How theory is used and articulated in qualitative research: Development of a new typology
Section snippets
Background
Historically, qualitative research methods have had their roots primarily in the disciplines of social sciences and humanities (Lockyer, 2008). However, in the mid-1990s prominent medical journals such as the Annals of Internal Medicine and the British Medical Journal started to publish editorials that advocated for more qualitative research as a way to investigate peoples' attitudes, beliefs and preferences (Inui, 1996, Jones, 1995). Since then, qualitative research has become more prominent
Qualitative research and theory: a complex relationship
The relationship between qualitative research and theory is both complex and contentious and numerous scholars have alluded to lack of consensus and poor understandings that reflect this troubled marriage (Sandelowski, 1993, Anfara and Mertz, 2006, Wu and Volker, 2009, Tavallaei and Abu Talib, 2010). The problem seems to be that theory in qualitative research is variable and can be used in different ways. Additionally, varying definitions of theory exist and researchers tend to use the same
Definitions of theory
There are numerous definitions of theory, for example, Meleis (2007, p. 37) defines it as:
“An organized, coherent, and systematic articulation of a set of statements related to significant questions in a discipline that are communicated in a meaningful whole. It is a symbolic depiction of aspects of reality that are discovered or invented for describing, explaining, predicting, or prescribing responses, events, situations, conditions, or relationships. Theories have concepts that are related to
Dealing with theory from different methodological positions
Theory is used variously in research and is influenced considerably by ontological and epistemological positioning. In qualitative research, theory is associated with the methodologies used (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005, Anfara and Mertz, 2006, Creswell, 2007, Tavallaei and Abu Talib, 2010) and different approaches to inquiry specify different roles for theory. Sandelowski (1993) identifies four uses and manifestations of theory in relation to its source, centrality, temporal placement and
The articulation of theory
Wu and Volker (2009) proposed that qualitative researchers do not consistently articulate how theory has been applied. Similarly, in a recent paper, Meyer and Ward (2014) have highlighted the challenges not only in using theory, but also in the subsequent articulation of theory in theses and publications. This is the nub of the issue. The problem becomes not so much lack of theory per se, but rather lack of identification and articulation of the theory. Good research however, involves making
Aim of the article
The aim of this article is to provide a framework – a typology – through which the relationship between theory and qualitative research can be understood. Furthermore, the intention is to show how this might be used in making assessments about levels of theoretical visibility in qualitative research; how it is both used and articulated.
Development of a new typology
This article stems from our experience as qualitative researchers and the observations that we have made – of ourselves and others – regarding the use of theory in qualitative research. From our respective countries we have observed consistent patterns of use on which the typology is based. In 2012, two of the authors (JT and CB-J) used the opportunity of an international nursing research conference to test out our emerging conceptualisation of the typology (Taylor and Bradbury-Jones, 2012). We
Consistently applied use of theory: an example
In 2011 we undertook a qualitative study in Scotland that explored health professionals' beliefs about domestic abuse (Taylor et al., 2013). Theoretically the study was underpinned by the Common Sense Model (CSM) of self-regulation of health and illness (Leventhal et al., 2003). This is a well-established theory in healthcare that is typically used to explore relationships between cognitive illness representations and health behaviours. Central to this model is representations – or beliefs –
Limitations
This article has some limitations that need to be acknowledged. Firstly, our ‘scoping’ falls short of the rigorous, systematic approach associated with a conventional literature review. However, our intention was not to undertake a systematic review. Rather, we sought to refine a rudimentary framework into a more informed, representative illustration of what is actually being published.
The second limitation relates to the fundamental issue of the place of theory in qualitative research. We have
Using the typology: implications for research practice
In publishing the Levels of Theoretical Visibility Typology, we envisage that it can have practical utility in multiple ways. In relation to developing a research proposal, the typology could be used as a reference point to argue the theoretical strength of the proposed study. Arguably, an explicit statement about the intention to consistently apply theory would be viewed favourably by most reviewers. This statement would be supported by evidence of a theoretical framework within the proposal
Conclusions
We are advocates of the use of theory as an integral part of the qualitative research endeavour. But in our assessment, only nine out of the 55 articles examined, used theory at this level. It is important for qualitative researchers to examine the theoretical bases of their selected methodological approach, articulate a clear theoretical base that fits the phenomenon being studied, and adopt a critical, flexible and creative attitude when applying theory to a study (Wu and Volker, 2009).
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