The phrase "advancing theory" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where you are discussing the development or progression of a particular theoretical framework or concept.
Example: "The researchers are focused on advancing theory in the field of cognitive psychology to better understand human behavior."
Alternatives: "developing theory" or "progressing theory".
In: Mohrman SA, III LEE Useful research: Advancing theory and practice.
"Urban Sustainability in an Age of Enduring Inequalities: Advancing Theory and Ecometrics for the 21st-Century". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
We argue that this qualitative study of 51 Scandinavian expatriates in Hong Kong can contribute to advancing theory on the expatriate failure concept by asking individual expatriates what constitutes failure to them.
It will be important for future research examining sleep IIV in children and adolescents to use a developmental framework in advancing theory pertaining to the causes, mechanisms, moderators, and outcomes of sleep IIV in youth, and a conceptual model is proposed to help guide such efforts.
Simulation modeling provides a powerful methodology for advancing theory and research on complex behaviors and systems (Harrison et al. 2007).
The mixed insights offer important implications in terms of advancing theory, research, and practice related to TEFA strategies and highlight the contribution that mixed methods approaches can have in advancing educational technology in higher education.
It means that they keep advancing theories that they have no proof to support, but that are amenable to testing.
On the other hand, case study research is a means of advancing theories by comparing similarities and differences among cases (e.g., in multiple case studies).
Our project "Interprofessional approach to shared-decision-making in primary care: Advancing theories, models, methods and measurement," funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, has been underway since 2007 [ 22].
I'm amazed by Alex's essay snippet, in which he applies advanced theory to "The Shining".
To advance theory, the paper also draws from the entrepreneurship and life cycle literatures.
