Final answer:
Researchers using a coding approach informed by grounded theory adopt an interpretive framework that focuses on understanding social phenomena from participants' viewpoints, often using qualitative methods like participant observation.
Step-by-step explanation:
When researchers use a coding approach informed by grounded theory, their approach is centered on the interpretive framework. This framework is aimed at understanding social worlds from the point of view of participants, leading to in-depth knowledge of the human experience. Unlike the scientific method, which follows a systematic process involving hypothesis formulation and testing to seek generalizable results, the interpretive framework emphasizes exploring and describing the social phenomena from a subjective perspective.
Studies operating from a symbolic interactionist perspective are inclined towards using qualitative research methods. Methods such as in-depth interviews and participant observation allow researchers to comprehend the symbolic worlds in which their subjects live. Interpretive research, frequently narrative in nature, is more descriptive and may involve direct observation or interaction, sometimes leading researchers to adjust their methods as they learn more during the study.
Grounded theory, which extends the symbolic interactionist theory, suggests that researchers learn through the process of collecting data, and the reality they study is actively constructed by the individuals being studied. Hence, the use of grounded theory in sociological research favors a more exploratory and iterative approach than the linear, hypothesis-testing method seen in empirical studies.