Theories

1.2 Identify and describe the attributes of a good theory

A theory is a set of systematically interrelated constructs and propositions intended to explain and predict a phenomenon or behavior of interest, within certain boundary conditions and assumptions. Essentially, a theory is a systemic collection of related propositions. While propositions generally connect two or three constructs, theories represent a system of multiple constructs and propositions. Hence, theories can be substantially more complex and abstract and of a larger scope than propositions or hypotheses.

Theories should explain why things happen, rather than just describe or predict. Note that it is possible to predict events or behaviors using a set of predictors, without necessarily explaining why such events are taking place.

Example:

A well-known theory in education and psychology is constructivism. This theory describes learning as an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge. Many propositions define constructivism, including (but not limited to):

Learning is the acquisition of new knowledge, skills or attitudes resulting from a learner’s interaction with her/his external and internal (cognitive) environments.

Active learning strategies will facilitate learning more effectively that passive learning strategies. Active learning involves participating in the process of learning by interacting with those elements in the learning environment that communicate meaning (including teachers), and not just passively listening or watching.

Because learners construct their own meaning to the information they receive from external sources, more learners will be more successful in the classroom if their instruction involves individualized opportunities for construction.

4 Attributes of a Good Theory

Logical Consistency

Theoretical constructs, propositions, boundary conditions, and assumptions are logically consistent with each other.

If some of these “building blocks” of a theory are inconsistent with each other (e.g., a theory assumes rationality, but some constructs represent non-rational concepts), then the theory is poor.

Explanatory Power

A good theory explains (or predicts) a target phenomenon better than competing theories.

Falsifiability

For theories to be valid, they must be falsifiable. Falsifiability ensures that the theory is potentially disprovable, if empirical data does not match with theoretical propositions, which allows for their empirical testing by researchers. In other words, theories cannot be theories unless they can be empirically testable.

However, note that saying that a theory is falsifiable is not the same as saying that a theory should be falsified. If a theory is indeed falsified based on empirical evidence, then it was probably a poor theory to begin with.

Parsimony

Parsimony addresses the number of variables needed to explain a phenomenon.

In the sciences, parsimony is reflected in the proposition “when presented with two competing ideas (theories, hypotheses, etc.), the simpler one is more likely to be correct.”

This is related to the principle of Occam’s Razor, proposed by William of Ockam in the 14th century:

When presented with competing theories or hypotheses that make the same predictions, one should select the solution with the fewest assumptions.

From a scientific perspective, the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe is better than a Special Creation theory (God created everything). Why? Foremost, the Big Bang theory can be falsified with evidence, but Special Creation can't. A belief in something that is not based on observable data (faith, if you will) can't be proven wrong with evidence. This is not a comment on the potential truth of either theory...just a distinction between a good scientific theory and a bad one.

1.3 Explain the relationship between educational theories, models and methods.

Model

A model is a representation of all or part of a system that is constructed to study that system (e.g., how the system works or what triggers the system). While a theory tries to explain a phenomenon, a model tries to represent a phenomenon.

Models are often used by decision makers to make important decisions based on a given set of inputs.

The following diagram illustrates the relationship between theories, models, and methods as they relate to learning and instruction:

Another example of an important model in the field of learning is the Information Processing Model. It communicates the relationship between various memory systems and strategies used by humans to process external stimuli (information) received through the senses:

Here is another depiction of the Information Processing Model as it relates more specifically to multimedia instruction:

So in the field of education, learning theories inform instructional models, which in turn inform the formulation of learning models (how things work), and these models then inform what educators do in the own practice (methods and learning theories inform in models, which in turn inform methods and selection of resources).

As previously discussed, all the different theories and models associated with learning and instruction presented in this course are grounded in an empirical approach to epistemology...how we know what we think we know about how things work. Put another way, the theories and models reflect scientific ways of knowing. But how is a scientific way of knowing different from other ways of know?

Ways of Knowing