A

SEMINAR ON
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESEARCH
AND THEORY

RESEARCH
According to Oxford encyclopedic English dictionary
a) The systematic investigation into the study of materials, sources etc. in
order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.
b) An endeavour to discover new or collect old facts etc. by scientific study of
a subject or by a course of critical investigation.

( D K Lal Das, 2008) “Any study to create new knowledge or aims to

increase existing fund of- may it be through observation or by some other
methods is called as research, if it takes into account the bias”.

Kerlinger, pointed out in a technical way, research is systematic, controlled,

empirical and critical investigation of hypothetical propositions about
presumed relations among natural phenomenon”.

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESEARCH ( Williman,2009,page11)

1) Gaining experience is an uncontrolled and hazard activity, while research is
systematic and controlled.
2) Reasoning can operate in an abstract world, divorced from reality, while
research is empirical and turns to experience and the world around us for
validation.
3) Unlike experience and reason, research aims to be self correcting. The
process of research involves rigorously testing and results obtained, and
methods and results are open to public scrutiny and criticism.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESEARCH AND THEORY 1

TYPES OF RESEARCH (Williman, 2009, page 112)
a) Comparative
b) Descriptive
c) Correlation
d) Experimental
e) Evaluation
f) Action
g) Ethnogeny
h) Feminist
i) And Cultural

THEORY

A very hyped term, there is little agreement among social scientist on what
theory is ( D K Lal 2008) “ a theory refers to the relationship between facts or the
ordering of them in same meaningful ways”.

According to Kerlinger “a theory is a set of interrelated constructs,

definitions and propositions that presents a systematic view of phenomena by
specific by specific relations among variables, with the purpose of explaining and
predicting the phenomenon”.

By taking the above two definitions we could conclude that a theory is a

systematic explanation for the observed facts and their interrelations.

Theories are express in the form of statement that is theoretical statement.

Theories are living entities, develop and modified by good research (Silverman D,
1998. page 103). Theories are therefore strongly influence by the level of maturity
of the particular specialization.

(Silverman1998.page 103) Without a theory one could argue that

phenomena cant be understood and research can’t be carried out without the
theoretical underpinning or foundation of the models, concepts and theories are

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESEARCH AND THEORY 2

self confirming in the sense that they instruct us to look at the phenomena in
particular ways.

(Walliman, 2009, page 108) Reynolds identified three different concepts of

how sets of statements should be organised in order to constitute a theory.

1) Knowledge is essentially a set of laws- statement that can be considered, for

the time being anyway, to be the “Real Thuth”.

2) What constitute a theory is axiomatic in form i.e. based on self-evident

truth.

3) And referred to as the casual process form, such theories are made up of
inter related set of definitions and statement.
On the other hand theories are law, (Walliman, 2009) that described a
relationship in which researchers have so much confident that they consider it as
absolute truth.

AXIOMATIC THEORY

Comprises an initial set of statements, each independent of the others and

from which it is possible to logically derive all other statement o f the theory.

CASUAL PROCESS THEORY

It is designed to promote an understanding of the events of the study. It

consists of an interrelated set of definitions and statement which not only defines
the theory but described when and where the casual process are expected to occur
and explain the casual processes or casual mechanisms by identifying the effect of
the independent and dependent variables.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD THEORY
Mouly, identified three criteria
1) It must permit deductions, that can be tested empirically and it must
provide the means for its confirmation or rejection.

2) Theories must be compatible with both observation and previously

validated theories. It must be grounded in empirical data that have been
verified and must rest on sound postulate and hypotheses.

3) And theories must be stated in simple terms; that theory is best that
explains the most in the simplest way.

THE RELATION BETWEEN RESEARCH AND

THEORY
Theories provide a useful platform which to launch a quest for information
and discoveries, and an impetus for research. New hypotheses can be created and
new questions can be revealed through theories. Theories formulation leads to the
identification of important areas which require further research. It points out where
information is missing, and makes it possible for a researcher to propose an
existence of hitherto unidentified phenomena.

I. The initial task for a researcher is the search for theory. Theory
development relies on research and research relies on theory. The
relationship is dialectic.

II. Theory initiates research activities and research recast the theory.

III. Theory helps to relate the data collected through research and the theory
made the data meaningful.

IV. Theory determines what data should be collected and the research finding
challenges to the acceptance of the theory.

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 V. Research verified the theory by providing back up data.

VI. If the purpose is theory testing, the theory dictates the data to be collected.

VII. Theories are generally classified and as descriptive, correlation, and

experimental. The research designs that generate and test these types of
theories are generate and tested by the research design.

VIII. Descriptive theories describe or classify specific dimensions or

characteristics of individuals, groups, situations, or events by summarizing
the commonalities found in discrete observations, and descriptive research
may or may not use an empirical method. Non-empirical methods include
philosophic and historic inquiries.

IX. Empirical descriptive research encompasses case studies, surveys, grounded

theory, ethnographies, and phenomenological studies.

X. Relational theories specify relations between dimensions or characteristics

of individuals, groups, situations, or events and these Relational theories are
developed by co-relational research.

XI. Explanatory theories move beyond relational statements to the prediction of

precise relationships between dimensions or characteristics of a
phenomenon or differences between groups. This type of theory addresses
cause and effect, the “why” of changes in a phenomenon. Explanatory
theories are generated and tested by experimental research.

XII. The choice of a research design depends on the question asked and the
current state of theory development. If little is known about the
phenomenon to be investigated, descriptive theory-generating research is
needed.
XIII. And lastly researches contribute to theory building, recast, refocused and
give a new dimension in it, and at the same time it may refute the theory.

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 REFERENCES
Das Lal DK Gupta,Design of Social Research(2008), Rawat Publication, Jaipur.

Excerption from .Awcett, J, and Downs, (1986). The Relationship of Theory and
Research. Norwalk, CT: Appleton Century Crofts.

Williman Nicholas, Your Research Project(2009), 2nd edition, Vistar publication,

New Delhi.

Silverman, D. (1998) Research and Social theory, in C. Seale (ed.), Researching

Society and Culture, London: Sage.

THANK YOU.

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