Inductive, Deductive and Abductive Approaches in Generating New Ideas: A Modified Grounded Theory Study

The use of qualitative research in social sciences is increasing tremendously. However, analysis tools available for analysing qualitative data and materials are found lacking and limited. This article presents a technique for qualitative analysis, pertaining to the use and combination of induction, deduction and abduction in relation to theorizing in grounded theory. Abduction is also an analytic induction for generating new ideas from a combination of the fundamental approaches of inductive and deductive. The technique shows how these three approaches of reasoning could be used in grounded theorizing, with the aid of an empirical example. The empirical research used a modified grounded theory approach which studied critical thinking and mathematical thinking in real-world engineering practice. The study focused on developing a substantive theory pertaining to these two types of thinking. The conceptual framework for this study incorporates two main components namely empirically-driven analysis, which employs inductive approach and concept-driven analysis, which employs deductive approach. Six processes of justifying decisions reasonably are developed and embedded in the substantive theory of Math-Related Critical Thinking by abductive reasoning. This article attempts to provide the technique as an interpretive tool in theorizing grounded theory, to the advancement of qualitative methods and analysis.