Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.
Implement Sci. 2009 May 21;4:29. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-4-29.
Theories are important tools in the social and natural sciences. The methods by which they are derived are rarely described and discussed. Normalization Process Theory explains how new technologies, ways of acting, and ways of working become routinely embedded in everyday practice, and has applications in the study of implementation processes. This paper describes the process by which it was built.
Between 1998 and 2008, we developed a theory. We derived a set of empirical generalizations from analysis of data collected in qualitative studies of healthcare work and organization. We developed an applied theoretical model through analysis of empirical generalizations. Finally, we built a formal theory through a process of extension and implication analysis of the applied theoretical model.
Each phase of theory development showed that the constructs of the theory did not conflict with each other, had explanatory power, and possessed sufficient robustness for formal testing. As the theory developed, its scope expanded from a set of observed regularities in data with procedural explanations, to an applied theoretical model, to a formal middle-range theory.
Normalization Process Theory has been developed through procedures that were properly sceptical and critical, and which were opened to review at each stage of development. The theory has been shown to merit formal testing.
理论是社会科学和自然科学的重要工具。它们的推导方法很少被描述和讨论。规范化进程理论解释了新技术、行为方式和工作方式如何常规地嵌入日常实践中，并在实施过程的研究中有应用。本文描述了构建该理论的过程。
在 1998 年至 2008 年期间，我们开发了一个理论。我们从对医疗保健工作和组织的定性研究中收集的数据进行分析，得出了一系列经验概括。我们通过对经验概括的分析，开发了一个应用理论模型。最后，我们通过对应用理论模型进行扩展和推论分析，构建了一个正式的理论。
理论发展的每个阶段都表明，该理论的结构之间没有冲突，具有解释力，并且具有足够的健壮性，可以进行正式测试。随着理论的发展，其范围从具有程序解释的数据中的一组观察到的规律扩展到应用理论模型，再扩展到正式的中程理论。
规范化进程理论是通过适当的怀疑和批判程序开发的，并且在每个发展阶段都可以接受审查。该理论已经过正式测试的验证。
