Research Methods Handout
Course: SOC 1301
Instructor: Richey
Source: Conley, D. (2008).
You may ask yourself: An introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Example: I could use either approach to
start my
research:
Deductive: I could start from the point of having a theory:
Theory: socioeconomic status and education are related
Hypothesis: a higher socioeconomic status will be seen
with a higher level of education
Empirical Observation: I will collect data from a sample
of people regarding both socioeconomic status and
education
Analysis: Using that information, I will either prove or
disprove my theory
Inductive: I could start from a point of not having a theory:
