What is theoretical framework in a research paper

Of southern zing your social sciences research tical zing your social sciences research paper: theoretical purpose of this guide is to provide advice on how to develop and organize a research paper in the social of research flaws to ndent and dependent ry of research terms. Choosing a research ing a topic ning a topic ing the timeliness of a topic idea. An oral g with g someone else's to manage group of structured group project survival g a book le book review ing collected g a field informed g a policy g a research es are formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena and, in many cases, to challenge and extend existing knowledge within the limits of critical bounding assumptions. The theoretical framework is the structure that can hold or support a theory of a research study. The theoretical framework introduces and describes the theory that explains why the research problem under study , gabriel. Theoretical framework consists of concepts and, together with their definitions and reference to relevant scholarly literature, existing theory that is used for your particular study. The theoretical framework must demonstrate an understanding of theories and concepts that are relevant to the topic of your research paper and that relate to the broader areas of knowledge being theoretical framework is most often not something readily found within the literature. You must review course readings and pertinent research studies for theories and analytic models that are relevant to the research problem you are investigating. The selection of a theory should depend on its appropriateness, ease of application, and explanatory theoretical framework strengthens the study in the following ways:An explicit statement of  theoretical assumptions permits the reader to evaluate them theoretical framework connects the researcher to existing knowledge. Guided by a relevant theory, you are given a basis for your hypotheses and choice of research lating the theoretical assumptions of a research study forces you to address questions of why and how. A theoretical framework specifies which key variables influence a phenomenon of interest and highlights the need to examine how those key variables might differ and under what virtue of its applicative nature, good theory in the social sciences is of value precisely because it fulfills one primary purpose: to explain the meaning, nature, and challenges associated with a phenomenon, often experienced but unexplained in the world in which we live, so that we may use that knowledge and understanding to act in more informed and effective conceptual framework.

Conceptual framework of a research paper

Developing the are some strategies to develop of an effective theoretical framework:Examine your thesis title and research problem. The research problem anchors your entire study and forms the basis from which you construct your theoretical torm about what you consider to be the key variables in your research. The assumptions or propositions of this theory and point out their relevance to your research. Theoretical framework is used to limit the scope of the relevant data by focusing on specific variables and defining the specific viewpoint [framework] that the researcher will take in analyzing and interpreting the data to be gathered. It also facilitates the understanding of concepts and variables according to given definitions and builds new knowledge by validating or challenging theoretical of theories as the conceptual basis for understanding, analyzing, and designing ways to investigate relationships within social systems. To that end, the following roles served by a theory can help guide the development of your by which new research data can be interpreted and coded for future use,Response to new problems that have no previously identified solutions strategy,Means for identifying and defining research problems,Means for prescribing or evaluating solutions to research problems,Ways of discerning certain facts among the accumulated knowledge that are important and which facts are not,Means of giving old data new interpretations and new meaning,Means by which to identify important new issues and prescribe the most critical research questions that need to be answered to maximize understanding of the issue,Means of providing members of a professional discipline with a common language and a frame of reference for defining the boundaries of their profession, to guide and inform research so that it can, in turn, guide research efforts and improve professional d from: torraco, r. Administrative science quarterly 40 (september 1995): ure and writing theoretical framework may be rooted in a specific theory, in which case, your work is expected to test the validity of that existing theory in relation to specific events, issues, or phenomena. You may not always be asked by your professor to test a specific theory in your paper, but to develop your own framework from which your analysis of the research problem is derived. Based upon the above example, it is perhaps easiest to understand the nature and function of a theoretical framework if it is viewed as an answer to two basic questions:What is the research problem/question? I could choose instead to test instrumentalist or circumstantialists models developed among ethnic conflict theorists that rely upon socio-economic-political factors to explain individual-state relations and to apply this theoretical model to periods of war between nations]. Answers to these questions come from a thorough review of the literature and your course readings [summarized and analyzed in the next section of your paper] and the gaps in the research that emerge from the review process.

With this in mind, a complete theoretical framework will likely not emerge until after you have completed a thorough review of the as a research problem in your paper requires contextualization and background information, a theory requires a framework for understanding its application to the topic being investigated. When writing and revising this part of your research paper, keep in mind the following:Clearly describe the framework, concepts, models, or specific theories that underpin your study. This includes noting who the key theorists are in the field who have conducted research on the problem you are investigating and, when necessary, the historical context that supports the formulation of that theory. This latter element is particularly important if the theory is relatively unknown or it is borrowed from another on your theoretical framework within a broader context of related frameworks, concepts, models, or theories. As noted in the example above, there will likely be several concepts, theories, or models that can be used to help develop a framework for understanding the research problem. Although the past tense can be used to describe the history of a theory or the role of key theorists, the construction of your theoretical framework is happening should make your theoretical assumptions as explicit as possible. Later, your discussion of methodology should be linked back to this theoretical ’t just take what the theory says as a given! What parts of the research problem require further investigation because the theory inadequately explains a certain phenomena]. Growing and increasingly important trend in the social and behavioral sciences is to think about and attempt to understand specific research problems from an interdisciplinary perspective. Building theoretical frameworks based on the postulates and hypotheses developed in other disciplinary contexts can be both enlightening and an effective way to be fully engaged in the research an, robert. Be sure to always connect theory to the review of pertinent literature and to explain in the discussion part of your paper how the theoretical framework you chose supports analysis of the research problem, or if appropriate, how the theoretical framework was found in some way to be inadequate in explaining the phenomenon you were investigating.

Terms theory and hypothesis are often used interchangeably in newspapers and popular magazines and in non-academic settings. However, the difference between theory and hypothesis in scholarly research is important, particularly when using an experimental design. Hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what you expect to happen in your study. Unless your study is exploratory in nature, your hypothesis should always explain what you expect to happen during the course of your key distinctions are:A theory predicts events in a broad, general context; a hypothesis makes a specific prediction about a specified set of circumstances. University of southern us: 727-442-4290blogabout | academic solutions | academic research resources | dissertation resources | theoretical tical theoretical framework is presented in the early section of a dissertation and provides the rationale for conducting your research to investigate a particular research er the theoretical framework as a conceptual model that establishes a sense of structure that guides your research. It provides the background that supports your investigation and offers the reader a justification for your study of a particular research problem. It is not based on your suspicions alone, however…please read a jump start on your theoretical do you mean, not based on my suspicions alone? Theoretical framework is a summary of your theory regarding a particular problem that is developed through a review of previous research on the variables involved. The theoretical framework involves a well-supported rationale and is organized in a manner that helps the reader understand and assess your perspective. The purpose is to demonstrate that the relationships you propose are not based on your personal instincts or guesses, but rather formed from facts obtained from authors of previous is the theoretical framework important? Development of the theoretical framework helps to clarify your implicit theory in a manner that is more clearly defined.

It helps you to consider other possible frameworks and to reduce biases that may sway your interpretation. As you develop your theoretical framework you will consider alternative theories that might challenge your perspective. You will also consider the limitations associated with your theory, and quite possibly, that your problem could be better understood by other theoretical theoretical framework is how you conceptualize the nature of your research problem, its basis and the analysis you will choose to investigate that problem. Explanation of the theoretical framework helps the reader understand your perspective and do i develop a theoretical framework? Theoretical framework is developed from and connected to your review of the knowledge on the topic (the literature review). The theoretical framework allows you to present the research problem in light of a summary of the description of the variables of interest in context of the literature review allows the reader to understand the theorized relationships. You should begin by describing what is known about your variables, what is known about their relationship, and what can be explained thus far. You will investigate other researchers’ theories behind these relationships and identify a theory (or combination of theories) that explains your major research problem. Essentially, your goal is to convey to the reader why you think your variables are related, so the inclusion of previous research and theories that support your belief are essential to defending your rationale. You tell the reader what you expect to find in your does theoretical framework relate to quantitative research design? The choice of research design is based on the goals of the study and a solid review of the literature.

Quantitative research design utilizes deductive reasoning, which begins with identifying the theoretical framework that will provide structure and guide the research project. The theoretical framework is presented in the early sections of a quantitative research proposal to establish the grounds for the theoretical framework will direct the research methods you choose to employ. The theoretical framework involves a discussion of (1) the research problem and (2) the rationale for conducting an investigation of the problem. These two factors form the basis of a theoretical framework section of the research onal webpages related to theoretical s section: chapter s section: chapter ting qualitative research and ch concept ptive statistics and interpreting ell, g. Hillsdale, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates, us: 727-442-4290blogabout | academic solutions | academic research resources | dissertation resources | theoretical tical theoretical framework is presented in the early section of a dissertation and provides the rationale for conducting your research to investigate a particular research er the theoretical framework as a conceptual model that establishes a sense of structure that guides your research. Hillsdale, nj: lawrence erlbaum associates, us: 727-442-4290blogabout | statistical consulting blog | blog | how to begin writing your theoretical to begin writing your theoretical april 19, dissertation needs to have a theoretical foundation or a conceptual framework (or both) that is discussed in the literature review section. The theoretical foundation is important because it will be the lens through which you evaluate your research problem and research questions. The theoretical framework section is typically required for quantitative studies, while a conceptual framework is used in qualitative studies. Once you have identified the theory or theories that you will be utilizing, it is important to know what information to include and how to include it in your and foremost, you should identify and describe your selected theory or theories. Providing this information will help you to highlight why the theory you have selected is valid for use in your study, and will make it easier for you to demonstrate how the theory relates to your own you’ve introduced and discussed your selected theory in the theoretical foundation section of your literature review, you need to outline why the theory is relevant to your study and how you will use the information from it to conduct and evaluate your research and findings. For example, if you conduct a study on employee engagement and opt to use maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs as your theoretical foundation, discussing the fulfillment of needs as outlined in maslow’s theory will help you to establish what his theory is and why it is relevant to your research.

Us: 727-442-4290blogabout | statistical consulting blog | blog | how to begin writing your theoretical to begin writing your theoretical april 19, dissertation needs to have a theoretical foundation or a conceptual framework (or both) that is discussed in the literature review section.