What are theories?
Gage and Berliner, 1991, page 283Theory: A set of organized ideas – concepts and their relationships, or principles – used to describe systematically a set of phenomena or to provide an explanation of those phenomena.
A theory is typically a model that tries to provide a general explanation for how some part of the world works. A theory is not just a description of what happens but a statement of the underlying rationale for why something works in the way it does. It draws on observations made over time to explain, interpret, and predict behaviour.
Theories are important for all educators, whether teachers, researchers, policy makers, or ISTEs. They guide our decisions about what to notice and how to make sense of the data that we gather when inquiring into questions of practice. Theories help us to find a coherent structure for organising our data – to go beyond isolated observations to transform data into evidence from which to make generalisations. Sometimes inquiry helps to confirm a theory, and at other times the theory has to be modified in the light of unexpected findings.
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