Research Theories: Comparing and Contrasting
The main differences between the four specific types of research theories above revolve around their perspective of research and the accumulation of knowledge. This in particular to how this research can be gathered to solve problems and provide illumination to issues. For example, deductive theories offer a more specific and focused treatment of research. The research usually revolves around a specific theory within a specific branch of academia that is use for testing and investigation. According to Dr. Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, "In deductive inference, we hold a theory and based on it we make a prediction of its consequences. That is, we predict what the observations should be if the theory were correct. We go from the general — the theory — to the specific — the observations," (Bradford, 2017). Essentially, a deductive theory is founded within reasoning, beginning with a more general assertion and then scrutinizes all potentialities in order to reach a reasonable conclusion (Bradford, 2017). Deductive theories, once one has chosen a specific theory for testing, the researcher has the burden of creating a hypothesis to use as the structure for the overall research direction. This hypothesis is instrumental in the creation of all the things that will go into the research process—the research design, data gathering and analysis. One of the ways that a deductive theory is so useful is that it empowers professionals to construct experimental studies to determine how applicable the theory is to the singularity being examined (Bradford, 2017).
“For deductive approaches, the emphasis is generally on causality, whilst for inductive approaches the aim is usually focused on exploring new phenomena or looking at previously researched phenomena from a different perspective” (Gabriel, 2013). Quite simply, a deductive approach revolves around testing a specific theory, always starting with a hypothesis. A deductive theory is almost always associated with quantitative research. However, none of these rules are written in stone. For example, it is possible to have a qualitative study with a more deductive orientation (Gabriel, 2013).
On the other hand, rather than being so focused on testing a theory, an inductive approach is one that revolves around the creation of new theories, developing from the data collected. One way that an inductive theory or approach differs from...
One of the more famous and frequently cited inductive theories is grounded theory, created by Glaser and Strauss (Gabriel, 2013). “This approach necessitates the research start with a totally open mind without any preconceived ideas of what will be found. The aim is to generate a new theory based on the data. Once the data analysis has been completed, the researcher must examine existing theories in order to position their new theory within the discipline” (Gabriel, 2013). Grounded theory is such a significant example of inductive theory as it seeks to push the researcher to engage in the pursuit if knowledge with an open and clear mind in order to create new theory. This requires a certain amount of mental discipline, so that the researcher might really come up with something that is innovative and that makes a meaningful contribution to the world.
Determining whether to move forward with inductive or deductive theory means that the researcher needs to look inward and examine the overall intent of the research. Then one really needs to determine if the bulk of the work is going to revolve around testing an idea (such as a hypothesis) or if it is a less specific exploration of emerging thoughts within the data or if the overall desire is to provide an answer to a specific research question. The key thing to bear in mind with inductive theories is that there’s a general minimization of rigidity. Some researchers prefer them because they offer more leeway of thought and exploration, given their open-endedness. So just as a researcher engaged in deductive reasoning might move forward in testing a hypothesis, often with a deductive theory, the researcher will engage in observing an occurrence in the world or specifically in science.
Grounded theory, which was already alluded to, refers to a method that operates on the primacy of data collection and intensive ways of engaging in analysis. Grounded theory is not for the faint of heart; however one of its major benefits is that it can be harnessed for wither qualitative or quantitative data (Scott, 2009). One of the other major benefits of grounded theory is that it can be used for literally any type of data—from pictures, words, film clips or even observations (Scott, 2009). So it offers a type of flexibility that is even more open and resilient than deductive theory. This…
