Judging the relevance of deductive inquiry

The central role of theory

Bibliographic Data

ID11216955
AuthorsEllen Weissinger (University of Nebraska–Lincoln, corresponding author)
Year1995
Volume17
Issue2
Pages141-145
Publication date1995-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLeisure Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0149-0400 • E-ISSN: 1521-0588
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01490409509513251
OpenAlexW2140285043
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited14

This article argues that the relevance of deductive research is best judged according to how well it serves theory. This unavoidable basic tenet is examined for its implications to the practice of traditional social science: (a) that theory building would be a valued activity; (b) that scholars would focus on elaborating and critiquing a small number of influential theories; (c) that research papers would be theory based and hypothesis driven; and (d) that other aspects of relevance that deductive researchers now wish to embrace (e.g., social responsibility and practicality) are dependent on good theory. Keywords: deductive logictheory

Deductive method · Deductive reasoning · Epistemology · Focus (optics · Political science · Qualitative research · Relevance (law · Social science · Sociology · Evaluation and Performance Assessment · Philosophy · Psychology

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