Respond to a classmate by further supporting his or her response or respectfully offering a differing perspective.

Respond to a classmate by further supporting his or her response or respectfully offering a differing perspective.

LAKESHA

The role of theory in research is essential because it helps explain the research and provide a clear understanding. Burkholder et al. (2020) noted that theories guide the research process, including selecting research questions and interpreting findings. Second, the research may be a test of the theory itself, measuring the concepts and testing the relationships between the concepts to determine the adequacy of the theory.

The theory used for my discipline is cognitive behavioral theory. This theory helps guide my research by examining how internal and external challenges play a vital role in an individual’s mental processes. What I need to believe about the world and about human beings for me to accept or use this theory is that when we change our thoughts, we then change our behaviors.

According to Burkholder et al. (2020), the careful use of theory also helps build the case for it. This theory will help me to identify evidence-based research on misdiagnosing ADHD in adolescent African Americans and how that promotes unhealthy behaviors. Positivist is my epistemological stance, and my ontological assumption is that there is an objective truth that can be proven through research.

Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., Crawford, L. M., & Hitchcock, J.H. (Eds.) (2020). Research design and methods: An applied guide for the scholar-practitioner. SAGE Publications, Inc.