Contested concepts: Negotiating debates about qualitative research methods such as grounded theory and autoethnography

Learning how to use a qualitative research method is a challenging task that is often made more difficult by contested definitions and descriptions of the method in question. How should novice researchers deal with methodological debates and disagreements within the research community when attempting to employ a contested research method for their own study? Pace explores this question using two qualitative methods as examples: grounded theory and autoethnography. This chapter considers why grounded theory and autoethnography qualify as contested concepts while unpacking their procedures and the controversies that surround them. Suggestions for negotiating debates about contested research methods are drawn from the experiences of research students and supervisors.