Theories and Theorists
Theory is a natural extension of the philosophy of science, and theoretical frameworks underpin any and every research design and study. For this assignment, you will familiarize yourself with the main theories and theorists in your field so that you may become more conversant in your discipline's theoretical foundations and research approaches.
To prepare for this Application:
• Review Chapters 3, 4, and 5 in the course text, A Primer in Theory Construction.
• Review Chapter 3 in the course text, Research Design.
• Using the library, and any other resources at your disposal, discover the important theories in your field. What are they?
• Identify the origin of the theories, their authors or developers, and the source material where you can find these theories.
• Analyze and assess the relationship between two theories that you have found. Does one expand upon or reference the other?
• Identify at least five "classics," or influential works, in your discipline. Why are they important? How much are they referenced today?
You were assigned a chapter this week that will assist you in completing this assignment. To complete this Application:
• Review Chapter 6 in the course text, A Primer in Theory Construction.
• Review the Use of Theory Checklist handout to help pinpoint key elements of theory in research articles.
The assignment:
o Craft a 4- to 5-page paper in which you address the following instructions and questions:
- Identify two key theories in your field.
- Identify the theorist(s) and sources of the theories (key articles or books) in your discipline.
- Describe the basic tenets of these theories.
- Analyze the relationship between the two theories that you have found.
- Explain why these theories are so important to your discipline and how they relate to the research that you are interested in doing.
- Include a reference list for all the sources you cited in this paper.
Use of Theory Checklist
Use the following criteria to examine the use of theory.
• Does the author identify one overarching theory by name?
• Does the author provide information about the development of this theory?
• Does the author give examples of how the theory has been used previously?
• Does the author advance propositions or hypotheses that are based on the theory?
• Does the author identify the independent and dependent variables?
• Does the author state how the independent and dependent variables are related?
• Does the author provide a rationale for why the variables are related this way based on the logic of the theory?