You’ve probably heard or seen “inductive research” and “deductive research” countless times as a researcher. These are two different research methods that have their perks and downsides. 

Inductive research collects and analyzes data to identify patterns and themes which function as the basis for a theory or hypothesis. Deductive research, on the other hand, involves developing a theory or hypothesis and testing it through empirical data collection and analysis.

In this article, we will focus on inductive research, its examples, and when to use it.

What Is Inductive Research?

Inductive research is also known as bottom-up or data-driven research. It’s exploratory and qualitative; the focus is on understanding the experiences, attitudes, and beliefs of individuals or groups.

So, inductive research does not rely on numerical data but uses qualitative data such as words, images, or videos. It’s also very flexible, allowing you to adjust the research questions or methods as the data emerges.

The main goal of inductive research is to discover new patterns, relationships, or phenomena that are not explained by existing theories or knowledge. It starts with specific observations and then moves to general conclusions.

So, you start the research with an open mind and collect data without any preconceived theories or hypotheses. Next, you analyze the data to identify patterns, themes, and relationships.

Related: What is Deductive Research? Meaning, Stages & Examples

Examples of Inductive Research

You can apply inductive research to various fields such as sociology, psychology, education, marketing, and more. Here are some examples of inductive research:

Example 1

Research Question- How Do Different Demographics Cope With Stress?

You’re a sociologist that wants to understand how people cope with stress in their everyday lives. The first step is to interview people from different backgrounds and ask them about their sources of stress and coping mechanisms.

Next, analyze the interview manuscripts to identify common themes and patterns among the responses. Finally, use the themes to develop a theory of how different demographic cope with stress.

Example 2

Do Social Media Influencers Impact Consumer Behavior?

This is qualitative and quantitative research. Start by performing a content analysis of social media posts by influencers and their followers, as well as a survey of consumers who follow influencers online. 

Next, integrate the results from both methods and derive a comprehensive understanding of how influencers influence consumer behavior.

Example 3

What are the Effects of Video Games on Children’s Behavior?

You observe a group of children playing different types of video games for a certain period and record their actions and interactions. Next, compare the children’s behavior- children who played violent games versus those who played non-violent games. 

Use the observation to formulate a hypothesis about the relationship between video game violence and aggression.

Example 4

Research Question- Why are the majority of students more successful in a particular course than others?

Start by observing the students in class, interviewing them, and reviewing their test scores.

Next, analyze the data to identify patterns and themes. Based on this analysis, the teacher develops a theory that explains the factors that contribute to student success in that subject.

Example 5

Research Question- What factors influence a product’s customer loyalty? 

You can investigate the factors that influence customers’ purchasing decisions. Start by sampling return and long-term customers, and asks them about what makes them want to stick with your brand.

Next, analyze the survey to identify the variables that influences customer loyalty. These variables can help you understand your customer pain points, which gives you a significant competitive advantage.

Stages of Inductive Research

Inductive research typically follows four main stages:

1. Data collection: collect relevant data from various sources, such as interviews, surveys, observations, documents, etc. Ensure the data is detailed enough to allow for meaningful analysis, and collected without any preconceived theories or hypotheses.
2. Data analysis: analyze the data to identify patterns, trends, themes, or categories that emerge from the data. You can use various techniques such as grounded theory, memoing, or thematic analysis to organize and interpret the data.
3. Theory generation: develop a theory or a hypothesis that explains the data. The theory should be based on the data and reflect the reality of the phenomenon under study.
4. Theory verification: test the validity and reliability of the theory or hypothesis using additional data or methods. You can use deductive reasoning or quantitative methods to confirm or reject the theory or hypothesis.

Uses of Inductive Research and When to Use It

Inductive research is majorly used to explore new topics or phenomena that are not well understood or explained by existing theories or knowledge. 

Here are some common uses cases: 

• Generating new insights and perspectives on a phenomenon
• Discovering new concepts or variables that are relevant to a phenomenon
• Developing new theories or hypotheses that can be tested empirically
• Improving creativity and innovation skills
• Understanding and appreciating diversity and complexity

When should you use inductive research:

• The vague research question that needs to be refined or narrowed down
• Limited or no prior knowledge or assumptions about a phenomenon
• When investigating a phenomenon in its natural context or setting
• Collecting adaptable or situational data

Benefits of Inductive Research

• Flexible and Adaptable Research Method

Since inductive research does not start with a fixed theory, it can adjust to new findings and insights that emerge from the data. For example, if you’re studying customer preferences for a new product, you can use inductive research to discover unexpected patterns or trends that might not fit into an existing theory.

• Creative and Innovative

Inductive research encourages you to identify new connections and explanations that can lead to new theories and hypotheses. Let’s say you’re studying the causes of climate change, you can use inductive research to identify new factors or variables that other researchers overlook.

• Data-Driven

Inductive research relies on data and evidence to support its conclusions, rather than on assumptions or logic. As a result, inductive research is more credible and valid because it reflects the reality of the problem or situation.

For example, if a researcher is studying the effects of social media on mental health, they can use inductive research to base their arguments on actual data from surveys or experiments.

How Does Formplus Help in Inductive Research?

Formplus is a data collection tool that allows you to create and administer online surveys for inductive research effortlessly. With Formplus, you can design customized surveys with different question types and conditional logic to fit your research objectives.

You can also easily your data using Formplus analytics or export to a third-party data analysis tool.

Perks of Using Formplus for Inductive Research:

• Dynamic and Customizable Surveys

You can create surveys with different question types, such as text, number, rating, multiple choice, single choice, image choice, file upload, signature, and more. You can also use logic features such as skip logic, validation rules, calculations, and conditional logic to make your surveys more interactive and relevant to your respondents.

• Seamless Data Collection

You can easily distribute your surveys to your target audience by email, social media, QR code, or embedding them on your website. Formplus also has an offline form feature that allows you to collect data without an internet connection and syncs when you are online.

• Data Security

You can collect data from various sources and store it securely in Formplus cloud storage or your preferred cloud storage. If you’d like to perform further analysis, you can export the data in different formats such as PDF, CSV, Excel, or Doc.

• In-app Data Analysis 

You can analyze your data using Formplus analytics or integrate with third-party tools such as Google Sheets, Tableau, Power BI, or Zapier. You can also generate reports and charts to visualize your data and discover patterns and trends.

• Team Collaboration

Using Formplus team features, you can collaborate on your surveys and data with your team members and stakeholders. You can assign roles and permissions, add comments, track changes, and share feedback on your surveys and data.

Conclusion

Inductive research is an open-minded method for researching new topics. When done properly, you can use it to explain complex concepts and identify relationships or patterns between variables.

Using a powerful tool like Formplus allows you to conduct inductive research effectively. Sign up for a free trial and create your inductive research survey in minutes!