Where does theory come from in educational research – and how is it operationalised in diverse disciplinary and professional contexts? This volume examines the pedagogic significance of theory in the work of nine pre- to post-doctoral scholars, whose narratives transport us across wide-ranging fields of inquiry: from Irigaray on mothering in academe to Jamison and engineering education in Denmark; from Te Whāriki in a New Zealand kindergarten to Confucianism in contemporary China.