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?

The assignment:

•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 and assess the relationship between the two theories you have found.

?Explain why these theories are so important to your discipline and how they relate to the research you are interested in doing.

?Include a reference list for all the sources you cited in this paper.

References

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches

(Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009j). Theory. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Lewis-Beck, M. S., Bryman, A., & Liao, T. F. (Eds.). (2004). Encyclopedia of social science research methods (Vols. 1-3). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.4135/9781412950589.

Reynolds, P. D. (2007). A primer in theory construction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.