Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

THEORY AND RESEARCH

out-groups, forms of social contact, and beliefs or

attitudes.

Inductive.To theorize in an inductive direction,

we begin with observing the empirical world and

then reflecting on what is taking place and thinking

in increasingly more abstract ways. We move

toward theoretical concepts and propositions. We

can begin with a general topic and a few vague ideas

that we later refine and elaborate into more precise

concepts when operating inductively. We build

from empirical observations toward more abstract

thinking. In his study of street vendors in New York

City, Duneier (1999) used inductive theorizing. He

developed a theoretical understanding only during

and after he had collected empirical data. He stated,

“I began to get ideas from the things I was seeing

and hearing on the street” (p. 341). Duneier (p. 342)

described the process as being like the method used

by a medical professional who sees patients with

many diverse symptoms. Only after analyzing the

symptoms does the professional make a diagnosis

or coherent story that explains the underlying rea-

son for the many symptoms visible on the surface.

Many researchers use a specific type of induc-

tive theorizing called grounded theory. It involves

formulating new theoretical ideas from the ground

up instead of testing existing theoretical ideas.

Deductive Approach

Theoretical

Framework

Formal Theory

Substantive

Theory

Hypothesis
Testing

Empirical Social Reality

Middle-Range

Theory

Hypothesis,

Empirical Generalization

Inductive Approach

Theoretical

Framework

Formal Theory

Substantive

Theory

Grounded

Theorizing

Empirical Social Reality

Middle-Range

Theory

Concept Formation,

Empirical Generalization

FIGURE 1 Deductive and Inductive Theorizing

Inductive direction An approach to developing or

confirming a theory that begins with concrete empiri-

cal evidence and works toward more abstract concepts

and theoretical relationships.

Grounded theory A type of inductive social theory

often used in qualitative research that builds toward

abstract theory, often by making comparisons of

empirical observations.

Grounded theory is a widely used approach

in qualitative research. It is not the only approach

and it is not used by all qualitative researchers.