Question

Define the deductive research approach

Answer 1

The deductive research approach scans theory, derives logical conclusions from this theory and presents them in the form of hypothesis (H) and propositions (P), tests them in an empirical setting and then presents its general conclusions based on the corroboration or falsification of its self-generated H/P. The logical sequence of the research is from rule to case to result, (Kovacs \& Spens, 2005). It is based upon the principle that the researcher, through an in-depth literature review, proposes a given connection between different variables in the study. The theory being tested has to undergo a quantitative or qualitative test or a combination of the two, termed as triangulation, (Stentoft Arlbjorn \& Halldorsson, 2002). This is particularly clear in the prototypical computo-representational approach, that is, the system-expert model, in terms of if ... then (with the pattern of the well-known Socratic deductive reasoning: All men are mortals; if \(x\) is a man, then \(x\) is mortal) (Andreewsky \& Bourcier, 2000).