Grounding Listening: The Limitations of Theory

The role and limitations of scientific theory in listening research is explored. The researcher as person is found to be intricately involved as creative, interpretive author of concepts, hypotheses, arguments and conclusions. Nor can the researcher ignore their own social and cultural life-world origins. Consequently the importance of the social context and culture assumed by the researcher is detailed. Theory is discussed and its general limitations explicated. Overall, research in social sciences, such as listening, is at base social.