Deductive Research Process - Assignment Example

Deductive research process: The deductive research process refers to a process whereby the researcher adopts a top down approach and starts working from general information gradually moving on to the specific. It is often described as the top-down approach because the researcher first develops a theory then forms the research hypothesis followed by observation and finally confirmation. The conclusion in this type of research process is often derived logically from the information collected and the facts observed as a part of the study (Keyton, 2011). Inductive research process: The inductive research process on the other hand refers to a process whereby the researcher adopts a completely opposite approach of arriving at a conclusion as observed in the deductive approach. This research process begins with specific observations and gradually moving on to making broader generalizations and developing of theories based on observed facts. The process follows and develops a specific pattern based on which a tentative hypothesis is formed followed by theories. This process entails a high degree of uncertainty as compared to the deductive research process. Most of inductive research is qualitative in nature while deductive research is quantitative. This is because in most cases the inductive approach is of particular significance for qualitative content analysis while a deductive approach is more appropriate for a quantitative analysis. However at times the inductive approach allows for a strictly qualitative analysis the deductive approach on the other hand allows for either a qualitative or quantitative analysis or a combination of the two (Keyton, 2011). 2. • Chi square: Are women and men equally likely to be tech savvy? Do students by more soft drinks, hot drinks, or health drinks at a cafeteria? The above listed questions are appropriate for a chi square test because the key purpose of a chi square analysis is to ascertain whether the observed frequency distribution deviates significantly from the hypothesized frequency distribution. The null hypothesis here entails that the two variables are independent which could be true only if the observed counts in the sample are similar to expected counts. In this case if the total number of people surveyed is 30 then in the absence of any specific preference it would naturally be expected that 10 of them would prefer soft drinks, 10 would prefer hot drinks, and the rest of them i.e. 10 would prefer health drinks. The use of chi square helps in comparing our observations i.e. actual fact, with what we originally expected i.e. our assumption. If on the contrary the sample selected indicated that only 2 preferred health drinks, 18 preferred hot drinks and 10 preferred soft drinks then it can be confidently stated that more students preferred hot drinks in a cafeteria, thus indicating that hot drinks are the general preference among students. However if the selected sample indicated that 9 preferred hot drinks, 11 preferred health drinks and the remaining 10 preferred soft drinks then we might be able to confidently state that hot drinks are generally preferred by students (Keyton, 2011). • Independent samples t-test Research question: Do older people rely less on technological gadgets as compared to younger people? Hypothesis testing helps in gaining knowledge about the sample population. Independent t-test is applied where there are two independent samples and the researcher intends to compare these two groups of individuals while the parameters are unknown. For instance if there are two groups of students who were taught using two different methods and the researcher wants to find the difference between these two independent groups then t-test can be most helpful in ascertaining the difference by evaluating the mean difference whereby samples from each population can be taken and compared on the basis of a given variable (Keyton, 2011). In the above question, there are two distinct groups i.e. samples - older people and younger people. 'Age' is an independent variable and the frequency and reliance on technological gadgets is the dependent variable. The independent t-test can be applied to seek answer to each research question in case where the independent variable is dichotomous with only two groups in our case the independent variable age is dichotomous with only two groups and the dependent variable i.e. frequency and reliance on technology is continuous (Keyton, 2011). • One-way ANOVA The one way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) test is used for comparing two or more sample groups on a continuous dependent variable. It is an extension of the t-test analysis which is a short cut to perform a one way ANOVA test in case of comparing samples from two groups. However a one way ANOVA is used in case of two or more sample groups. The independent variable in case of a one way ANOVA can be dichotomous i.e. belonging to two groups or more than two groups while the dependent variable is continuous. The data is collected on both the variables for each individual in the study. Research question: Is there a significant difference between the attitudes of students toward a particular course among those who pass and those who fail that particular course? In the above question there are precisely two groups i.e. the group of students who passed and those who failed the course. The course is an independent variable while the student attitude is a dependent variable. On the contrary if this question is further elaborated to include more than two groups the question can be modified as: Is there a significant difference in student attitudes among freshmen, sophomore, and juniors in college toward a course between those who pass and fail the course? Now in this question there are three distinct groups of sample population i.e. the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors; the student attitudes is continuous and pass or fail are the dichotomous groups (Keyton, 2011). • Two-way ANOVA The two way ANOVA is used for analyzing two-factor experiment. There are two independent variables in a two way ANOVA and each independent variable is defined by two or more elements known as levels. The dependent variable is the continuous variable that is the outcome derived by manipulating the independent variables. In this type of analysis there are two independent variables and one dependent variables and any change to the dependent variable is likely to be caused by changes in the independent variable (Keyton, 2011). Research question: Suppose we want to ascertain the health outcomes or type of therapy used or the health outcome by therapy type on young and old population, we can use the two way anova test. In this case there are two independent variables i.e. health outcome and therapy type; and one dependent variable i.e. young and old population. In order to derive effective outcome it is necessary to rule out the interaction effects of independent variables prior to the assessment of the respective main effects of the two independent variables become meaningful (Keyton, 2011). The research question: Is there any relationship between the health outcome and type of therapy used? Is there any significant difference on the young and old population across the various methods of therapies used? and lastly Is there a significant difference in the health outcomes among the young and old population? • Correlation The purpose of correlational research is to ascertain the relationship between two or more variables. For instance in case of educational research intelligence and vocabulary are closely related. The relationship between these two can be evaluated through correlational research. Research question: Is there a relationship between student’s performance and the status of their parents i.e. single, regular or separated? • Linear regression Linear regression is a statistical analysis process which is used to ascertain whether the scores derived from an independent variable can be used to predict the scores on a dependent variable. It is used while examining the relationship between continuous variables and in case where the researcher intends to predict the scores on the dependent variable based on the scores on the independent variable (Keyton, 2011). Research question: Can the student's test scores be predicted on the basis of their socio-economic backgrounds? In the above question 'test-score' is a dependent variable and the socio-economic background - is an independent variable. The key intention of the researcher in this case is to ascertain the performance of the students based on their scores on the socio-economic background. 3. Grounded theory is a qualitative research method which entails the use of a systematic set of procedures to develop a grounded theory about a phenomenon. This theory is used by the researchers for developing a substantive theory or for offering a comprehensive explanation to any given situation under study. Strauss and Corbin (1990) define the term as one that is "inductively derived from the study of the phenomenon it represents. That is, it is discovered, developed, and provisionally verified through systematic data collection and analysis of data pertaining to that phenomenon." Hence the process of data collection, analysis and developing of theories are in inverse / reciprocal relationship with each other (cited in Byram and Feng, 2006: p. 33). Thematic analysis on the other hand is defined by Braun and Clarke (2006) as "a method that minimally organizes and describes the data collected in rich detail by identifying, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting patterns (i.e. themes) within the data" (cited in Sparkes and Smith, 2013 :p.123 ). Grounded theory example: Examining the impact of a therapy on patients with depression. Thematic analysis example: Ascertaining the understanding of children on health outcomes of irregular food habits and obesity. 4. In my research proposal I have used qualitative research whereby the inductive research process was applied for arriving at a tentative research hypothesis. The topic of the research was related to ascertaining the impact of blogging on modern day journalism. In order to develop the tentative research hypothesis, observations were first made based on the current trends based on which generalizations were then made and theories were developed to lend credibility and meaning to the observed data. The research hypothesis was then formed based on the available facts and information gathered through literature review. References: Byram, M., Feng, A., (2006). Living and studying abroad: Research and practice. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters Ltd. Keyton, J. (2011). Communication research: Asking questions, finding answers (3Rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Sparkes, A. C., Smith, B., (2013). Qualitative research methods in sport, exercise, and health: From process to product. London, UK: Routledge Publication. Read More