An Overview of Inductive and Deductive Research Approach
We in this blog will learn about Inductive and Deductive Research Approach. Both the research approach are crucial for any researcher, as they might have to use both the approaches to get the desired result. So, let us learn about their difference, importance and which of these approaches preferably being used by top researcher around the globe.
What is Inductive & Deductive Research Approach?
Inductive Research Approach is known as Bottom Up research approach, the reason is that it moves from Specific observation and then arrives at Broader Observation Approach. It means that in this approach, we analyze the specific idea and then we come up with broader concept, conclusion or we can say the theories behind the specific observation.
Whereas Deductive Research Approach is official called as Top-down Research approach because it first aims the collecting the third party or other theory related to specific thing, then start evaluating about the available theories of specific approach, which means that research is now in the position to have clear cut ideas and have a lots of theories and alternative of their specific approach.
Theories behind Inductive and Deductive Research Approach
Inductive Research Approach
A researcher uses an inductive approach to gather information about their study topic. As soon as a significant volume of data has been gathered, the researcher will step back and take a bird's eye view of the information. As part of the research, the researcher is looking for patterns in the data in order to create a theory that would explain these trends. Research using an inductive approach starts with a set of observations before moving on to more general conclusions about those experiences. In other words, they progress from facts to theories, or from the particular to the general.
Deductive Research Approach
For deductive researchers, a convincing social theory will serve as the starting point for exploring its implications. Basically, they conduct the process backward, going from a broad to a more precise level, employing the same procedures as inductive research. The deductive research approach is most commonly associated with scientific study. After analyzing existing theories of the phenomenon they are studying, examining what others have done, and testing hypotheses derived from those theories, the researcher develops a hypothesis.
