ACROSS FAMILIES/ Reasoning approach
Inductive reasoning
Build patterns from observations
Induction moves from observations towards patterns, categories or more general propositions. Its conclusions extend beyond the observed material and therefore remain defeasible. Qualitative category development and quantitative estimation can both involve induction. Prior concepts and research purposes still guide attention, so inductive work should explain its interpretive choices rather than claiming to be theory-free.
WHEN IT FITS
Use when existing concepts do not adequately describe a phenomenon and you need to develop a grounded account from systematically collected, sufficiently varied observations.
Strengths
- Allows unexpected categories and relationships to develop
- Useful for refining concepts in poorly understood settings
Limitations
- Observed patterns may fail outside sampled contexts
- Selective attention can be mistaken for discovery
Know the boundary
Induction is not a guarantee of unbiased discovery and is not identical to grounded theory.
USED ACROSS
Banking & financeBusiness & MBAPsychologyComputer scienceEducation