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Family Practice Advance Access published online on October 29, 2009
Family Practice, doi:10.1093/fampra/cmp077
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

The role of theory in qualitative health research

Moira Kelly

Institute of Health Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, 2 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, UK

Correspondence to Moira Kelly, Institute of Health Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, 2 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, UK; E-mail: m.j.kelly{at}qmul.ac.uk

Received 21 April 2009; Revised 14 September 2009; Accepted 2 October 2009.


  Abstract

The role of theory in qualitative research is often underplayed but it is relevant to the quality of such research in three main ways. Theory influences research design, including decisions about what to research and the development of research questions. Theory underpins methodology and has implications for how data are analyzed and interpreted. Finally, theory about a particular health issue may be developed, contributing to what is already known about the topic that is the focus of the study. This paper will critically consider the role of theory in qualitative primary care research in relation to these three areas. Different approaches to qualitative research will be drawn upon in order to illustrate the ways in which theory might variably inform qualitative research, namely generic qualitative research, grounded theory and discourse analysis. The aim is to describe and discuss key issues and provide practical guidance so that researchers are more aware of the role theory has to play and the importance of being explicit about how theory affects design, analysis and the quality of qualitative research.

Keywords. Data analysis, methodology, qualitative research, theory.

Kelly M. The role of theory in qualitative health research. Family Practice 2009; Pages 1–6 of 6.


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