There are many times when students have difficulty to understand the difference between the theory and research. Most are unable to provide a clear distinction between the two things. They are not able to distinguish relationship when conducting their research. The lack of theoretical framework through which to ground results makes the process of interpreting the findings and explain the findings of the project may be difficult. Theories can be defined as a means to which hypothesis can be tested. It means that the absence of theory would result in lack of foundations in which research or hypothesis would be generated. It would be difficult to make prediction regarding the final findings of the study. The lack of hypotheses, possible predictions, it would be difficult for the research to produce practical results. The lack of theory in research either as something to be developed or tested, the studies will fail to link the research being carried and the studies that have been done before and hence it would not be substantive at all ( Guilford, Sharon & Matthew, 2017).
The relationship between research and theory comes from the definitions of their functions. The sole purpose for research is to find the reason behind the development of the theory. The research majorly depends on theory and the theory relies on research. This is a relationship where the initial theory is based on research and then the research is carried out in a mean to test the validity of the theory. The theory is then amended based on the research findings. This process is constantly repeated till the theory is never considered absolute and is normally refined through the research process ( Guilford, Sharon & Matthew, 2017).
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References
Guilford, R, Sharon & Matthew R. (2017). Reason and Rigor: How Conceptual Frameworks Guide Research . Second edition. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE