(37) Sept.

10, 2020 – Why anchor research on theories – Part 02

Home  Campus Press
TERESITA TANHUECO-TUMAPON September 10, 2020
Without theories or models, a research cannot bank on any supposed variable/s to determine what the
research is set to determine, what it sets to investigate, what it sets to find out. You won't have any
compass to guide you on the research journey. You'll have many miles to go but no map to guide you.

Why anchor research on theories?

ByTeresita Tanhueco-Tumapon
September 10, 2020

Part 2 – How theories anchor research

LAST week, we presented why as graduate students you are required to research whether
this be a research project, a thesis or dissertation or a feasibility/case study as a final
degree requirement. All these capstones, particularly theses and dissertations, would refer
to theories. A synthesis of these are in the theoretical framework and those the research
will use are stressed in the conceptual framework of Chapter One. Your readings for your
dissertation make you well-versed in your major field to become an expert or specialist. If
your school’s curriculum is balanced, you will be made to enroll also in cognates — elective
subjects that broaden your knowledge of your major field. These should not be confused
with free electives. As such, you would have both depth and breadth in your major field.
You gain the needed competence to contribute authentic inputs to your work world and
thus further your career. Hence, academia imposes your conducting a research as your
final degree requirement.

Theories help test suppositions in reality. Whilst reading for graduate courses aligned
to your major field, you come across theories such as those on leadership, organizational
productivity, commitment, communication practices, Philippine culture, etc. These theories
become the bases for research studies. Accordingly, we reviewed in last week’s write-up
definitions of theories. Common among the definitions refer to theories as “suppositions or
speculations of reality within a discipline.” Theories are systematic ways of understanding
events or situations. They compose a set of concepts, definitions, principles, practices,
propositions, etc., that explain or predict a phenomenon — an existence/occurrence of
these events or situations — by illustrating their relationships to variables (principles,
concepts, practices, etc.).

Hence, in conducting research, you would test or determine whether the phenomenon or
condition asserted by the theory’s principles/practices, etc. is supposed to exist or happen
in the setting of where your research respondents are. For example — Fiedler’s
contingency theory of leadership which asserts that leader-employee relations, task
structure and position-power are three factors affecting leader style/performance. Hence
you inquire into these 3 factors and how they impact on the style/performance of the
organization’s leadership. The three factors (from data generated by your research
instrument) become the dependent variables to determine the phenomenon or condition
(that is, leadership style/performance as your independent variable) asserted by the theory
to happen. You would have 3 null or one hypothesis combining the Fiedler’s 3 factors
(dependent variables) as having no significant relationship with your independent variable
(organizational leadership style/performance). You would be able to determine which
factor/combination of factors (dependent variable/s) relate significantly/not significantly to
organizational leadership style/performance. Theories allow scientists /researchers like you
graduate students, to make predictions of the circumstances that would make true what a
theory asserts to occur or exist.
 
Another example. Rubin’s theory is on Caring and Attachment which says that the
phenomenon of caring and attachment carries with it provision and support of family
needs. You wish to test this theory whether it is true to married female academics at least
with one child in various universities. Drawing from this supposition, you would expect that
married female academics with young children are more motivated by higher pay than by
mere certificate/awards of recognition. Choosing several universities, you conduct research
to test this theory. Your research respondents are married female academics with at least
one child. In one of several universities in your study, the female academics would
welcome awards or recognition. Reviewing your demographics, you noted that the
University of those who welcomed awards/recognition has free tuition and fees for
dependent children of the teachers, a monthly sack of rice, free hospitalization room in the
University’s hospital, monthly transportation and internet allowances, etc. Hence your
findings revealed the limiting conditions of Rubin’s theory as far as claiming for higher pay.
Your study contributed to further knowledge: the female academics motivation theory for
higher pay is not true when higher pay has an equivalent. Explained simply, this is why and
how you use theories to anchor your research. You wish to determine the truth or
extent/limits of a phenomenon as to its occurrence or existence.

Scientific theories are testable. As a researcher you express variables such as facts,
practices, beliefs, habits, attitudes, awareness, knowledge, etc.), which you want to test
whether these will bring about the phenomenon or condition asserted by the theory. The
phenomenon or condition, as the independent variable, remains unchanged or prevents
change from happening. The facts, practices, beliefs, habits, attitudes, awareness,
knowledge etc. represent the dependent variables which could cause the phenomenon or
condition (independent variable) to occur/exist. Hence, research on a theory, would
determine significant positive or negative relationships between the dependent and
independent variables. Your findings on the extent a phenomenon or condition would
exist/or exist to some extent/or not exist at all, as supposed by the theory, contribute to
new knowledge.

To summarize, theory differs from practice. Research investigates “practice,”

supposedly based on beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, practices, etc. to determine to what
degree the phenomenon or condition would exist/occur as the theory says. Without
theories, your research would not have any basis — no assumptions, attitudes, awareness,
beliefs, etc. to formulate your research questions and much less flesh your research
instrument. To arrive at the truth or extent of truth or untruth of what you wish to study
from among the myriad realities of this world and beyond, do anchor your study on
worthwhile theories.(30)

Email: ttumapon@liceo.edu.ph

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