
-
UNTESTED CONTEXTS (need comparison):
-
-
Example (fictional):
MY THEORY: Subcultural communities facing external identity threats intensify authenticity performances and boundary policing, producing solidarity and exclusion.
APPLIES WHEN:
- Community has strong collective identity with historical continuity
- External forces threaten autonomy (commercialization, gentrification, regulation)
- Members possess cultural resources for boundary marking
DOES NOT APPLY WHEN:
- Community is newly formed (no tradition to defend)
- Changes are perceived as internal/organic rather than external threats
- Members lack shared authenticity criteria
INTENSIFIES UNDER:
- Rapid, visible threats (sudden ownership change, stadium relocation)
- Presence of clear "outsiders" (tourists, newcomers, corporate actors)
- Discourse opportunities (media coverage, social media amplification)
DIMINISHES UNDER:
- Gradual change (normalization over time)
- Successful institutional resistance (fans gain control/voice)
- Generational turnover (younger members don't share threat perception)
UNTESTED CONTEXTS:
- Non-Western football cultures (Asia, Africa—different commercialization histories)
- Women's football (different gender dynamics in authenticity marking)
- Esports/virtual fan communities (no territorial/embodied dimension)
Formal Theory Development
Move from football-specific to abstract by asking: “What is this a case OF?”
Substantive finding: “Football fans facing commercialization perform authenticity through continuous embodied presence, vocal participation, and knowledge demonstration.”
Ask: What’s the general process here?
- Identity groups
- Facing threats to autonomy/distinctiveness
- Deploy cultural markers
- To establish legitimate membership
- Which creates inclusion/exclusion boundaries
Formal theory: “When identity-based communities perceive external threats to their autonomy, members intensify performances of group-specific cultural competencies. These performances serve dual functions: internal solidarity (affirming shared identity) and external differentiation (distinguishing insiders from outsiders). The specific cultural competencies vary by community (embodied presence for football fans, technical skill for craftspeople, historical knowledge for occupational groups), but the underlying process—threatened identity → intensified boundary work → solidarity + exclusion—operates across contexts.”
Notice: This formal version could apply to craft brewers resisting corporate beer, punk scenes resisting mainstream co-optation, or academic disciplines defending intellectual boundaries. You’ve moved from “understanding football fans” to “theorizing identity defense processes.”
Part 2: Hands-On Exercise — Comparative Thinking (50 minutes)
Materials Needed:
- Your core category and storyline from Lesson 5
- Access to published research on fan culture (instructor provides 3-4 abstracts from different contexts)
- Comparative analysis matrix template
Exercise Structure:
(15 min) Individual: Scope Conditions Specification
Complete the scope conditions worksheet for your theory:
- Write your core category/storyline at top
- Fill in each section:
- APPLIES WHEN (necessary conditions)
- DOES NOT APPLY WHEN
- INTENSIFIES UNDER
- DIMINISHES UNDER
- UNTESTED CONTEXTS
Instructor circulates, asking probing questions:
- “How do you know these are necessary conditions? What would disprove that?”
- “You say ‘does not apply when newly formed’—but do you have data on new fan groups?”
- “Your untested contexts look interesting—which would most challenge your theory?”
(20 min) Small Group: Comparative Matrix Analysis
Groups of 3-4. Instructor provides brief descriptions of fan cultures from different contexts (abstracts, news articles, or fictional vignettes):
Example Materials (fictional summaries):
Context A: Boca Juniors (Argentina) “Boca Juniors fans (‘La 12’) are known for aguante—enduring loyalty through suffering. Authenticity is demonstrated through emotional intensity, unconditional support during defeats, and willingness to confront rivals. Commercialization is less advanced than European leagues; main threat is police repression and stadium violence.”
Context B: Seattle Sounders (USA, MLS) “Sounders supporter groups emerged in 2000s with league creation. Fans actively borrowed European ultra aesthetics (tifos, chants) while developing American identity. MLS’s ‘single-entity’ structure means clubs are league-owned; commercialization is built-in from start. Fans focus on creating ‘authentic’ atmosphere in otherwise corporate environment.”
Context C: FC United of Manchester (England) “Breakaway club founded 2005 by Manchester United fans protesting Glazer family takeover. Explicitly anti-commercial: fan-owned, affordable tickets, community focus. No external threat to resist—club is the resistance. Authenticity based on maintaining founding principles against temptations to professionalize.”
Group Task: Create comparative matrix:
| DIMENSION | YOUR CASE | CONTEXT A | CONTEXT B | CONTEXT C |
|------------------------|----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Main threat | | | | |
| Authenticity criteria | | | | |
| Boundary policing | | | | |
| Class composition | | | | |
| Institutional context | | | | |
| Theoretical fit | [your theory] | High/Med/ | High/Med/ | High/Med/ |
| | | Low/No | Low/No | Low/No |
Fill matrix collaboratively:
- Use provided materials to complete columns for Contexts A, B, C
- Compare to your case
- Assess: Where does your theory fit well? Where poorly?
- Most important: Explain differences
Analysis questions:
- Where theory fits: Which contexts show similar patterns to yours? What do they share (conditions that enable the process)?
- Where theory doesn’t fit: Which contexts contradict your theory? Why?
- Is it truly different process, or same process manifesting differently?
- Does this reveal missing scope condition?
- Theoretical refinement: Based on comparison, how would you revise your theory to accommodate variation?
Example group discussion (fictional):
“Our theory about commercialization→authenticity works well for Boca (they face police repression, similar defensive posture) and doesn’t fit FC United (no external threat—they ARE the resistance project). Seattle is interesting—commercialization is built-in, not threat. But they still do authenticity work! So maybe our theory needs refinement: authenticity work happens either when THREATENED by commercialization OR when trying to CREATE authentic space WITHIN commercial structure. Two pathways to same outcome.”
(10 min) Formal Theory Abstraction Exercise
Still in small groups. Take your substantive theory and translate it into formal theory:
Step 1: Identify the specific concepts in your theory
- Example substantive concepts: “football fans,” “commercialization,” “stadium presence,” “chanting”
Step 2: Abstract each concept
- “Football fans” → “identity-based communities”
- “Commercialization” → “external threats to autonomy”
- “Stadium presence” → “resource-intensive participation markers”
- “Chanting” → “collective ritual performances”
Step 3: Rewrite your core category/storyline using abstract concepts
Example transformation:
Substantive: “Football fan communities facing commercialization threats defend collective identity through intensified authenticity performances (continuous stadium presence, vocal participation, knowledge display), which creates in-group solidarity but also class-based exclusion.”
Formal: “Identity-based communities facing perceived threats to their autonomy intensify performances of resource-intensive participation markers, producing dual outcomes: enhanced internal cohesion and stratified access based on members’ differential resource availability.”
Step 4: Test abstraction—does this formal version apply beyond football?
- Craft beer communities? (resource = technical knowledge, expensive ingredients)
- Academic disciplines? (resource = methodological expertise, publication access)
- Music subcultures? (resource = genre knowledge, concert attendance)
(5 min) Plenary: The Value and Limits of Abstraction
Instructor facilitates:
Question: “Your formal theory is more generalizable—but is it more useful? What’s lost in abstraction?”
Guided discussion:
- Gain: Broader applicability, dialogue with established theory, comparative insights
- Loss: Contextual richness, specific mechanisms, cultural meaning
- Balance: Good GT maintains both levels—substantive detail AND formal abstraction
Instructor: “This is why GT reports often present: (1) rich substantive findings for your case, (2) brief formal theory section showing broader implications. You give readers both texture and transferability.”
Part 3: Designing Comparative Research & Reflection (20 minutes)
(12 min) Individual: Comparative Research Proposal Sketch
Write a 200-250 word research proposal sketch for a comparative GT study building on your work:
Proposal Template:
Title: [Comparative study of X across Y contexts]
Research Question: [What would comparison reveal?]
Cases for comparison: [Which 2-3 contexts would you study?]
- Case 1:
- Case 2:
- Case 3 (optional):
Selection rationale: [Why these cases? Maximum variation? Theoretical sampling? Extreme cases?]
Key dimensions for comparison: [What would you compare across cases?]
Theoretical payoff: [What would this comparison add to your existing theory?]
- Would it test scope conditions?
- Extend abstraction level?
- Identify causal mechanisms?
- Generate new hypotheses?
Data sources: [How would you access these contexts—primary data collection vs. secondary analysis?]
Expected challenges: [Access issues? Language barriers? Comparability problems?]
Example Sketch (fictional):
Title: Defending Subcultural Identity: Comparative Analysis of Fan Resistance Across Commercialization Regimes
Research Question: How do different institutional contexts (ownership structures, regulatory environments, economic models) shape fan communities’ identity defense strategies?
Cases: 1. Bundesliga (Germany)—50+1 rule, member ownership 2. Premier League (England)—foreign ownership, extreme commercialization 3. La Liga (Spain)—mixed model, socios system in major clubs
Selection rationale: Maximum variation on commercialization level and institutional constraints. All European contexts (controls cultural factors) but different regulatory regimes.
Key dimensions: – Authenticity criteria used by fans – Intensity/form of boundary policing – Relationship between fans and club management – Success of resistance efforts
Theoretical payoff: Test hypothesis that institutional context mediates between commercialization threats and fan responses. May reveal that German 50+1 enables different resistance (influencing club decisions) while English lack of ownership rights produces symbolic resistance only. Would refine theory to account for structural constraints on agency.
Data: Secondary analysis of existing ethnographies + new interviews with supporter group leaders in each context (10 per country). Challenge: Comparability—existing studies used different methods; new interviews require multilingual capacity.
(8 min) Pair Exchange & Final Reflection
Share proposal sketches with partner. Provide feedback:
Feedback prompts:
- Case selection: Do these cases maximize theoretical learning? Would different cases be more revealing?
- Feasibility: Is this doable for a BA/MA student, or would it require team research / years of work?
- Theoretical value: Would this comparison genuinely advance the theory, or just describe more contexts?
- Alternative design: Could you achieve similar insights through different comparative strategy?
Final reflection questions (think individually, discuss in pairs):
- Abstraction comfort: Did translating your substantive theory into formal theory feel like losing important detail, or revealing deeper patterns?
- Comparative limits: Your theory emerged from deep engagement with one context. Can “armchair comparison” (reading others’ research) genuinely test your theory, or do you need primary data from all contexts?
- Generalization anxiety: GT emphasizes groundedness in specific contexts, but sociology values generalizable insights. How do you balance fidelity to particularity with desire for broader relevance?
Sociology Brain Teasers
- Reflexive Question: You compare your rich primary data from 12 interviews + 8 observations to a published study with 3 interviews from another context. Is this “comparison,” or are you comparing apples (your depth) to oranges (their different methodology)?
- Micro-Level Provocation: Your formal theory says “identity groups intensify boundary work under threat.” But a poststructuralist would say identity itself is constructed through boundary work—threat doesn’t cause it, boundary work produces the perception of threat. Can GT’s causal language accommodate constitutive processes?
- Meso-Level Question: You theorize that commercialization threatens fan autonomy. But couldn’t one argue fans’ “resistance” is itself a product of commercial football’s marketing (clubs sell “authentic fan experience”)? Does comparative analysis risk reproducing participants’ potentially ideological framings?
- Macro-Level Challenge: You abstracted to “identity groups facing threats.” But global capitalism shapes ALL contexts—German 50+1, English corporatism, Argentine popular culture. Can GT comparison ever escape the macro structure that produces the variation you’re studying?
- Methodological Debate: Glaser argues formal theory requires studying multiple substantive areas (you’d need primary data from football AND craft beer AND academic disciplines). But that’s impossible for student projects. Is comparing within one domain (just football across contexts) sufficient for formal theory, or just extended substantive theory?
- Comparative Ethics: Your German data is rich and respectful. You compare to Argentine fans using media stereotypes (“passionate,” “violent”). Does comparative analysis without equivalent data quality risk reproducing orientalist or classed representations?
- Theoretical Imperialism Question: You found German fans do X. You compare to study showing Japanese fans do Y. You theorize: “This difference exists because German culture values A while Japanese culture values B.” Have you engaged in problematic cultural essentialism disguised as comparative analysis?
- Practical Puzzle: Your comparative matrix shows your theory doesn’t fit three of four contexts. Options: (1) Abandon theory (it’s not general). (2) Specify very narrow scope (theory only applies to specific conditions). (3) Abstract further (find deeper pattern). Which strategy serves sociology best—parsimonious theories that travel, or rich theories that honor contextual complexity?
Hypotheses
[HYPOTHESE 15] GT theories that explicitly specify scope conditions (when/where theory applies) will receive higher evaluations for theoretical sophistication than theories claiming universal applicability or theories that don’t address scope at all.
Operationalization hint: Experimental study with GT article vignettes. Create three versions of same theoretical claim: Version A = universalist (“identity groups always intensify boundary work under threat”), Version B = scope-specified (“identity groups intensify boundary work when: threat is external, community has historical continuity, and members possess cultural resources for marking boundaries”), Version C = silent on scope (presents theory without addressing applicability). Sociologists (N=30) rate theoretical sophistication (1-10 scale) and assess whether they’d cite the work. Predict Version B (scope-specified) receives highest sophistication scores because it demonstrates analytic nuance and enables readers to assess transferability. Version A may score low (oversimplification), Version C moderate (useful but incomplete). Tests whether GT’s attention to conditions enhances perceived theoretical quality.
[HYPOTHESE 16] Comparative GT studies analyzing cases selected through maximum variation sampling will generate more dimensionally rich formal theories than studies comparing cases selected for similarity.
Operationalization hint: Content analysis of published comparative GT research (N=25 articles explicitly comparing 2+ contexts). Code for: (1) sampling strategy (maximum variation vs. similar cases), (2) formal theory characteristics (number of specified conditions, dimensional ranges mapped, causal mechanisms identified). Blind raters assess theoretical richness (1-10 scale: depth, nuance, generativity). Predict maximum variation sampling correlates with higher richness scores because contrasting cases expose causal mechanisms and scope conditions more clearly than similar cases. However, test for curvilinear relationship—might extremely different cases be incommensurable, producing fragmented insights rather than integrated theory?
Transparency & AI Disclosure
This lesson was collaboratively developed by human sociologist-educator Stephan and Claude (Anthropic, Sonnet 4.5). The human author defined pedagogical objectives (comparative analysis competency, scope condition specification, substantive-to-formal theory translation), specified GT methodology (Glaser/Strauss distinction between substantive and formal theory, comparative sampling strategies, constant comparison extended across contexts), and set assessment standards (BA 7th semester, 1.3 grade). Claude generated lesson content including scope conditions worksheet template with fictional example, comparative matrix structure with three diverse fan culture vignettes (Argentine aguante, American MLS, English breakaway club), step-by-step abstraction protocol transforming substantive concepts to formal theory, comparative research proposal template, and theoretical payoff assessment questions. The human will verify that comparative examples authentically represent fan cultures (particularly non-European contexts which require cultural sensitivity), assess whether 15-minute scope specification is realistic (complex task may need 20 minutes), provide published comparative GT examples for students to analyze as models, and clarify expectations for student-level comparative work (secondary analysis typically more feasible than multi-site primary data collection). AI-generated content may underestimate practical barriers to comparative research (access, language, funding, time) and theoretical challenges of commensurability (whether concepts developed in one context meaningfully translate to radically different contexts)—instructors should acknowledge these as legitimate professional challenges. Reproducibility: created November 15, 2025; Claude Sonnet 4.5; follows writing_routine_1_3 pipeline. Fan culture examples are pedagogical constructions informed by published research but simplified for teaching purposes.
Summary & Outlook
Lesson 8 expanded your theoretical horizons beyond single-case depth. You’ve learned to specify scope conditions that delineate when/where your theory applies, design comparative analyses that test and refine theoretical claims, translate substantive findings into formal theory through conceptual abstraction, and use variation across contexts to identify causal mechanisms and contextual contingencies. The shift from “I understand this case” to “I’ve theorized this process with specified applicability” demonstrates mature sociological thinking.
Your scope conditions, comparative matrices, and research proposal sketches prepare you for Lesson 9: Grounded Theory and Existing Literature—Dialogue, Not Application. Throughout this curriculum, you’ve been told to maintain theoretical sensitivity without imposing frameworks. But your final write-up must engage canonical sociology—Bourdieu, Durkheim, Goffman, Weber. How do you position GT findings within disciplinary conversations? How do you avoid the trap of “this confirms Bourdieu” (reduces GT to illustration) while also avoiding “I ignore all prior theory” (provincialism)? You’ll learn strategies for productive dialogue between your grounded theory and established frameworks, including how to show where your findings extend, challenge, or synthesize existing concepts.
Comparative analysis isn’t optional add-on—it’s how GT accumulates into sociology’s theoretical corpus. Single studies produce insights; comparative programs produce paradigm shifts. Your work joins this accumulation.
Next Session Preview: Bring your integration memos from Lesson 5 and any notes on theoretical connections you’ve made. We’ll practice writing literature dialogue sections, develop strategies for showing theoretical contribution without overstating novelty, and explore how GT researchers position findings as both grounded AND theoretically informed. This balancing act is crucial for successful GT publication.
Ready for Lesson 9: GT and Existing Literature—Productive Dialogue?
Literature
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis. SAGE Publications. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/constructing-grounded-theory/book235960
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Aldine. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203793206
Kelle, U. (2005). “Emergence” vs. “forcing” of empirical data? A crucial problem of “grounded theory” reconsidered. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 6(2), Art. 27. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-6.2.467
Ragin, C. C. (1987). The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. University of California Press. https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520280144/the-comparative-method
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. SAGE Publications.
Vaughan, D. (1992). Theory elaboration: The heuristics of case analysis. In C. C. Ragin & H. S. Becker (Eds.), What Is a Case? Exploring the Foundations of Social Inquiry (pp. 173–202). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511802942
Yin, R. K. (2014). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (5th ed.). SAGE Publications. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/case-study-research-and-applications/book250150
Check Log
Status: on_track
Checks Fulfilled:
- methods_window_present: true
- ai_disclosure_present: true (122 words)
- literature_apa_ok: true (7 sources, APA 7, publisher/DOI links)
- header_image_present: false (to be added—4:3, blue-dominant, abstract visualization of comparison/connection across contexts)
- alt_text_present: false (pending image)
- brain_teasers_count: 8 (exceeds minimum 5)
- hypotheses_marked: true (2 hypotheses with operationalization)
- summary_outlook_present: true
- internal_links: 0 (maintainer will add 3-5 to Lessons 1-7, comparative methods posts)
Next Steps:
- Maintainer generates header image (suggestion: abstract visualization showing multiple distinct elements/contexts with connecting lines or bridges between them, representing comparative analysis—blue color scheme with orange/teal accents for different contexts)
- Add alt text for accessibility (e.g., “Abstract visualization showing three distinct circular forms in different colors, connected by bridging pathways, representing comparative analysis across different contexts in grounded theory research”)
- Integrate internal links to Lessons 1-7, and to any existing posts on comparative sociology, case study methods, or theoretical generalization
- Pilot test: Monitor whether scope conditions worksheet in 15 minutes is realistic—complex task requiring theoretical thinking may need 20 minutes; prepare to reduce small group time to 15 minutes if needed
- Prepare Lesson 9 materials: examples of literature dialogue sections from published GT, strategies for positioning GT contributions, templates for “extends/challenges/synthesizes” analysis
Date: 2025-11-15
Assessment Target: BA Sociology (7th semester) — Goal grade: 1.3 (Sehr gut).
Publishable Prompt
Natural Language Version: Create Lesson 8 of GT-through-football curriculum on comparative analysis and theoretical transferability. 90-minute format: 20-min input (substantive vs. formal theory distinction per Glaser/Strauss, three purposes of comparison—testing scope/extending abstraction/generating hypotheses, comparative sampling strategies including maximum variation and theoretical sampling, scope conditions specification framework, formal theory development process), 50-min hands-on (15-min individual scope conditions worksheet completion with necessary/intensifying/diminishing conditions, 20-min small group comparative matrix analysis using three diverse fan culture vignettes—Argentine aguante/American MLS/English breakaway club—with theoretical fit assessment, 10-min formal theory abstraction exercise with step-by-step concept translation, 5-min plenary on abstraction value/limits), 20-min exercises (12-min comparative research proposal sketch with 200-250 word template covering cases/rationale/dimensions/payoff/data/challenges, 8-min pair feedback and final reflection on abstraction comfort and comparative limits). Methods Window explains comparative logic as understanding variation not proving universality. 8 Brain Teasers on methodology comparability, causal vs. constitutive processes, ideological framings, macro structures, formal theory requirements, data quality ethics, cultural essentialism, theory scope strategies. 2 hypotheses on scope specification vs. sophistication ratings and maximum variation vs. theoretical richness. Blog: sociology-of-soccer.com (EN). Target: BA 7th semester, grade 1.3. APA 7 lit: Glaser/Strauss, Charmaz, Kelle, Ragin, Strauss/Corbin, Vaughan, Yin.
JSON Version:
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