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HCA 807 Topic 5 Potential Theoretical Foundations

The brief asks for two theories and then, one sentence later, refers to three. That contradiction is real, it is in the prompt, and how you handle it is part of the assignment.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 25, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

Two theories or three, and what a theoretical foundation actually does

Read the directions twice before you start, because they do not agree with themselves: the paper asks you to identify two theories, and the very next line asks for four elements "for each of the three theories you select". That is a defect in the brief rather than a trick, and the safe response is to email your instructor and, failing a reply, to write three and say in your introduction that you have covered three to satisfy both readings. Three costs you a few hundred words; two, if the marker is reading against the second sentence, costs a third of the rubric. Word count supports three comfortably at 1,250 to 1,500 words, which is roughly four hundred words each once the introduction and conclusion are accounted for. Say what you did and why, once, and the ambiguity stops being your problem and becomes a documented decision.

On the substance, a theoretical foundation is not decoration and the fourth sub-part is where that shows. A theory earns its place by telling you which variables matter, how they are supposed to relate, and therefore what your study should measure and what would count as disconfirmation. So the description of primary components should name constructs and propositions rather than paraphrasing a diagram, and the applications section should cite studies that operationalised the theory rather than ones that merely mention it. The limitations part is the discriminator, because every theory has a boundary condition: it was developed in a different sector, it assumes rational actors, it explains adoption but not sustainment. Naming that boundary honestly, and then saying which of your research questions it would fail to illuminate, is what a doctoral reader is looking for. A theory chosen because it is popular in your field, rather than because its propositions match the relationships you test, will quietly misdirect the study design.

Likely learning objectives

Handle a contradictory instruction by documenting the decision rather than guessing silently.
Describe a theory by its constructs and propositions rather than its diagram.
Distinguish studies that operationalise a theory from those that cite it.
State a theory's boundary condition and which research question it would fail.

Assignment instructions

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Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Every dissertation has a theoretical foundation that governs the research being conducted. With many options available, it is imperative to begin exploring potential theoretical foundations for your dissertation study. Therefore, in this assignment you will identify theories could potentially serve as the theoretical foundation for your dissertation study. General Requirements: Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment: This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. Doctoral learners are required to use APA style for their writing assignments. The APA Style Guide is located in the Student Success Center. Refer to Chapters 2-4 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) for specific guidelines related to doctoral level writing. These chapters contain essential information on manuscript structure and content, clear and concise writing, and academic grammar and usage. This assignment requires that at least two additional scholarly research sources related to this topic, and at least one in-text citation from each source be included. HCA 807 Topic 5 Potential Theoretical Foundations You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance. Directions: Write a paper (1,250-1,500 words) in which you identify two theories that could potentially serve as the theoretical foundation for your dissertation study. Include the following in your paper for each of the three theories you select: A description of the primary components of the theory. A research-supported discussion of common applications of the theory. A discussion of why the theory might be viable for your proposed dissertation study. A discussion of the limitations of applying the theory as a foundation for your proposed dissertation study.

Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

What HCA 807 Topic 5 requires

01A paper of 1,250-1,500 words in APA style.
02Identification of theories that could serve as the theoretical foundation for the dissertation study.
03A description of the primary components of each theory.
04A research-supported discussion of common applications of each theory.
05A discussion of why each theory might be viable for the proposed study.
06A discussion of the limitations of applying each theory as a foundation.
07At least two additional scholarly sources with at least one in-text citation from each, submitted to LopesWrite.