The Relevance of Theory to Communication Research
Keywords:
Relevance, Theory, Communication, Research, Communication researchAbstract
This conceptual discourse was concerned with the relevance of theory to communication research. It has made the position that there is no theory-free communication researches. This is due to the inalienable fact that without working or existing theories, communication researches tend to have no empirical scaffold, foothold, and anchor upon which the falsifiability of their outcomes can be contested against theoretical conjectures. Hence, theories are critical analytical tools deployed as theoretical frameworks or foundations in communication researches to order research information into intelligible patterns by explicating the nexus between/among research elements and also specifying why certain research outcomes turn out in some way. The relevance of theories in communication researches are underscored by the notion that they are instrumental in guiding researchers in sense making; providing research directions; and establishing the ground norms for analysis, interpretation, discussion, and explanation of research outcomes. In consideration of theories’ utility in firming interpretive, descriptive, explanatory, informatory, predictive, disruptive, and falsifiable paradigms in communication researches, their relevance are considered to be immitigable, profound, and far reaching. These, in the estimation of the author, are the justifications for their wide adoption in communication researches.
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