Inductive or Deductive Type of Research?

There are mainly two kinds of research approaches deductive and inductive. Understanding to these approaches is essential to increase the efficiency of the research study. Both the approaches are completely different from each other (shown in Figure). Deductive research approach is associated with the positivism paradigm, whereas inductive research approach is associated with interpretivism. Understanding of both approaches is essential to support the choice of appropriate research approach.

Deductive research approach allows the research to establish a hypothesis by using theory. Variety of data and information is collected by the researcher to confirm or reject the hypothesis to resolve issue (Gill and Johnson 2010). In the given figure, various steps of using deductive approach are development of theory, hypothesis, observation through data and information and confirmation. On the other hand, inductive approach is totally reverse form deductive approach. Observation, pattern, tentative hypothesis and theory (see figure) are important steps of the inductive approach.

Inductive research is a flexible approach because there is no requirement of pre-determined theory to collect data and information. The researcher uses observe data and facts to reach at tentative hypothesis and define a theory as per the research problem. This helps the research to give inductive arguments (Mertens 2008).


I intend to perform research classified as deductive. This is because of my research dependence theories dependence the questions raised in the title of the study. how do I narrow down the study, is through the data that I obtained from the respondents dependence their data obtained from the survey form.



Reference:

http://dissertationhelponline.blogspot.com/2011/06/deductive-and-inductive-research.html