Citation - peopleGregor, S. (2006). The nature of theory in information systems. Management Information Systems Quarterly, 30(3), 611.

Keyword -

探討理論在特定學科內的結構性本質(structural nature)，可以透過三個層次(classes)的問題討論：

• 領域問題 Domain questions. What phenomena are of interest in the discipline? What are the core problems or topics of interest? What are the boundaries of the discipline?
• 結構與本體論問題 Structural or ontological questions. What is theory? How is this term understood in the discipline? Of what is theory composed? What forms do contributions to knowledge take? How is theory expressed? What types of claims or statements can be made? What types of questions are addressed?
• 認識論問題 Epistemological questions. How is theory constructed? How can scientific knowledge be acquired? How is theory tested? What research methods can be used? What criteria are applied to judge the soundness and rigor of research methods?
• 政治性問題 Socio-political questions. How is the disciplinary knowledge understood by stakeholders against the backdrop of human affairs? Where and by whom has theory been developed? What are the history and sociology of theory evolution? Are scholars in the discipline in general agreement about current theories or do profound differences of opinion exist? How is knowledge applied? Is the knowledge expected to be relevant and useful in a practical sense? Are there social, ethical, or political issues associated with the use of the disciplinary knowledge?

根據使用理論的目的，區分五種不同理論類型：

• 分析 theory for analyzing,
• 解釋 theory for explaining,
• 預測 theory for predicting,
• 解釋並預測 theory for explaining and predicting (EP theory), and
• 設計與行動 theory for design and action

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