Tips for Writing About Theories

Theories are assumptions, not facts. Never present a theory as fact. For instance, it is incorrect to write, “Learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information.” That statement is a debatable assumption that is associated with a theory. Never state an assumption as a fact, and always credit the assumption to its theory. Here’s one way to rephrase the sentence for accuracy. “According to constructivism, learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information (citation).”

Theories do not teach. Theories influence how people teach others. Never say that a theory “teaches.”

Beware of capitalization. Theories are not capitalized unless they are based on a proper noun. For example, the theory of constructivism is not capitalized.

Writing Your RQ1 Section

Focus: Write only about the theory(ies) and information that answer RQ1. Do not include irrelevant information from a study.

Define: Don’t assume that people know about the theory you are discussing. When you mention a theory for the first time, briefly summarize the theory in your own words. Do NOT directly quote someone else’s definition.

Discuss Assumptions: When introducing the theory, discuss its key assumptions. What does the theory assume about learners? About our brains? About learning? About educators? About your specific target audience? About technology? About the learning environment?…and how do those assumptions relate to your target audience and/or your project?

Connect: Find ways to connect the theory to your target audience or project. Establish its relevance to your research.

Synthesize: If you are discussing multiple theories, discuss their similarities and differences. That process is called synthesizing, and we’ll learn more about that later.