Post-inductive resonance

Much research undertaken in discovery mode, much interpretivist research, relies upon induction - the process by which we form new conceptualisations to describe patterns in data. This relies upon creative processes to suggest new concepts, categories for describing data, interpretations of data etc.

Once such insights have been received, the analyse needs to test them against the data set - what has been described as post-inductive resonance.

“In my own research there were moments during the analysis of data that I became aware of hypotheses about relevant categories that seemed to describe aspects of the data. Such a hypothesis may be judged to be authentic if it ‘resonates’ with the data: that is if the hypothesis is found to match other parts of the data set, and is not significantly challenged by incommensurate data. In my research I referred to this process of matching, of checking hypothesised categories against data, as post-inductive resonance. It is my belief, based on my own experience of the data analysis, that to a large extent the process of post-inductive resonance occurs at a sub-conscious level. Over a period of time, immersion in a data set leads to the sudden realisation that one has interpretations that seem to fit (‘resonate with’) the data, but which one has not up to that point consciously thought through. One may be able to offer a post-hoc reconstruction of the match between data and interpretation, but one is not able to describe the inductive process.” (Taber, 1997: 5)

Taber, K. S. (1997). Post-Inductive Resonance?: the principles of ‘grounded theory’ applied to chemical education research. Paper presented at the 4th European Conference on Research in Chemical Education, University of York.

In grounded theory methodology, the process of constant comparison is employed to ensure that codes, categories and concepts developed offer good fit to the data collected.

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