Researching diversity in education requires diversity-informed research methods and methodologies. Research methodologies must therefore be sensitive toward diversity in its variety of forms and peculiarities. Moreover, great adaptability of research approaches and researchers is necessary. Pre-given categories and structures thus may not allow for a sufficiently open and flexible capturing of the field’s characteristics. Hence, qualitative, inductive approaches that respect and reflect the circumstances and features of the field and the respondents are especially intriguing.

In light of international (comparative) research especially, some more aspects that require sensitivity must be taken into account. Here, three layers of reflection appear to be of relevance: Firstly, it is important to consider which terms and concepts are being used to describe the field. So, for instance, do we talk about cultures, contexts, or nations, and what is the underlying understanding of the corresponding notion that is applied (e.g., Dilley, 2002)? Secondly, it is important to consider how these concepts will be related to each other in the context of the research project. So, for example, do we apply an Inter-, Trans-, Multi-, or Cross-cultural research approach (e.g., Adick, 2010)? Based on this, it must thirdly be considered whether the research will rather focus on generalisations or observations of differences across fields (e.g., Dinkelaker et al., 2011)?

A critical reflection of these questions and considerations is crucial, especially as borders, nations, and cultures become increasingly blurry through migration, globalisation, and the ease of travel and information exchange across contexts (e.g., Fritzsche, 2012). Therefore, the Grounded Theory Methodology (Glaser/Strauss, 1967) appears as one promising methodology in this regard. Building on Falkenberg’s statement that Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM) can be a valuable extension for international educational research (2018), the paper will engage in the question of how transcultural research on diversity in education can be conducted with GTM. To start with, the opportunities of GTM will be demonstrated by elaborating on two essential characteristics: Its sensitivity towards diversity and culture.

Firstly, the method allows for developing a theory that builds upon people’s diverse realities. Instead of applying pre-given theories and structures to the research field, GTM “is particularly helpful for uncovering processes or patterns of behavior that remain hidden in society” (Nayar/Wright-St Clair, 2020, p. 132). Thus, GTM allows us to conduct meaningful, qualitative research in complex, diverse, and so far, under-explored research fields. Under-explored fields can on the one side refer to thematic fields that have so far been rarely studied (e.g., tabooed research questions), but on the other side also to under-represented geographical fields (e.g., remote areas and communities). GTM, therefore, enables research in fields where little is yet known and the researcher must react and adapt to the unpredictable peculiarities of the field. Especially in light of diversity and international research, this feature is greatly important.

Secondly, the possibility to do culturally-sensitive research with GTM is essential. While in ethnography, culture is one of the concepts at the centre of attention, Nayar and Wright-St Clair (2020, p. 133) highlight that within GTM “it is the social process that is central to the study. Yet, this social process unfolds within a context, which means that culture cannot be ignored”. In addition to these culture-sensitive possibilities of GTM, Charmaz (2014, p. 1082) also explicitly mentions that “international researchers can adopt grounded theory strategies and adapt them to fit their cultural and research practices”. Especially in light of conducting research in diverse and multicultural settings with differing research traditions and realities and moreover, with regard to possibly uneven power relations, this is of great relevance (e.g., Robinson-Pant/Singal, 2013).

Despite these opportunities of applying GTM in international research, it can be recognized that “there is a dearth of research using grounded theory methods with participants from multiple ethnic communities” (Nayar/Wright-St Clair, 2020, p. 131). In recent years, however, a few corresponding studies have been carried out. In research conducted by Falkenberg (2018), GTM was for instance applied in an international comparative study, and Nayar and Wright-St Clair (2020) describe their implementation of GTM in a cross-cultural research project. While within comparative research, cultural differences are considered as differences between rather homogenous units (e.g., Fritzsche 2012), in cross-cultural research overlaps and differences between these units are at the centre of attention (e.g., Nayar/Wright-St Clair 2020). Within transcultural research, however, it is intended to move away from comparing pre-given entities or units such as cultures, contexts, or nations. Instead, the diversity within the fields is aimed to be reflected in research (e.g., Hummrich/Rademacher, 2013). In light of increasing migration, globalisation, and diversification, transcultural research approaches that reflect and address the complexity and intersectionalities of the fields thus strongly gain relevance. However, it can be recognized that so far, transcultural research approaches still lag behind comparative or cross-contextual studies (e.g., Fritzsche 2012). The presentation aims to highlight and discuss methodological aspects that must be considered when conducting transcultural research on diversity in education with GTM. Following the methodological considerations of GTM researchers such as Glaser and Strauss (1967), Charmaz (2006), Bryant and Charmaz (2007), Birk and Mills (2011), Breuer, Muckel, and Dieris (2019), and Tarozzi (2013) as well as of Falkenberg (2018) and Nayar and Wright-St Clair (2020), this presentation intends to carve out the possibilities and challenges of applying GTM in transcultural research on diversity in education. Alongside an ongoing dissertation project on Inclusive Schooling Practices of Teachers Worldwide (InSpots), the presentation demonstrates arising risks and opportunities of applying GTM to a transcultural research project. The InSpots project itself addresses the question of how teachers from different contexts around the world handle diversity in their classrooms and how their strategies and interventions can be systematised in a way so that they can also be applied meaningfully in other contexts (Kleinlein, 2021). Even though these educational solutions may "have a strongly local flavour" (Artiles/Dyson, 2005, p. 37), it is aimed "to learn in one country from practices and forms of provision developed elsewhere" (ibid., p. 42).

Following these remarks, the presentation offers a methodological contribution for researching diversity in education alongside a corresponding ongoing research project in the area of inclusive education. This focus is particularly today extremely crucial, "[a]s people of different national identities and ethnic groups continue to migrate across the world and diversity becomes more commonplace, [and] a move away from the logic of exclusion, towards an acceptance of difference as an ordinary aspect of human development is needed” (Florian 2019, p. 702). In order to explore and understand this increasingly complex and entangled world, researchers are thus challenged to find ways to study these new developments and realities. While GTM is especially promising for researching diversity in all its forms due to its practice orientation, transcultural approaches are particularly valuable for researching complex fields and contexts. The transcultural grounded theory methodology (T-GTM) thus seeks to build upon the experiences of other researchers who applied GTM in international contexts and to thereby provide a methodological approach that can be valuable for international researchers studying diversity in education. Within the presentation, possible challenges and opportunities of including and researching diversity with T-GTM will be discussed.

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