Second
Doctorate ,2020-
Theory Analysis
Supervised by
Prof.Dr. / Nelly Mahgoub
Professor of Psychiatric Health Nursing
Prepared by
Doctorate Degree
2nd semester
2020-2021
Presentation Rules
Objectives
At the end of this session the candidates will be able to:
●Define theory analysis.
●Discuss purposes and uses of theory analysis.
●Apply the steps of theory analysis.
●Recognize advantages and limitation of theory analysis.
●Appraise the utilization of theory analysis.
Outlines
1- Definition and description of theory analysis.
2- Purposes and uses of theory analysis.
3-Procedures for theory analysis.
4-Advantages and limitation of theory analysis.
5-Utilizing the result of theory analysis.
Definition and Description
Theory is usually constructed to
express a unique, unifying idea about
phenomenon that answers previously
unanswered questions and provide
new insights into the nature of the
phenomenon.
Definition and Description
Theory is defined as a set of interrelated relational
statements about a phenomena that is useful for
description, explanation, prediction and control.
(Chinn&jacobs,1987)
Theory analysis is the systematic examination of the
theory for origin, meaning, logical adequacy,
usefulness ,generality, parsimony and testability.
Definition and Description cont.
In theory analysis , the theory is broken into parts.
Each part is examined individually as it relates to
each other. In addition, the theoretical structure as a
whole is examined to determine such things as
validity and approximation to the real world.
Purpose and Uses of theory analysis
1- Allows us to examine the strengths and weaknesses
of a theory.
2- Determine the need for additional development or
refinement of the theory.
3- Provides a systematic, objective way of examining
the a theory that may lead to insights and
formulations previously undiscovered , this then adds
to the body of knowledge in nursing discipline.
Cont.
Theory analysis is relevant only if the theory has
the possibility of being useful in either
- Nursing education.
- Clinical practice.
- Research setting.
If the theory demonstrates no potential for
usefulness, then the analysis becomes a futile
exercise.
Cont.
* The primary purpose for conducting a theory analysis
prior to using that theory in education or clinical practice
is to discover the strong points the theory offers to guide
practice.
* However, a theory analysis for the purpose of research
usually is to focuses on the weak points or
unsubstantiated linkage among its concepts.
Cont.
The main aim of analysis is understanding and
look objectively at the object of analysis.
Evaluation of a theory should only be done after
a thorough analysis is made.
The main aim of evaluation is making decisions
and / or taking action.
Procedures for theory analysis
There are six steps in theory analysis :-
1- Identify the origin of the theory
2- Examine the meaning of the theory
3- Analyze the logical adequacy of the theory
4- Determine the usefulness of the theory
5- Define the degree of generalizability and the parsimony of
the theory.
6- Determine the testability of the theory.
Procedures for theory analysis
cont.
Theory analysis
origin Meaning
Logical adequacy Usefulness
Generalizability and
the parsimony
Testability
1. Origins of the theory
It refers to initial development of the theory.
The analyst find out if the theory was
developed inductively or deductively.
Cont.
If the theory is developed from another theory
or hypothesis ,then it is deductive in origin
The theory is inductive in origin If it is
generated from observations of a relationships
from data, literature, or clinical practice .
Cont.
2. Meaning
The meaning of a theory( semantic of the theory) is
reflected in the language used in the theory (theory
concepts and statements also how they relate to
each other) and calls for a careful examination of
the specific language used by the original theorist.
Cont.
Meaning analysis includes four steps:-
a. Identify concepts.
b. Examine definition and use.
c. Identify Statements.
d. Examine relationships.
Cont.
Meaning
Examine
Identify concepts
definition and use
Examine
Identify Statements
relationships
a. Identify Concepts
Look for the major idea in the theory through:-
1- Clearly stated and defined all relevant terms that
reflect the idea of the theory.
(using critical reading with a pencil and paper at hand)
2- Determine whether each concept is primitive ,concrete
or abstract.
a. Identify Concepts cont.
Primitive concepts
- Are those have a common shared meaning among all
individuals in a culture and defined by examples only,
e.g. black color.
Concrete concepts
- Are those that restricted by time and space, and are
observable and can be measured,
e.g. the height and weight, or the body temperature of a
patient at a specific time of a day.
a. Identify Concepts cont.
Abstract concepts
- Are those not limited by time and space, and cannot
be measured or observed directly, e.g. hope.
b. Examine Definitions and Use
There are four possible options in regard to definition:
► Theoretical Definition
► Operational Definition
► Descriptive Definition
► No definition
Theoretical definition
Uses other theoretical terms to define a concept and
place it within the context of the theory but does not
specify any operational rules for classifying or
measuring it .
Operational Definition
It provides a means for measuring the concept .
It is very important to be sure that the operational
definitions accurately reflect the theoretical definitions.
It is useful in research but often artificially limit the
concept.
Descriptive Definition
Simply lists or describes the attributes of a concept
much as in dictionary.
It says nothing about the context in which the
concept is used and does not specify any measures. It
is very limited but better than no definition.
When theory contains only descriptive definition or no
definition
It is often in a very early stage of development.
The theorist must use the concepts consistently as they are
defined through out the theory, and this what’s called
“consistency of use of concepts”
c. Identify statements
Once the major concepts and definitions in the
theory have been identified and examined, the
analyst should concentrate especially on relational
statements.
Relational statements identify the ways the concepts
relate to each other.
d. Examine Relationships
Needed tasks in examining the relationship among
concepts as demonstrated in the statement are:-
1- Determining what types of relationships are specified.
2- What boundaries are present.
3- If the statements are used consistently or not.
4- Whether or not each statement has any valid empirical
support.
d. Examine Relationships cont.
Types of relationships within statements :-
-Causal relationship.
-Associational relationship
-Linear relationship.
Causal relationships
One concept always occurs as a direct result
of the other concept .
E.g. “hemorrhage causes drop in blood
pressure” .
Associational Relationships
Specify that Two concepts are related
positively, negatively or in unknown way.
e.g., smoking is associated with lung cancer.
A positive association (+) indicates that
both concepts vary together; that is, if one
increases so does the other.
A negative association (-) indicates
that the concepts vary inversely; that is, as one
concept increases, the other concept decrease.
Unknown association (?) is When two
concepts occur simultaneously but there is no
known relationship.
Linear relationship
Linearity assumes that a change in one variable or
concept quickly produces an arithmetic change in
the other concept or variable.
When the correlation coefficients are calculated,
the correlation will be strong and the slope of best
fit a straight line.
Linear relationship
other types of relational
linkages
Curvilinearity
Assumes that as one concept increases, the other
concept also increases until a certain point is reached;
then the second concept begins to decrease.
The classic example of Curvilinearity is the inverted-
U-shaped cut .
Curvilinearity
Curvilinear relationship
power curve
The power curve shows an incremental relationship
among concepts.
If one concept is shown to increase or decrease by a
certain amount, the second concept changes at an
accelerated rate in either a positive or a negative
direction.
Many of the system theories that use "inputs"
and “outputs" also use power curves, as do
some of the developmental and learning
theories.
Determine boundaries of the theory.
Boundaries associated with the actual content of the
theory.
1- Some theories have a very narrow focus and their
boundaries are clearly determined.
A theory with narrow boundaries states exactly how
far it can go in explaining specific phenomena and
clarifying where the theory starts and stops.
Determine boundaries of the theory cont.,.
A middle-range theory will Micro
theory
have some what wider Middle – range
theory
boundaries and will be more Grand theory
Meta –theory
abstract than a narrow
theory.
.,.Determine boundaries of the theory cont
A theory with wide boundaries is highly
abstract, covers a large content area, and
is applicable in a large number of cases.
Consistency
Determine if the statements are used consistently.
Look at all relational , existence and definitional
statements.
The theorist should use the statements in exactly the
same way at all times, if this is not done; the theory
loses the credibility and becomes invalid for
systematic use.
Empirical support of the statement
Assess the empirical support for the statements. Is
there any? If not, the theory will have less validity
than one that does.
Evaluate the strength of the empirical evidence.
Empirical support of the statement
The following are brief questions used to give a
general idea about the validity of the research:-
1. Do the research questions or hypotheses accurately
reflect the theoretical concepts?
2. Are the sampling and sample size adequate for the
method chosen?
Empirical support of the statement
3. Is the methodology appropriate for the questions or
hypotheses proposed?
4. Is the data analysis accurate and appropriate?
5. Are the results reported accurately?
6. Are the conclusions justified?
7. Is the study replicable?
Logical Adequacy .3
Logical adequacy is limited to the following
consideration:-
a. Is there a system whereby predictions can be made from
the theory independent of its content.
b. Can scientists in the discipline in which the theory is
developed agree on those predictions?
c. Does the actual content make sense?
d. Are there obvious logical fallacies?
a. Predictions independent of Content
It is related to the logic of the symbolic representation of
the concepts and predictions.
Each of the concepts is given a meaningless label such as A,
B or C and then the relationships are diagrammed, as are the
predictions that can be made from those relationships.
If the structure is not logical ,prediction relationship may be
fallacious.
a. Predictions independent of Content
following are several relational statements from
a theory about the hearing accuracy of a barn
owl (Knudsen. 1981).
1. An owl's strike accuracy deteriorates with increases
in angle between sound source and head
orientation.
a. Predictions independent of Content
2. An owl’s ability to locate the origin of a sound is
dependent on the presence of high frequencies in the
sound.
3. The amount of sound amplification provided by the
feathers of the facial ruff varies with the sound frequency.
4. The strike accuracy of the owl increases sharply as the
number of frequencies in a sound is increased.
a. Predictions independent of Content
The outcome of the theory is strike accuracy.
One should be alert to implied relationships. e.g.,
logically the owl must be able to locate the sound
source in order to improve strike accuracy.
a. Predictions independent of Content
The statements may be restated as the following;
1. Angle of sound source and head orientation (ASH) (-) strike
accuracy (SA).
2. High frequencies in the sound (HF)(+) location of origin
(LO).
3. Amount of sound amplification (AMP) (+) sound frequency
(SF).
4. Number of sound frequencies (SF) (+) strike accuracy (SA).
Angle sound& head Strike accuracy
High frequencies Location of origin
Amount of sound
Number of sound
amplification
Frequencies
a. Predictions independent of Content
SF HF ASH AMP LO SA
+ )+( - ? )+( + SA
? + )-( ? + LO
+ ? ? + AMP
? ? + ASH
? + HF
+ SF
a. Predictions independent of Content
The matrix is easier to read and the implied
relationships can be seen more clearly.
Variables are listed horizontally and vertically and
the sign of the relationship is placed in the correct
box. implied relationships are enclosed ( ).
b. Agreement of scientists
A theory must be precise enough in its representation
for scientists to agree on the predictions that can be
made from it.
If scientists cannot agree on the possible prediction,
the theory is not useful in any scientific sense.
c. Making sense
A theory may make a great deal of sense to one
scientist and no sense to another with a different
background .e.g. a theory that makes sense to maternity
nurse may make little sense to one in cardiac care.
For example: If scientists with relevant and similar
backgrounds all say the theory makes no sense, then it
probably doesn’t.
d. Logical Fallacies
When looking for logical fallacies, the theory was
developed inductively or deductively is important.
In a deductive theory:
if all the premises are true and the deduction is
valid, then the conclusions drown from those
premises are also true.
d. Logical Fallacies
In inductive theory:
there are three possible problems,
1. The premises are correct, but the conclusion is
incorrect.
2. The premises are incorrect, but the conclusion is
correct.
3. Both premises and conclusion are incorrect.
d. Logical Fallacies
Because the truth of the premises does not guarantee
the truth of the conclusion, determining the
correctness of the conclusion is more difficult in an
inductive theory.
Inductive theory always logically inconclusive, thus
we are always left a bit in doubt about the theory's
validity.
Usefulness .4
The theory is useful if:-
- It provides new insights in to a phenomenon.
- It helps the scientist explain the phenomenon better or
differently.
- It helps the scientist make better predictions.
- It adds significantly to the body of knowledge.
Usefulness .4
Three issues are significant to determine
usefulness:
1) How much research has the theory generated?
2) To what clinical problems is the theory relevant?
3) Does the theory have the potential to influence
nursing practice, education, administration, or
research?
Generalizability .5
Generalizability refers to how widely the theory can
be used in explaining or predicting phenomena.
The wider the focus of a theory the more broadly it
can be applied the more generalizable it is.
Parsimony
A parsimonious theory is one that is elegant in its
simplicity even though it may be broad in its content.
A parsimonious theory explains a complex
phenomenon simply and briefly without sacrificing the
theory's content, structure, or completeness.
Parsimony
The theory should be as clear and brief as it can be.
The propositions or relational statements should be
precise and should not overlap.
Many theorists provide model as a way of helping
themselves and others visualize the relations of the
concepts to each other.
Testability .6
For a theory to be truly valid, it must be testable at least in
principle.
This implies that hypotheses can be generated from the theory,
research carried out, and the theory supported by the evidence
or modified because of it.
There is some discussion among philosophers of science as to
whether or not the criterion of testability is critical to theories.
Advantages of theory analysis
Give insight into relationships among the concepts
and their links to each other.
Help to see the strengths of the theory as well as its
weakness.
Aid to decide whether or not the theory is useful for
practice or research or whether the theory needs
additional testing and validation before use.
Limitation of theory analysis
The major limitation is that the analysis examines
only parts and their relationship to the whole.
It can expose only what is missing, but cannot
generate new information.
Theory analysis requires evaluation and criticism of
supporting evidence.
Utilization of theory analysis
The results of theory analysis can be very useful in education,
practice, research, and theory development.
In Education
it can be used effectively in the classroom and to teach the
students how to examine theories critically.
It is used in preparing conceptual frameworks for students.
It is used in faculty development and in curriculum design or
in generating faculty research.
Utilization of theory analysis
In practice
it provides the clinicians with knowledge about any
theory being considered for adoption in practice.
Assist clinicians to determine whether or not a
particular theory might be appropriate for their
practice.
Utilization of theory analysis
In Research
It provides a clear idea of the form and structure of
the theory in addition to the relevance of content,
and inconsistencies and gaps present.
Utilization of theory analysis
In theory development
The inconsistencies, gaps and missing links
provide the stimulus to the theorist to keep on
working.
The results provide clues to the next steps to be
taken in order to refine the theory.
References
Prestwich, A., Sniehotta, F. F., Whittington, C.,
Dombrowski, S. U., Rogers, L., & Michie, S.
(2014). Does theory influence the effectiveness
of health behavior interventions? Health
Psychology, 33(5), 465–474. https://
doi.org/10.1037/a0032853
Sociological TheoryVol. 26, No. 2 (Jun., 2008), pp.
173-199 (27 pages) Published By: American
Sociological Association
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20453103
References
The American Historical Review, Volume
122, Issue 4, October 2017, Pages 1079–
1104, https://
doi.org/10.1093/ahr/122.4.1079
https://www.amazon.com/Capital-
Utilization-Theoretical-Empirical-
Analysis/dp/0521070287
References
Fawcett, J. (2006). Contemporary nursing knowledge,
Analysis and Evaluation of Nursing Models and Theories
(2nd ed,). Philadelphia, PA
Olszewski, L., and Caslson, K., (1995): Theory analysis
in Nursing, 3rd ed., Appleton and Lange com., USA.
Reynolds, P,A(1971), primer in theory analysis,
Indianapolis,Ind-Merrill.
Walker,L.,&Avant,K.(2011).Strategies for theory analysis
in nursing .Norwalk,CT:Appleton-century-Crofts.
