Are we speaking the same language? Call for action to improve theory application and reporting in behaviour change research

Inconsistencies are evident in definitions and interpretations of theory, application of theory, and reporting of theory use within the behaviour change field impeding cumulative knowledge advancement. Standardised frameworks and methods are needed to support the definition, application, and reporting of theory, and to assist researchers in understanding how theory should be applied to build cumulative knowledge over time. Progress is being made with the development of ontologies, taxonomies, methods for mapping interventions, and coding schemes; however, consolidation is needed to improve levels and quality of theory use, and to facilitate the translation of theory-driven research in practice. This paper discusses the importance of rigorous theory application and reporting in health-related behaviour change research and outlines the need for a standardised framework that supports both researchers and practitioners in designing, implementing, and evaluating theory-driven interventions in a concrete and consistent manner. To this end, several recommendations are provided to facilitate the development of a standardised framework that supports theory application and reporting in the behaviour change field. Concrete and consistent theory application and reporting will permit critical appraisal within and across studies, thereby advancing cumulative knowledge of behaviour change over time.

Theory Construction Methodology: A Practical Framework for Building Theories in Psychology

This article aims to improve theory formation in psychology by developing a practical methodology for constructing explanatory theories: theory construction methodology (TCM). TCM is a sequence of five steps. First, the theorist identifies a domain of empirical phenomena that becomes the target of explanation. Second, the theorist constructs a prototheory, a set of theoretical principles that putatively explain these phenomena. Third, the prototheory is used to construct a formal model, a set of model equations that encode explanatory principles. Fourth, the theorist investigates the explanatory adequacy of the model by formalizing its empirical phenomena and assessing whether it indeed reproduces these phenomena. Fifth, the theorist studies the overall adequacy of the theory by evaluating whether the identified phenomena are indeed reproduced faithfully and whether the explanatory principles are sufficiently parsimonious and substantively plausible. We explain TCM with an example taken from research on intelligence (the mutualism model of intelligence), in which key elements of the method have been successfully implemented. We discuss the place of TCM in the larger scheme of scientific research and propose an outline for a university curriculum that can systematically educate psychologists in the process of theory formation.

Something borrowed, something blue: reflections on theory borrowing in educational administration research

PurposeThe practice of theory borrowing from other research fields is common in interdisciplinary and applied research. Nevertheless, educational administration researchers seldom discuss this phenomenon and its complexities in depth.Design/methodology/approachThis essay provides an overview of what has been written about the practice of theory borrowing.FindingsAfter presenting the criticism on misusing theory borrowing, it outlines several recommendations to improve theory borrowing in education administration research by domesticating it through conceptual blending.Originality/valueThe purpose of this essay is to motivate educational administration scholars to reflect on the practice of theory borrowing. The guidelines offered here for promoting conceptual blending serve as a middle ground for mitigating a key problem of theory borrowing.

Using Realist Interviews to Improve Theory on the Mechanisms and Outcomes of Sport for Development Programmes

The complex nature of Sport for Development (SfD) programmes makes impact evaluation challenging. Realist evaluation has been proposed as a new, theory-driven approach to evaluate complex programmes. The present study aimed to explore the value of conducting realist interviews to gain improved insight into the mechanisms and outcomes of three SfD programmes in the Netherlands: a programme that promotes sports participation among socially vulnerable youth; a combined lifestyle intervention for adults of low social economic status; and a sports-based programme for marginalised adults. In addition, the study aimed to investigate the applicability of a conceptual model from the field of social enterprise (Roy, Baker, & Kerr, 2017) as the preliminary programme theory for those interviews. First, for each programme, a realist interview was conducted with one researcher as the key informant. Thereafter, the findings from and experiences with the individual realist interviews were discussed among the informants in a group meeting. The results revealed that the conceptual model functioned well as preliminary programme theory for the SfD programmes. The realist interviews contributed to theoretical awareness and trustworthiness. Importantly, the interviews highlighted knowledge gaps and generated ideas for programme improvement. Hence, the realist interview technique is recommended as a methodological tool to generate, validate, and improve programme theory in the field of SfD. This study had, however, an explorative character, and more research is needed to confirm and generalize the findings and to learn how a greater number of stakeholders might contribute to this type of realist evaluation.

Data Use in Recent School Reforms

Typically involving the use of test scores, grades, and other forms of assessment in various educational contexts, the concept of data use has developed in parallel with the introduction of new managerial approaches to school governance, including performance management and accountability measures. This use of data for governance purposes is one way in which national authorities coordinate activities across administrative levels to improve education quality and effectiveness. Policymakers’ and researchers’ frequent use of the concepts of data and data use also usually parallels this development. However, based on systematic research mapping, the present findings identify differing ideas about data use in national and local contexts, including the role that data play and should play in school reform. Such differences relate to variations in school systems, teachers’ status, school governance traditions, curricular traditions, and research traditions. Moreover, characteristic of the literature on data use is an emphasis on the organization and development of effective data use practices. This is somewhat paradoxical, as both earlier and more recent studies emphasize the need for a stronger focus on the actual practices of the involved actors if data are to be of value in school development processes. Three important needs are important when considering data use in policy, research, and practice: the need for greater awareness of the epistemic aspects of data use; the need for context sensitivity, as data use is often presented as a universal concept across national and local contexts; and the need for researchers to communicate with other related fields to improve theory and practice.

Theory Construction Methodology: A practical framework for theory formation in psychology

This paper aims to improve theory formation in psychology by developing a practical methodology for constructing explanatory theories: Theory Construction Methodology (TCM). TCM is a sequence of five steps. First, the theorist identifies empirical phenomena to become the target of explanation. Second, the theorist constructs a proto-theory: a set of theoretical principles that potentially explain these phenomena. Third, the proto-theory is used to construct a formal model: a set of model equations or simulation models that encode the explanatory principles. Fourth, the theorist investigates this model’s explanatory adequacy. This is done by formalizing the empirical phenomena in terms of the model, and assessing whether the model indeed reproduces them. Fifth, the theorist studies the overall adequacy of the theory by evaluating whether phenomena are indeed reproduced faithfully, whether explanatory principles are parsimonious and substantively plausible, and whether the theory implies new predictions to promote further research. We illustrate TCM with an example taken from the intelligence literature (the mutualism model of intelligence), discuss the place of TCM in the larger scheme of scientific research, and propose an outline for a university curriculum that can systematically educate psychologists in the process of theory formation.

Do Private Regulations Ratchet Up? How to Distinguish Types of Regulatory Stringency and Patterns of Change

Due to inconsistent concepts of regulatory stringency, scholars offer conflicting accounts about whether competing private governance initiatives “race to the bottom,” “ratchet up,” “converge,” or “diverge.” To remedy this, we offer a framework for more systematic comparisons across programs and over time. We distinguish three often-conflated measures of stringency: regulatory scope, prescriptiveness, and performance levels. Applying this framework, we compare competing U.S. forestry certification programs, one founded by environmental activists and their allies, the other by the national industry association. We find ‘upwardly divergent’ policy prescriptiveness: both programs increased in prescriptiveness, but this increase was greater for the activist-backed program. Furthermore, requirements added by the activist-backed program were more likely to impose costs on firms than requirements added by the industry-backed program, many of which may even benefit firms. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that industry-backed programs emphasize less costly types of stringency than activist-backed programs. They also reveal patterns of change that previous scholarship failed to anticipate, illustrating how disentangling types of stringency can improve theory building and testing.

La percepción de estudiantes de maestro de último semestre sobre la relación entre teoría y práctica en el prácticum

Practicum can be a fundamental space in order to improve theory-practice relationship in initial teacher training, when, from a reflective view, it aims to promote construction and re-construction of practical knowledge of student teachers. However, developing this kind of practicum is not easy. This paper analyses how student teachers in their last semester of training perceive actions addressed to connect theory and practice in their practicum. 15 student teachers of a Normal school from Zacatecas, Mexico, participated in the study. Data gathering was conducted through semi-structured interviews and focus group. Results confirm that student teachers perceive difficulties in order to connect theory and practice through their practicum. Two main issues are highlighted. First, the need to improve the processes of tutoring, assistance and feedback both by the students’ mentor teachers and university supervisors. Second, the influence of the criteria and procedures used to assess the student teachers.

Certum Quod Factum: How Formal Models Contribute to the Theoretical and Empirical Robustness of Organization Theory

The aim of this commentary is to show how the use of formal models—both closed form and computational—can improve theory development and theory testing in organization theory. I also provide practical suggestions (aimed at PhD students and researchers considering developing a formal model) for dealing with challenges in developing and writing a formal modeling paper. By uncovering how formal models contribute to organization theory and presenting the constraints that formal modeling papers are subject to, this commentary can also help consumers of modeling papers to extract more value from this research method.

A new approach to research and theory development for financial firms-building a “house with windows”

Purpose The paper aims to rethink empirical models and theory used in explaining banks and financial institutions (FIs) and to enhance the process of theory construction. This is a provisional response to Colander et al. (2009) and Gendron and Smith-Lacroix’s (2013) call for a new approach to developing theory for finance and FIs. Design/methodology/approach An embryonic “behavioural theory of the financial firm” (BTFF) is outlined based on field research about banks and FI firms and relevant literature. The paper explores “conceptual connections” between BTFF and traditional finance theory ideas of financial intermediation. It does not seek to “integrate” finance theory and alternative theory in “meta theory” and has a more modest aim to improve theory content through “connections”. Findings The “conceptual connections” provide a means to develop ideas proposed by Scholtens and van Wensveen (2003). They are part of a “house with windows” intended to provide systematic means to “take data from the outside world” whilst continuously recognising “the complexities of the context” (Keasey and Hudson, 2007) to both challenge and build the core ideas of FT. Research limitations/implications The BTFF is a means to create “conversations” between academics, practitioners and regulators to aid theory construction. This can overcome the limitations of such an embryonic theory. Practical implications The ideas developed create new opportunities to develop finance theory, propose changes in banks and FIs and suggest changes in the focus of regulation. Originality/value Regulators can use the expanded conceptual framework to encourage theory development and to enhance accountability of banks and FIs to citizens.