THEORY & THEORIZING

Theory

• A theory is a set of related propositions used to classify and explain aspects of the universe in which we live– Theory is normally taken as an academic term– But really everyone operates by theory most of the time– People put patterns of experience together in ways that help

them make sense of their lives, predict what is going to happen, and help them respond and react to situations as they come up

About theoryHeath & Bryant (2000) : we use

theories to achieve our expected outcomes in our everyday communication. They see theories as ‘maps’ that help us get to our destination (research outcome) more efficiently.

Theories also help us to explain events, interactions and processes of communication we routinely engage in, in a more orderly manner.

About Theory A theory is not just an

explanation, it is a way of packaging reality, a way of understanding it.

A theory is a system of thought, a way of looking – we can never “view” reality purely.

Theory is the product of human judgment and discussion and different people prefer different ways of knowing

Komponen teori

• Konsep adalah kata-kata atau istilah yang memberikan label elemen paling penting dalam sebuah teori.Dapat berupa konsep nominal (tidak dapat diamati) atau konsep nyata (dapat diamati)

• Hubungan adalah cara-cara di mana konsep dalam sebuah teori dikombinasikan

PROPOSITION

Struktur ‘Theoretical Argument’

PROPOSITION

PROPOSITION

premise premise premise

New proposition : Conclusion

Types of proposition How generated Sources of proposition

• Hypothesis

• Empirical generalizations

• Axiom

• Postulate

•Theorem

• Assumptions

Either deduced or data generated

Data-generated

True by definition

Assumed to be true

Deduced from axioms or postulates

Literature studiesCasual observations

Previous studies

Systmatic observationsexperts judgements

Personal experiencesIntuition/conviction

Relations of the propositions

• Correlation = two concepts are associated

• Causality = causal proposition can never stand on its own because other propositions are required to help explain the causal relationship

• Circular connection/mutual causation = one concept leads to another concept, and the 2nd concept may leads to 3rd concept, and so on

• Action connection = the concepts build the proposition connected by personal choice, which the action one takes leads to a goal or outcome. An action statement suggests that people can choose to do various things to reach certain goals

• Propositions are the building blocks of theory, but no proposition by itself makes a theory.

A theory is an organized set of propositions that together form a way of explaining or understanding something

developing theory: A Basic Model of Inquiry

At the heart of theory construction is the process of inquiry.

Inquiry is the systematic study of experience that leads to understanding, knowledge and theory.

Three stages in process of systematic inquiry:– Asking questions– Observation– Constructing answer

developing theory : A Basic Model of Inquiry

• Asking question : – Question of definition : what– Question of fact : how– Qustion of value : why

• Observation : looks for answer by observing the phenomenon under investigation.using planned method for answering the question

• Constructing answer: define, describe and explain-to make judgment and interpretations (theory)

The Stages of Inquiry

Types of Scholarship

• Different types of inquiry ask different questions, use different methods of observation, and lead to different kinds of theory.

• Methods of inquiry can be grouped:– Scientific– Humanistic– Social science

Scientific Scholarship

• Associated with objectivity. Same way and using the same methods, would see the same thing --- all observers in the world.

• Standardization : there is no divinely revealed way to know how accurate one’s observation are.

• Replication: if all trained observers using the same method report the same result.

Humanistic Sholarship

• Associated with subjectivity.

Science Humanitiesaims to standardize the seek creative interpretation

to reduce human differences in what is observed

to understand individual subjective response

Is an “out there” activity Stress what is “in here”

Focus on the discovered world Focus on the discovering person

Seeks consensus Seek alternative interpretations

Social-Scientific Scholarship

• In seeking to observe and interpret patterns of human behavior, social science scholars make human beings the object of study.

• Scientific methods alone would suffice to uncover the mysteries of human experience, but today many realize that a strong humanistic element is also needed.

• Systematic inquiry or scholarly research is about observation, generalisation and prediction (Heath & Bryant 2000).

• Communication scholars construct theories about the world and test them by conducting research to examine observable behaviour patterns and question why people follow those patterns or behave that way.

• Some theories and research findings either challenge or contradict one another.

• This is why we need to investigate and understand a communication related phenomenon from different theoretical perspectives and weigh each theory against others (Heath & Bryant 2000).

THEORIZING

• Theorizing is the process of creating and developing theory . . . this means creating and developing explanations about social behavior

• Theorizing can be defined as the process of providing explanations and predictions of social phenomena, generally by relating the subject of interest to some other phenomena. . .

How theory is created ?

Publication Research Theory

Similarity and Difference

• The focus field: individuals, social relations, and texts• The value field: description vs critique• The methods field : objective measurement and subjective

interpretation• The scope field : broad and narrow

Tingkat Generalitas

• Teori dalam arti luas (grand theory) bertujuan menjelaskan semua perilaku komunikasi dengan cara yang benar secara universal

• Teori dalam arti menengah (mid-range theory) menjelaskan perilaku dari sekelompok orang dan bukannya semua orang.Fokus pada aspek perilaku tertentu.

• Teori sempit (narrow) menekankan pada orang2 tertentu pada situasi tertentu.

Leading Theory• Leading theories provide insights we would not

ordinarily have.• They do not be labor the obvious or repeat what

most of us already know from our cultural background.

• The leading theory of today is an evolution of earlier theoritical ideas that have grown, combined, and expanded through research and careful thinking.

• The leading theories are the product of collaboration, extension, or elaboration.

Communication Theory & Scholarship

Communication is one of those everyday activities that is intertwined with human life so completely --- overlook its pervasiveness, importance, and complexity.

Focus on theories – they provide explanations that can assist us in understanding all parts of the phenomenon we call communication.

They will help us things we never saw before. Theories provide a set of useful tools for seeing

new and useful things.

The Academic Study of Comm.

W. Barnett Pearce describes development of communication as a “revolutionary discovery”, largely caused by the rise of comm. technology.

This began after World War I, communication figured in US and concerns as propaganda & public opinion, the rise of social sciences and the role of media in commerce, market and adv.

Reseachers in most fields consider communication as a secondary process, but in recent years, they recognized that communication is central to all human experience.

The Academic Study of Comm.

Communication theory has had a different history in Europe than in the US.

In the US, tended to study communication quantitaively to try to achieve objectivity.

European investigations, on the other hand, were influenced more by hostorical, cultural, and critical interest and were shaped to a large extent by Marxism

Western & Eastern Perspective

Eastern theories tend to focus on wholeness and unity, whereas Western perspectives sometimes measure parts without always intergrating these parts into a unified process.

Western theory is dominated by a vision and individualism. Most Eastern theories view communication outcomes as unplanned and natural consequences of events.

Most Western theories are dominated by language. In the East, verbal symbols, especially speech, are downplayed and viewed with skepticism.