JiscMail Logo
Email discussion lists for the UK Education and Research communities

Help for PHD-DESIGN Archives


PHD-DESIGN Archives

PHD-DESIGN Archives


PHD-DESIGN@JISCMAIL.AC.UK


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Monospaced Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

PHD-DESIGN Home

PHD-DESIGN Home

PHD-DESIGN  March 2013

PHD-DESIGN March 2013

Options

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password

Subject:

Re: Theory, Development and Demonstration

From:

Ken Friedman <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 03:45:27 +0000

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (54 lines)

Dear Chuck,

Thanks for your kind words. By and large, I agree. The article (Friedman 2003) doesn’t describe or demonstrate how to develop and work with theory in a situated practice. One can’t do everything in a single article limited to 7,000 words. As I wrote, “There is not enough room in one article to go beyond the general consideration of methods to a specific description of how to develop theory and build specific theories. This is a task for a future article” (Friedman 2003: 520-1).

Even so, I would say that the article does represent a kind of theory. Parsons and Shils (1951: 50) describe four kinds of theory, (1) ad hoc classification systems, (2) systems of categories, (3) theoretical systems, and (4) empirical–theoretical systems. A theory is a model – a representative and static model such as a taxonomy describes parts with showing the parts in action. In this article, however, I explain a model of how the different levels and kinds of theory interact to yield general concepts and predictions. So without constituting a demonstration of theory in action or showing how to build theory, the article does offer a conceptual description of how theory functions, that is, a theory of theory construction.

In my view, this is more than a digest of selected writings on theory. If this article were a digest, no matter how good, Design Studies would not have published it. As a leading research journal of our field, Design Studies publishes original research articles. This article examines and explains concepts and principles of theory and theory construction, applying these issues to design and design research. While it does not demonstrate how to develop theory situated in practice, it does develop and demonstrate many issues of theory construction. Most robust theory development engages with prior art, in this case, issues and ideas developed by earlier scholars writing on theory construction. The references build a path. We engage with the knowledge of the field to build on and contribute to the knowledge of the field. Since neither our field nor the more general field of theory construction is axiomatized, I usually develop the background explicitly. Conceptual development is quite different to a digest – taken out of context, it could be seen as a digest. In context, it is the foundation for what follows.

The 2003 article on theory construction is available at

http://swinburne.academia.edu/KenFriedman

The conference paper on which this was based gives more details, so I will try to post it before long.

The paper I have yet to write – perhaps more a book – will explain how to generate and build a theory to address a situation in context. In the paper, I hope to engage the kind of demonstrative narrative you seek. There are many challenges in such a demonstration. While there are many forms of theories, the vast number of theoretical explanations people generate are wrong. We need sorting mechanisms that allow us to judge between valid theories and others. This is also an issue such an article must address.

I look forward to reading your article.

Yours,

Ken

Ken Friedman, PhD, DSc (hc), FDRS | University Distinguished Professor | Swinburne University of Technology | Melbourne, Australia | [log in to unmask] | Mobile +61 404 830 462 | Home Page http://www.swinburne.edu.au/design/people/Professor-Ken-Friedman-ID22.html Academia Page http://swinburne.academia.edu/KenFriedman About Me Page http://about.me/ken_friedman

Guest Professor | College of Design and Innovation | Tongji University | Shanghai, China

Reference

Friedman, Ken. 2003. “Theory construction in design research: criteria: approaches, and methods.” Design Studies, 24 (2003), 507–522. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0142-694X(03)00039-5

Parsons, Talcott, and Edward A. Shils, editors. 1951. Toward a General Theory of Action. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

Available at:

http://swinburne.academia.edu/KenFriedman


Chuck Burnette wrote:

—snip—

I have just had the pleasure of reading Ken’s 2003 paper Theory construction in design research: criteria: approaches, and methods. (available on academia.edu or from Ken’s Swinburne site) It is well written, scholarly and an altogether wonderful resource, that I had not previously read. I recommend it highly to all PhD candidates and anyone wanting a good overview of theory construction - with two caveats: 1) It organizes definitions and references well but is not a theory itself - It is a researcher’s digest of selected writings on theory. 2) It does not explain how a theory may arise or be developed to address a situation in context. It is an academic paper lacking demonstrative narrative - but a very good one, nevertheless.

As many probably realize, I am wary of the emphasis on the PhD as advanced training to teach research methods without a similar emphasis on conceptual specifications worth validating, elaborating, or disproving through research. The words Development and Demonstration seem to have been dropped from the research lexicon in favor of assessment and testing. PhD candidates with a strong interest in understanding and adding to knowledge about some subject relevant to the field should, in my view, be encouraged and helped to specify the concepts they wish to clarify through theory and to evaluate them through demonstration before acquiring relevant tools to conduct “research” to confirm or deny the propositions that result.

—snip—


-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

JiscMail Tools


RSS Feeds and Sharing


Advanced Options


Archives

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998


JiscMail is a Jisc service.

View our service policies at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/ and Jisc's privacy policy at https://www.jisc.ac.uk/website/privacy-notice

For help and support help@jisc.ac.uk

Secured by F-Secure Anti-Virus CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager