What Is The Difference Between Inductive And Deductive Research?

Inductive research is based on inductive thought or reasoning which transforms specific observations into general theory. Here the researcher's thinking goes from the specific to the general. If he observes a pattern in society, he may form a hypothesis on it, conduct surveys or experiments to verify his hypothesis and thus reach a conclusion. However, deductive research is based on deductive thought which transforms general theory into specific hypothesis suitable for testing. In this case the researcher's thinking runs from the general to the specific. He may have a hunch about human behavior or some other social phenomenon and he proceeds to collect data to prove it right or wrong. Working deductively, he first states the theory in the form of a hypothesis and then selects a method by which to test it. If the data supports the hypothesis we conclude that his theory is correct.