Deductive Research and Inductive Research (Research Paper Sample)

DEDUCTIVE RESEARCH AND INDUCTIVE RESEARCH
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Deductive Research and Inductive Research
It is good to note the reciprocal relationship that exists between research and theory. Sociological research is informed by theories structure. Most students understand the relationship between research and theory once they need to use deductive and inductive approaches to research. The main difference between research and theory is the method of approach used to come up to the two. Deductive and inductive approaches are different. However, the two research methods can be used complementarily. This paper discusses some of the major differences between deductive and inductive methods of research.
When a researcher is using the inductive method to carry out the research, he or she starts by collecting previously recorded data, which he or she considers important to the topic to be studied. After the researcher collects a substantial amount of data, he or she stops collecting more data, where they step back to study it. While studying the data, the researcher studies how the collected data behaves, looking for possible patterns. In doing this, the researcher works to develop a hypothesis that can be used to explain why the data uses the recorded patterns (Broussine & Beeby, 2008). Thus, in an inductive method of research, the researcher starts by studying data and developing some observations, which are used to set propositions about the research. In summary, this means that the researcher moves from specific to general or from data to theory.
Many researchers have used inductive methods in their research. A good example of an inductive research is "Katherine Allen, Christine Kaestle, and Abbie Goldberg’s study (2011)Allen, K. R., Kaestle, C. E., & Goldberg, A. E. (2011). More than just a punctuation mark: How boys and young men learn about menstruation. Journal of Family Issues, 32, 129–156"." In this research, the author used inductive methods to study the knowledge of men to certain women attributes, such as menstruation. To study whether men and boys knew menstruation, the researchers used some narratives of the studied group. The narratives described the boys, how they knew about menstruation, and their thoughts after learning about menstruation, and the thought they had about it now that they were grown. The researchers studied the patterns of the 23 narrative used in the research, observing them get a pattern. The pattern obtained was used to develop a general hypothesis of how young men and boys learned about menstruation in the women’s biology. The pattern observed in the narratives helped the researchers conclude the importance of sisters in young men’s life. Researchers were also able to conclude that boys felt different from girls because they did not receive their menstruations. The patterns of the study showed that when young entered into adulthood forming romantic relationships, they understood menstruation more than they did while they were boys, which made them develop positive opinions about menstruation.
Another example of an inductive research is "(Ferguson, Kim, & McCoy, 2011)Ferguson, K. M., Kim, M. A., & McCoy, S. (2011). Enhancing empowerment and leadership among homeless youth in agency and community settings: A grounded theory approach. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 28, 1–22." In this example, the researchers used analyzed data to understand the hardships the people who were homeless went through. In this study, the researcher used data collected from twenty young people with no home or place to shelter. After studying the data obtained from the research study, the researchers developed a hypothesis that was used to provide recommendations on what sympathizers can do to provide the housing facilities in the neighborhood. The researchers in this study also developed a hypothesis, which could be useful if people wanted to study the topic more. Although the researchers in this case did not test the hypothesis they developed, their study ends where deductive investigation starts.
In the end of deductive method of research, the researchers use the inductive research method. However, the orders of events in the research are reversed. Researchers in deductive approaches start by using a social theory they find interesting. The researchers then study the implication of the theory with data (Crowther, Lancaster & Lancaster, 2009). Thus, a researcher using the deductive approach moves to a specific theory from the general level. In inductive approach, the researcher starts his or her research by studying other people’s work, where they read existing theories on the topic he or she is studying.
Just as we have seen in induction research, not all researchers use deductive methodology. There are many research papers that have used the deductive approach as a method of research. In this part, we shall discuss the some examples of the works that have used deductive methodology as their method of research. The first example of a deductive approach paper is a study done by Ryan Kings on how the Law enforcement in America responds to hate crimes. "In (King, Messner, & Baller, 2009)King, R. D., Messner, S. F., & Baller, R. D. (2009). Contemporary hate crimes, law enforcement, and the legacy of racial violence. American Sociological Review, 74, 291–315," the article uses deductive methodology to study how police officers responds to hate crime cases in America.
The researchers in this study developed a hypothesis that suggested that the response of the police officers would not be as vigorous in parts of the nation with stronger violence of racism. In developing the first hypothesis of the study, the authors used prior theories and research done on the topic (Ghauri & Grønhaug, 2005). The researchers then tested the hypothesis they developed by analyzing the histories of the data if the states with hate crime responses and lynching hate crime responses. The research can be considered a successful one since the researchers found the support of their success (Ghauri & Grønhaug, 2005).
Another example of a deductive study is a study done by Catherine Wamer and Melissa Milkie. In this research, the researchers focus on finding a relationship between mental health conditions and the learning environments in classrooms in America. The article, "Milkie, M. A., & Warner, C. H. (2011). Classroom learning environments and the mental health of first-grade children. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 52, 4–22.," focuses on how first grader’s mental health can be affected by different types of environments in different classrooms. Warner and Milikie found out that negative classroom features affected the different classroom environmental and conditions would affect the mental healthy of the mental. Some of the negative features studied by the researchers include lack of basic supplies and heat, which would later be associated with behavioral and emotional problem in children. After finding their hypothesis, the researchers used the demonstration of the policy maker to defend the law policy makers.
The main difference between deductive method of research and inductive method of research is that while inductive method aims at generating new ideas coming up from processed data, deductive method is used to test a theory (Punch, 2009). In a deductive method of approach, the research process starts with a hypothesis. On the other hand, inductive method of research uses the research questions, a move used to narrow the study. In the deductive method of approach, the study usually emphasizes on causality (Stokes, 2011). On the other hand, the inductive method of research is focused on looking at researched phenomena or new phenomena.
While looking at the researched phenomena, the inductive approach studies it from a different angle or perspective. Deductive approach is usually used in quantitative research. Inductive approaches, on the other hand, are used in qualitative researchers (Wagenaar, Babbie & Babbie, 2004). However, it is important to note that there are no set rules in r...