Theory and Social Philosophy: Understanding the Role and Impact in Research

1. The Uses and Role of Theory Paul Reynolds Reader in Sociology and Social Philosophy MRes Lead, Social Sciences edgehill.ac.uk

2. What are theories? • Theories are systems of concepts and ideas that provide an explanation of a trend, development or phenomena • Theories have underlying propositions and suppositions arising from their ontological underpinnings • Theories provide both explanations and rationales (or justifications?) for action • Theories work between tensions and contradictions: • Abstractions and concrete analyses • Macro-meso-micro • Science and ideology • Mutable yet with persistences edgehill.ac.uk

3. Theories Revised Theories, Amended Values and Approaches Data Explanations Values Theory Theories tend to be both constituted in and constitutive of traditions of theories and against alternate traditions edgehill.ac.uk

4. What do theories do? • Provide a basis for classification and distinction • Makes attributions of significance • Provide a framework for statements of causality and relationality – explanatory power • Have a predictive capacity • Have both normative and analytic elements • Are praxeological – have a relationship to practice • Work paradigmatically within and beyond traditions • They can be tested by comparison to other theories (adjacent and opposing) and empirical testing (more in session 4!) edgehill.ac.uk

5. The Role of Theory in Research • Theory engages implicitly or explicitly throughout the research process – different degrees of impact dependent on your theoretical and value positions • Research can be heavily or lightly theoretically informed • It is necessary to recognise prior theoretical dispositions or theoretically informed presumptions that arise from your research knowledge and experience thus far • Theory influences your research questions and decisions about design and methodology are in part a consequence of theoretical positions • Theory Influences your research evaluation, which will, equally be informed by your theoretical position • Your research stands within and outwith theoretical paradigms • Theory frames and provides interpretative structure – the basis for explanations and arguments • Theory has a circular relationship with research edgehill.ac.uk

6. Theory and your Research Consider the following questions: What theoretical traditions have influenced the framing of your research/research question/problem? What are the main theoretical arguments and disputes in your research area? How has (or how do you anticipate) theory influencing your research methodology/design? How does theory enable critical thinking in relation to your research? What implications does this have for your understanding of your research? We will return to looking at theory and its engagement with research in session 4 edgehill.ac.uk