Theory in Health Professions Education Research

TY - CHAP

T1 - Theory in Health Professions Education Research

AU - Rees, Charlotte

AU - Alwazzan, Lulu

AU - Gordon, Lisi

PY - 2023/9

Y1 - 2023/9

N2 - This chapter explains what theory is in health professions education research. It discusses different ways of understanding theory — by size/scope, philosophical foundations, disciplinary underpinnings, clusters, types, and continua. The chapter also discusses the challenges of employing theory and outlines the various approaches to its application. Theory can vary from grand to macro and micro. Grand theories are relatively abstract general approaches, which provide scaffolding, typically theorising all aspects of something such as being, knowing, and learning at a societal level, and are applicable to many different situations. The chapter provides an overview of multiple purposes of grand theory dependent on research approach — to explain/predict, to understand, to emancipate, and to improve, as well as unpacking different roles of macro/micro theory in shaping the research process and testing or building theory. A powerful way of developing theoretical connoisseurship is through participation — conducting theoretically-orientated collaborative research.

AB - This chapter explains what theory is in health professions education research. It discusses different ways of understanding theory — by size/scope, philosophical foundations, disciplinary underpinnings, clusters, types, and continua. The chapter also discusses the challenges of employing theory and outlines the various approaches to its application. Theory can vary from grand to macro and micro. Grand theories are relatively abstract general approaches, which provide scaffolding, typically theorising all aspects of something such as being, knowing, and learning at a societal level, and are applicable to many different situations. The chapter provides an overview of multiple purposes of grand theory dependent on research approach — to explain/predict, to understand, to emancipate, and to improve, as well as unpacking different roles of macro/micro theory in shaping the research process and testing or building theory. A powerful way of developing theoretical connoisseurship is through participation — conducting theoretically-orientated collaborative research.

KW - Application

KW - Challenges

KW - Health professions education research

KW - Philosophical foundations

KW - Scaffolding

KW - Theory

UR - https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/Foundations+of+Health+Professions+Education+Research:+Principles,+Perspectives+and+Practices-p-9781119839484

UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394322213

U2 - 10.1002/9781394322213.ch2

DO - 10.1002/9781394322213.ch2

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9781119839484

SP - 11

EP - 35

BT - Foundations of Health Professions Education Research: Principles, Perspectives and Practices

A2 - Rees , Charlotte E.

A2 - Monrouxe , Lynn V.

A2 - O'Brien, Bridget C.

A2 - Gordon , Lisi J.

A2 - Palermo, Claire

PB - Wiley

ER -