AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR TEACHING THE CONCEPT OF THEORY IN RESEARCH METHODOLOGY COURSES: LESSONS FROM HOUSE M.D.

Marmara Üniversitesi øø%)'HUJLVL YIL 2010&ø/7;;,;, SAYI II, S. 527-538 AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR TEACHING THE CONCEPT OF THEORY IN RESEARCH METHODOLOGY COURSES: LESSONS FROM HOUSE M.D. (\S$\JQ7D\úLU * Abstract Management students need to learn the concept of theory in order to both understand managerial latent dynamics of organizations and to carry out research. However, teaching this concept using traditional teaching methods is difficult as the concept of theory is sophisticated in nature and the learning styles of today’s students necessitate alternative teaching methods. Thus, in this study it is argued that one television series, entitled House M.D., can be used as an alternative tool to teach the concept of theory, and the ways in which it can be used in the research methodology classroom are explained. Keywords: TV series in management education, the concept of theory, Generation Y, House M.D. $5$ù7,50$<g17(0/(5ø'(56ø1'(.85$0 .$95$0,1,1gö5(7ø/0(6ø1($/7(51$7ø)%ø5 <$./$ù,0+286(0''ø=ø6ø1'(1'(56/(5 Özet øúOHWPH<|QHWLP |÷UHQFLOHUL KHP PRGHUQ |UJWOHULQ \|QHWVHO GLQDPLNOHULQL DQODPDN KHP GH DUDúWÕUPD \DSDELOPHN LoLQ NXUDP JHOLúWLUPH YH WHVW HWPH VUHoOHULQH KDNLP ROPDOÕGÕUODU $QFDN EX NDYUDPÕQ ROGXNoD NDSVDPOÕ YH NDUPDúÕN ELU \DSÕ\D VDKLS ROPDVÕ YH JQP]GH |÷UHQFLOHULQ |÷UHQPH ELoLPOHULQLQ JHoPLúH göUH IDUNOÕOÕNODU DU] HWPHVL DOWHUQDWLI |÷UHWLP \DNODúÕPODUÕQÕQ NXOODQÕOPDVÕQÕ JHUHNWLUPHNWHGLU%XED÷ODPGDEXoDOÕúPDGD+RXVH0'LVLPOLWHOHYL]\RQGL]LVLQLQ NXUDPNDYUDPÕQÕQ|÷UHWLOPHVLQGHDOWHUQDWLIELUX\JXODPDRODELOHFH÷LVDYXQXOPDNWD YH EX DOWHUQDWLI X\JXODPDQÕQ GHUV RUWDPÕQGD QDVÕO JHUoHNOHúWLULOHELOHFH÷L DoÕNODQPDNWDGÕU Anahtar Kelimeler:øúOHWPHH÷LWLPLQGHWHOHYL]\RQGL]LOHULNXUDPNDYUDPÕ< jenerasyonu, House M.D. * $Uú*|U'U0DUPDUDhQLYHUVLWHVLøø%)øúOHWPH%|OP<|QHWLPYH2UJDQL]DV\RQ$QD %LOLP'DOÕHDWD\VLU#PDUPDUDHGXWU 527 $UDú*|U(\S$\JQ7$<ùø5 1. Introduction University education aims to achieve two significant goals. First, it aims to teach students the main principles of scientific thinking. It could be said that this aim is common to all universities. The second goal of university education is to teach students the detailed knowledge of one (or sometimes two or more) scientific disciplines. In terms of these arguments, it could be said that the main goals of management education are to equip students with the ability to uncover and investigate managerial theories and to give them the knowledge they need while working in the world of modern organizations. Indeed, management school curriculums are usually designed in accordance with these aims. However, I argue that one specific course, generally entitled research methodology, would serve perfectly to realize one of these aims. In particular, the concept of theory has a specific importance in the research methodology course because if a student grasps the main principles of this concept he or she can use this logic by applying scientific methods to solve managerial and other kinds of problems. In the light of these assumptions and arguments, in this study the intricate structure of the concept of theory and its importance to the management discipline is discussed, the reasons for alternative teaching methods required to teach this concept are explained and one example using one of these methods is presented. 2. The Concept of Theory and Its Importance for Management Discipline In the seminal work of Bacharach 1 the concept of theory is defined as a statement of relationships between units approximated or observed in the empirical world. Approximated units cannot be measured directly, which is why scientists use observed units, or variables, in order to understand the latent nature of phenomena. Thus, it could be said that scientists use theories in order to find answers to the questions of how, why and when. However, as Bacharach is aware of the inadequacy of this simple definition, in the same study he adds another detailed explanation: “In more detailed terms, a theory may be viewed as a system of constructs and variables in which the constructs are related to each other by propositions and the variables are related to each other by hypotheses.” However, knowing what a theory is is not sufficient to develop or test it. It is well known that editors of eminent management journals periodically complain about the lack of theoretical contribution to the research, and for that reason they regularly produce editorials instructing researchers on how to conduct research with a strong theoretical core. For example, in their essay explaining what a theory is not, Sutton and Staw 2 state that references, data, lists of diagrams, variables or constructs, hypotheses or predictions alone do not constitute a theory. They also 1 S. B. Bacharach, “Organizational theories: Some criteria for evaluation”, The Academy of Management Review, 1989, Vol. 14, No.4. p.498. 2 R. I. Sutton & B. M. Staw, “What theory is not?”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1995, 40, pp.372-377. 528 indicate that to give a simple definition for the concept of theory is almost impossible. According to Sutton and Staw 3 a strong theory consists of an explanation that tells us why acts, events, structure and thoughts occur. In addition, Bacharach 4 states that a theory must be falsifiable and utilitarian. Moreover, a theory should be generalizable. It can be seen from these statements that to develop or to test a theory is not a simple task. It is also well known that social phenomena have a more latent and dynamic structure than that of other sciences. These differences make the job of the social scientist rather difficult. For instance, in the world of organizations, one might wonder that why it is that some organizations adopt structures, schemes, norms etc., even if adopting them harms the efficiency of the organization. Normally, the person who seeks an explanation for this phenomenon requires theories in order to shed light on it. Thus, as Weick 5 states the process of developing and testing a theory means solving a problem. A person who faces a problem firstly uses existing theories in order to solve it and if those theories are not sufficient to explain the observed situation he or she needs to develop an alternative theory. At this point, a researcher follows these steps: he or she identifies the problem by observing its concepts and measurable variables, suggests an explanation for this observation, demonstrates the superiority of this explanation in the face of alternative rationales, develops hypotheses in terms of this explanation and finally tests them using appropriate methods. Each of these steps includes different and intricate sub-steps and requires specific knowledge. Fundamentally, research methodology courses are designed to fulfill these needs. However, as mentioned above, in the field of social sciences develo (...truncated)