REPLY TO MY PEER DISCUSSION POST, WORD COUNT : 200 

STUDENT NAME : ISABEL GONZALEZ 

Importance of Theory 

     Theories act as fundations and provide the framework for an understanding human development, behavior and thought. By having an extensive base for understanding you are allowing yourself to ask about the how's and why's of normal and not-so-normal human behavior. You also allow yourself to better understand yourself as well as others. 

     The Inductive approach is when researchers begin with a set of empirical observations, focus on finding patterns if there are any and then theorize about said patterns. Of course this means to collect data that seems of relevance and pile them together, then allowing yourself time to step back and observe it all as a whole. From there the researcher would find and focus on patterns throughout any of the data at hand and beging to form their theory. Researchers also start with a set of observations and then move from those observations to a more general set of propositons about those experiences. The process goes as shows:

Gather Data – Look for Patterns – Develop Theory

Specific level of focus – Analysis – General level of focus

Example: "Enhancing empowerment and leadership among homeless youth in agency and community settings: A grounded theory approach. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 28, 1-22. analyzed empirical data to better understand how best to meet the needs of young people who are homeless. The authors analyzed dta from focus groups with 20 young people at a homeless shelter. From this dats]a they developed a set of recommendatios for those interested in applied interventions that serve homeless youth." (Inductive or deductive? Two different approaches. (n.d.).)

     The Deductive approach takes the steps described earlier and reverses their order. They start with a social theory that they find captivating and then test it's imputation with data. This means they work from a general level and then move into a more specific one. Most associate the deductive approach to research with scientific investigation. Researchers using this approach read theories that already exist of whatever he or she is studying, studies what others have already done, and then tests hypotheses that emerge from those theories. This is the simplified process:

Theorize/Hypothesize – Analyzie Data – Hypotheses Supported or Not

General level of focus – Analysis – Specific level of focus

WC: 372

Inductive or deductive? Two different approaches. (n.d.). https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_principles-of-sociological-inquiry-qualitative-and-quantitative-methods/s05-03-inductive-or-deductive-two-dif.html.