This week I have read the texts:
- Gregor, S. (2006). The Nature of Theory in Information Systems. MIS Quarterly, 30(3), 611-642.
- Sutton, R. I. & Staw, B. M. (1995). What Theory is Not. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(3), 371-384.
In addition, I have also chosen an academic paper in the field of Media Technology. Below are my pre-reflections for the third theme.
The construct ‘theory’ is easier said than done to explain. The Oxford Dictionary explains ‘theory’ as: “A supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something” and gives Darwin’s theory of evolution as an example. In the text “What Theory is Not” (Sutton and Staw, 1995) I especially liked the sentence:
“Theory is about connections among phenomena, a story about why acts, events, structures and thoughts occur.”
As you can see, it’s hard to fully explain what ‘theory’ is. Gregor (2006) characterizes theories in five sections:
- theory for analyzing (what is)
- theory for explaining (what, where, why, how, when)
- theory for predicting (what will be)
- theory for explaining and predicting (EP theory) (merges the theory for explaining with the theory for predicting)
- theory for design and action (how to do something)
“/.../ theories [can be described] as abstract entities that aim to describe, explain, and enhance understanding of the world and, in some cases, to provide predictions of what will happen in the future and to give a basis for intervention and action.”
Write a short description of the journal and what kind of research it publishes.
I’ve chosen a paper from ‘Journal of Communication’ which is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed academic journal that publish articles and book reviews in the field of communication theory. The impact of the journal is 2.076.
Write a short summary of the paper and provide a critical examination of, for example, its aims, theoretical framing, research method, findings, analysis or implications.
‘Multimodal Connectedness and Quality of Life: Examining the Influences of Technology Adoption and Interpersonal Communication on Well-Being Across the Life Span’
The article is written by Michael Chan (Chinese University of Hong Kong) in August 2014. Chan discusses how multimodal connectedness affects the quality of life. Since tablets, laptops, smartphones, among other technical devices occur daily our social life, Chan thinks it’s of great importance to investigate how these devices affects our well-being.
The article uses a regression analysis, surveys and correlation matrices, among other things. The findings are that there is a correlation between well-being and aging. People older than 34 years old tend to get an enhanced level of well-being by multimodal connections. This in contrast to people in the age 18-34 who tend to get a decreased level of well-being when engaging through multimodal connections.
Write a short description of the journal and what kind of research it publishes.
I’ve chosen a paper from ‘Journal of Communication’ which is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed academic journal that publish articles and book reviews in the field of communication theory. The impact of the journal is 2.076.
Write a short summary of the paper and provide a critical examination of, for example, its aims, theoretical framing, research method, findings, analysis or implications.
‘Multimodal Connectedness and Quality of Life: Examining the Influences of Technology Adoption and Interpersonal Communication on Well-Being Across the Life Span’
The article is written by Michael Chan (Chinese University of Hong Kong) in August 2014. Chan discusses how multimodal connectedness affects the quality of life. Since tablets, laptops, smartphones, among other technical devices occur daily our social life, Chan thinks it’s of great importance to investigate how these devices affects our well-being.
The article uses a regression analysis, surveys and correlation matrices, among other things. The findings are that there is a correlation between well-being and aging. People older than 34 years old tend to get an enhanced level of well-being by multimodal connections. This in contrast to people in the age 18-34 who tend to get a decreased level of well-being when engaging through multimodal connections.
- Means of representation - tables, graphs, words, mathematical formulas
- Constructs - multimodal connectedness, strong-tie and weak-tie communication, demographics, well-being
- Statements of relationships - “With Internet connectivity and the mobile phone, individuals have perpetual connectivity with others, affording them the ability to develop and maintain meaningful relationships unbound by time or location, to obtain and provide social support, and to be more engaged with the community”
- Scope - very exact numbers and calculations, careful with: “some” and “many”
- Causal explanations - well-being and age span between 35-70
- Testable propositions - None.
- Prescriptive statements - further research
Describe the major theory or theories that are used in your selected paper. Which theory type (see Table 2 in Gregor) can the theory or theories be characterized as?
I would say the article is in line with Gregor’s second theory - ‘theory of explanation’. Chan discusses relationships between well-being and aging. Answer to what the constructs Chan uses are is received when reading the article, as well as why the correlations are drawn the way they are.
Which are the benefits and limitations of using the selected theory or theories?
The benefits of the ‘theory of explanation’ are clear and thoroughgoing result. It gives knowledge of questions such as what, why, where, when and how. Even though the article is easy to understand, I think Chan could have used more illustrations to show the findings. Not just on a shallow level but to further deepening the meaning of the findings.
In general the limitations if the article only can be categorized in the ‘theory of explanation’ is the lack of answer to questions such as how to change the issue (‘theory of design and action’) and the ‘EP-theory’ where the ideas of ‘theory of explanation’ and the ‘theory of prediction’ are sort of merged together.
I would say the article is in line with Gregor’s second theory - ‘theory of explanation’. Chan discusses relationships between well-being and aging. Answer to what the constructs Chan uses are is received when reading the article, as well as why the correlations are drawn the way they are.
Which are the benefits and limitations of using the selected theory or theories?
The benefits of the ‘theory of explanation’ are clear and thoroughgoing result. It gives knowledge of questions such as what, why, where, when and how. Even though the article is easy to understand, I think Chan could have used more illustrations to show the findings. Not just on a shallow level but to further deepening the meaning of the findings.
In general the limitations if the article only can be categorized in the ‘theory of explanation’ is the lack of answer to questions such as how to change the issue (‘theory of design and action’) and the ‘EP-theory’ where the ideas of ‘theory of explanation’ and the ‘theory of prediction’ are sort of merged together.
I love the way you use citations from authors and how you combine them into one understanding. In your explanation of what theory is you use them prefectly, thou I think a simpler example in the end would make a better argument for new students (thinking of them as not enlightened yet). One question that arose reading your text is what is theory not? I still struggle with that question cause all explanations of what theory is can be read as they are containing everything - and maybe that's right?
SvaraRaderaThe rest of the text is good and you convince the reader very well that your article uses theory of explanation. But do you think the article (or any other) can have several of the categories (Gregor's article) and not just one?