If stating which approach you take is a requirement of your research project, please click on the link below to find out more.
Which approach will you take?
The answer to this question can indicate which methodology, methods and analysis you will use to answer your research question. For example, hypothesis testing indicates a deductive approach. If you’re a planning to generate theory from your data, you might take an inductive approach. However, in order to answer your research question, you may need to take a more pragmatic approach which requires you to use a combination of inductive and deductive approaches, this is known as an abductive approach.
Deductive Approach |
Inductive Approach |
Abductive |
Associated with Quantitative Methods
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Associated with Qualitative Methods Ends with a theory
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Associated with Mixed Methods Can generate and evaluate a hypothesis Allows for the generation and testing of theory
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