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The Four Theories in Research and Their Importance in The Modern World
Kristine Lagundino
Fine Arts Department, College of Architecture and Fine Arts
Technological University of the Philippines, Manila
ADV222 – Applied Research Techniques
Prof. Ernest Garcia
March 5, 2021
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“Theories are formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena and, in many
cases, to challenge and extend existing knowledge, within the limits of the critical bounding
assumptions.” (Sacred Heart University Library, n.d) The theoretical context is the framework
that holds or supports a research study's theory. A theory gives a method for interpreting data.
Assumptions support the statements. A variety of theories can be created from the assumptions.
They can be put to the test to see whether they accept or deny the theory. In this study, we will
define and break the four theories in research.
“Developing a hypothesis (or hypotheses) based on known theory, and then constructing
a testing strategy to test the hypothesis” (Wilson J., 2010) is what a deductive approach is all
about. From the word deduction, it is having a general idea and testing theories one by one and
subtracting those that has a solution after another to reach its conclusion.
Examples for deductive reasoning are, “All men are mortal. Joe is a man. Therefore, Joe
is mortal. If the first two statements are true, then the conclusion must be true.” [1] “To get a
bachelor’s degree at Utah State University, a student must have 120 credits. Sally has more than
130 credits. Therefore, Sally has a bachelor’s degree.” [2]
Inductive reasoning is a method of reasoning in which the premises are viewed as
supplying some evidence, but not full assurance, of the truth of the conclusion. (Rainbolt, George
W.; Dwyer, Sandra L., 2014) The major difference between inductive and deductive reasoning is
that inductive reasoning tries to establish a concept, while deductive reasoning aims to validate
an accepted theory. Inductive reasoning progresses from specific observations to broad
generalizations, while deductive reasoning leads from specific observations to broad
generalizations.
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“For example, you note that the probability of becoming schizophrenic is greatly
increased if at least one parent is schizophrenic, and from that you conclude that schizophrenia
may be inherited. That is certainly a reasonable hypothesis given the data.” Or “the behavior of
the schizophrenic parent may cause the child to be schizophrenic, not the genes.” [3]
Grounded theory is a collection of systematic inductive methods for conducting
qualitative research with the aim of developing theories. The hypothesis is “grounded” in actual
evidence, which means the study and implementation of hypotheses occurs after you have
obtained the data. Glaser & Strauss coined the term in 1967 to legitimize qualitative analysis. Its
use is not limited to qualitative studies; it's a common approach that can be used in a variety of
fields.
Axiomatic, from the root word axiom, defines a statement or proposition which is
regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true. (Oxford Languages and Google,
n.d) In Mathematics, you need at least a few building blocks to start with, and these are
called Axioms. Mathematicians assume that axioms are true without being able to prove them.
However, this is not as problematic as it may seem, because axioms are either definitions or
clearly obvious, and there are only very few axioms. For example, an axiom could be
that a + b = b + a for any two numbers a and b. (Mathigon, n.d) The axioms and rules have to
be chosen carefully in order to avoid inconsistency.
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References
Sacred Heart University Library, (n.d) “Organizing Academic Research Papers: Theoretical
Framework” Retrieved from https://library.sacredheart.edu/c.php?
g=29803&p=185919#:~:text=Theories%20are%20formulated%20to%20explain,theory%20of
%20a%20research%20study.
Wilson, J. (2010) “Essentials of Business Research: A Guide to Doing Your Research Project”
SAGE Publications, p.7
[1] [2] [3] Basic Reading and Writing: Cerritos College, (n.d) “Text: Inductive and Deductive
Arguments” Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/waymaker-level1-
english/chapter/inductive-and-deductive-arguments/
Rainbolt, George W.; Dwyer, Sandra L. (2014). Critical Thinking: The Art of Argument.
Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-285-19719-7.
Oxford Languages and Google, (n.d) “Definition of Axiom” Retrieved from
https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
Mathigon, (n.d) “Axioms and Proof” Retrieved from
https://mathigon.org/world/Axioms_and_Proof
