Theory Construction and Research Methodology Methods (TCRM) Workshop 2

Authors: Stephen Fife, Jacob Gossner

Presider: Nathalie Saltikoff

Summary
The advancement of Family Science requires the examination of current theories and the re-examination of previously published findings, whether quantitative or qualitative. Until recently, qualitative researchers have lacked a systematic way to combine inductive and deductive analysis in exploring the applicability of previous findings and existing theory to new samples. Deductive qualitative analysis (DQA) is a qualitative methodology suited to theory testing and refinement that combines deduction and induction to examine evidence that supports, contradicts, expands, or refines theory. We explore two applications of this methodology and offer suggestions for maintaining rigor and trustworthiness of analysis.