Principles
Theories go beyond principles. Principles are general guidelines for action. They are broad and nonspecific and may actually distort realities or results based on research.
Principles may be based on precedent or history or on research. At their worst, principles are so broad that they invite multiple interpretations and are therefore unreliable.
In their weakest form, principles are like horoscopes: anyone can derive whatever meaning he or she wants from them. At their best, principles are based on accumulated research. In their best form, principles are the basis for hypotheses ”leading ideas,” in the words of Dewey—and serve as our most informed hunches about how or what we should do to obtain a desired outcome in a target population.