Role of Theory in Research. Does it

Role of theory in research. Does it serve to connect components of the study? Is it a basis for selecting a research approach?

Raw data in and of itself is not useful or comprehensible. Theory acts as a guiding force to make various bits of empirical evidence relevant and to provide a guide to how to use and interpret information. According to Michael Patton, "a theory says, 'These are the things that you ought to pay attention to, 'and here's why you ought to pay attention to them, 'because they make a particular kind of difference in the world'" (Patton n.d.). In general, there are two major theoretical overviews to constructing research studies: deductive and inductive approaches.

Deductive research begins with a hypothesis about a particular phenomenon and attempts to either prove or disprove that theory. The theoretical overview is constructed before the actual research is conducted. For example, a research study on Piaget's developmental theory, according to Patton, might compare different childhood responses to Piaget's tests of mass and space cross-culturally using various questionnaires. The amassed quantitative data would be used to prove or disprove a theory about the cultural applicability of Piaget's stages.

In contrast, inductive research constructs a theory based upon accumulated information. An inductive theory of development might take a 'case study' of a particular community and determine anecdotally how the culture viewed mass and space to generate a theory about a particular culture's stages of childhood development from the data. This illustrates how the overall approach and conclusions of the research will change, even if the subject matter remains the same, depending on the theoretical nature of the research.