In this article, the role of theory in higher education research is problematised using a communities of practice framework. Drawing on a case study derived from the author's own published work and doctoral study, the article concludes that the differential uses of theory within communities of research practice can be fruitfully explored, in part, through a consideration of the ways in which the explicit use of theory by newcomers to the community is, or is not, sustained as community membership deepens. The article concludes by suggesting that the differential use of theory amongst communities of educational researchers constitutes a problematic object of practice that requires critical exploration.