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    6.  | Theoretical Framework

What is a Theoretical Framework?

We know based on the word ‘theoretical’ that this framework will deal with theories (that is, principles set to explain phenomena that have already been tested and are supported by data). This type of framework will provide your readers with an idea of what you expect to find throughout your research by focusing on the principles that have already been established that will help you evaluate, connect, clarify, and identify limits within the existing knowledge surrounding your research.

Theory vs. Hypothesis

Theory

Gives us an idea of how things might work in a very general manner.

Has been tested many times and is accepted for the most part within the academic community

Hypothesis

Makes a pinpointed prediction about a specific event or circumstance.

Is not a proven fact but instead a guess based on assumptions that are yet to be tested.

Steps to Finding a Theoretical Framework

Here are some ways that you can develop a solid theoretical framework:

b

Step One

Look closely at the title of your dissertation and your research problem.

The research problem is the foundation of your study and forms the base from which you can build your theoretical framework.

There is a disconnect between the perception of beneficial/effective feedback by graduate students and their instructors
b

Step Two

List all of your ideas on what you consider to be the most important components of your research.

Answer the question, “What factors contribute to the expected effect?”

Possible factors affecting perception of quality feedback: practicality, usefulness, andragogy, timeliness, hierarchical cultural power dynamic
b

Step Three

Conduct a review of literature related to your topic.

Discover how other scholars have contributed to the discussion of your research problem, and identify the tools used and the assumptions made in addressing the problem.

The review of the literature should cover research that has already been conducted on how students and instructors perceive quality feedback, the common factors that influence perception of quality, how adult learning influences expectations in learning (andragogy), and how the hierarchical cultural power dynamic in the United States has influenced teacher/student interactions.
b

Step Four

Make a list of the constructs and variables.

What constructs/variables do you believe may be important to your study? These variables should be grouped into two categories: dependent and independent.

Dependent variables are the variables that you are testing in your study (how they are impacted). In this study, my dependent variable could be the perception of the effectiveness of feedback.

Independent variables are variables that the researcher manipulates in order to figure out how a dependent variable is affected. In this study, my independent variables could be adult expectations and feedback techniques.

b

Step Five

Review relevant theories.

Consider what theories you have encountered in your readings and decide which theory would best explain the relationships between the most important variables in your study.

Andragogy theory
b

Step Six

Discuss what is assumed or proposed in this theory.

Identify how what is proposed in the theory is related to the research you propose to do.

Discuss how your chosen theory will help you answer your research question. Then, discuss how this theory will assist you as you conduct your research. In other words, how will your chosen theory serve as a basis for your work?

In this study, I would look at how andragogy theory stipulates that adult learners have different needs in the educational setting. I would look at how such needs influence students’ perceptions of feedback as useful or effective for this stage of their life.

To summarize, a theoretical framework is used to narrow the scope of the important data by focusing on certain variables and giving definition to a specific framework, or point of view, that you as the researcher will take as you analyze and interpret the data that you come across. In other words, a theoretical framework gives the researcher a defined space in which to analyze and interpret the data they gather.

Purpose of the Framework

Theory can assist you because it can guide your theoretical framework. This allows:

  • New research data to be interpreted and coded for use in the future
  • A possible solution to new problems for which solutions have not yet been discovered
  • A way to put a name and definition to problems that are being researched
  • A way to prescribe (advise) or evaluate solutions to problems that are being researched
  • A way to learn about specific facts that are contained within the larger body of scholarship (and decide which are essential to a researcher’s project and which are not)
  • A way of interpreting old data using new methods
  • A way to identify new key issues and decide what are the key research questions that should be addressed to best understand the problem being studied
  • A way of giving members of a specific discipline a universal language and a conceptual frame for defining their profession’s specific boundaries
  • A way to give guidance and clarity to research so that it can assist researchers in their work and help them make improvements when practicing within their profession

A good way to think of theories is that they are based on concepts that will allow a researcher to set their thought process and allow them to understand, analyze, and design ways of exploring relationships within the systems that are being studied.

Structure of a Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework is the basis of a certain theory.

If this is so, make sure your research tests whether or not that existing theory is valid in relation to a specified phenomena, event, or issue that is studied in your dissertation.

Questions to Consider

  • What is the research problem or question?
  • Why is the use of this framework a good solution to the problem?

Tips to Remember

Carefully describe the following: your chosen framework, the concepts involved, and either the models you will use or the particular theories that will be the basis of your study.
Write in the present tense when discussing theory.
Describe the assumptions you have of your chosen theory as clearly as possible.
Test the theory – discuss the strengths and limitations of the theory, especially the components of the research problem that may need more investigation because the theory does not adequately explain specific components, concepts, or key ideas of your study.
Remember that it is okay to use theoretical constructs that are outside of your specific discipline. Interdisciplinary approaches to solving problems are an important trend in research today.
Make sure that whatever theory is introduced at the beginning of a study is referred back to and connected to the review of literature and supports the analysis of the research problem.
Be prepared to challenge whether or not an existing theory is valid. This is done by discussing findings that do not line up well with what that theory tries to clarify or predict. What’s more, the theory could be too broad to explain certain ways of behaving or acting without considering certain traits such as gender, ethnicity, age, etc.