Visual Elicitation Grounded Theory — Image-Prompted GT

Visual Elicitation Grounded Theory (VE-GT) is a qualitative design that augments classical grounded theory with visual elicitation techniques — photographs, drawings, video stills, or participant-produced images — as the primary stimulus for data collection. Instead of relying solely on verbal prompts, the researcher uses images to help participants articulate meanings, memories, and social processes that are difficult to express in words alone. The resulting interview data are then analysed using the full grounded theory analytic cycle of open coding, axial coding, and theoretical sampling to generate a substantive theory.