Table 1 Levels of theory in the social sciences
From: Harnessing the power of theorising in implementation science
Definition | Characteristics | Types and examples | |
|---|---|---|---|
Grand theories | All-inclusive systematic efforts to develop a master conceptual scheme, often aspiring to present a unified theory of the social world | - Formulated at a high level of abstraction, often without an underlying empirical base - Non-specific and may lack clear operational definitions of key concepts - Often loosely knit and internally diversified - Less amenable to empirical testing; sometimes unfalsifiable | - Overarching theoretical perspectives through which one sees and interprets the world (e.g. feminist theory and critical theory) - Theoretical oeuvres of sociological classics (e.g. Bourdieu, Giddens, and Marx) |
Mid-range theories | Theories that lie between the working hypotheses that evolve in abundance during day-to-day research and the all-encompassing speculations comprising a master conceptual scheme | - Delimited in their area of application - Demonstrate strong interdependence with empirical observations - Specify mechanisms, i.e. social processes having designated consequences for designated parts of the social structure - Not usually derived from grand theories but are often influenced by or consistent with one or several of them | - Lower-order: theories aggregating individual programme theories of similar interventions [13] - Core implementation science theories (e.g. Normalisation Process Theory [14] and i-PARIHS [Integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services] framework [15]) - Higher order: consolidating frameworks combining a number of constructs from pre-existing mid-range theories (e.g. CFIR [Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research] [16] or TDF [Theoretical Domains Framework] [17]) |
Programme theories | ‘Small theories’ providing a sensible and plausible explanation about how a specific policy, intervention, or project is supposed to function and achieve its objectives | - Purposefully practical and accessible, providing concrete working models rather than higher-level abstractions - Uncover assumptions about the mechanisms linking the intervention’s inputs, components, and processes to its outcomes - Involve informal elements representing the perspectives of intervention stakeholders - Usually provisional and subject to modification in the course of an intervention | - Programme theories of individual implementation and improvement projects [18] - Programme theories of large-scale and composite knowledge translation initiatives, such as the National Institute for Health Research Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (NIHR CLAHRCs) [19] or the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUIERI) [20] |