When you are involved in a research study, you must be aware of the various types of theoretical frameworks. In case, you don’t know what a theoretical framework means, continue reading this blog. Here, we have shared a brief overview of the theoretical framework and its types. Also, for your understanding, we have presented theoretical framework examples for a thesis or a dissertation.
What is a Theoretical Framework?
A framework that supports a research study’s theory is called the theoretical framework. The theoretical framework includes not only the theory but also a narrative explanation of how the researcher applies the theory and its underlying assumptions to study the research question.
In research studies, a theoretical framework refers to the collection of concepts, theories, ideas, and assumptions that help in understanding a particular event or situation. It may also be treated as a blueprint from which scholars might create their research questions.
Typically, in research, a theoretical framework aids in the planning, execution, analysis, and interpretation of the findings. Furthermore, it describes how variables relate to one another, points out knowledge gaps, and directs the formulation of research questions, hypotheses, and methodology to fill those gaps.
Types of Theoretical Frameworks
The following are the different types of theoretical frameworks for a research study.
- Conceptual: Determines key concepts and relationships.
- Inductive: Begins with facts and then creates a hypothesis; utilized in qualitative research.
- Deductive: In quantitative research, a general hypothesis is developed and then tested using data.
- Empirical: Focuses on the acquisition and analysis of empirical data for scientific study.
- Explanatory: Explains the causes of specific behaviors; applied in psychology and social sciences.
- Normative: Defines a collection of behavioral rules; applied in ethics and social sciences.
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Significance of a Theoretical Framework
The goal of theoretical frameworks is to help researchers in the following ways at the time of the research process.
- Provide a structured framework for the entire research process.
- Help researchers incorporate formal theories into their studies as a guide.
- Give a general guideline for maintaining the research focus.
- Direct the choice of research techniques, data gathering, and data analysis.
- Help establish hypotheses and research questions by understanding the links between various concepts.
- Fill in the gaps in the existing literature.
- Examine the data collected and derive relevant conclusions. Also, to make generalized findings.
Know How to Prepare a Theoretical Framework
If you have no idea how to make a theoretical framework, follow these steps.
- Identify the research objectives.
- Take note of the study’s most prominent variables.
- Investigate and evaluate the literature using keywords selected as prominent variables.
- Note the theories that use these variables or keywords.
- Review each of the chosen theories once again in the context of the goals of the research and the identified critical variables.
- Look through the literature for counterarguments to the theories that have already been chosen.
- Ensure that the framework is consistent with the study’s objectives, problem statement, primary research question, methodology, data analysis, and expected result.
- Select the final framework and start working on it.
Understand Theoretical Framework with Illustrations
A theory that can be used to explain and comprehend the facts in your research study is known as a theoretical framework. There are numerous ideas, and they all have unique perspectives on the world. Each will influence the way we view and comprehend our facts.
Have a look at these theoretical framework examples,
- Feminists see the world from the aspect of women’s oppression and power.
- According to functionalists, social order is upheld by the concepts and ideas that exist in our communities.
- Behaviorists study how incentives, or rewards and penalties, influence people’s actions in the real world.
- Postmodernists view how discourse and language affect belief systems in the real world.
Usually, when we choose a theoretical framework, we make an intentional decision regarding our approach and focus. For example, feminist and critical theories are theoretical frameworks that will investigate how power operates in society. In a sociological or cultural studies analysis, this could be useful. However, they will be less helpful in a study of classroom learning, which may benefit from using ‘behaviorism’ or ‘constructivism’ as theoretical frameworks.
Theoretical Framework Examples for Research Studies
The following are some theoretical framework examples for a dissertation or a thesis.
Constructivism
In educational psychology, constructivism is a hypothesis about how individuals think and learn. It says that people build their knowledge and understanding of the world by experiencing things and thinking back on them.
Cognitive dissonance arises when new information contradicts preexisting ideas. This dissonance is resolved through assimilation and accommodation processes, which lead to the development of a new understanding of what we perceive that is ideally a closer approximation of the truth.
It opposes the previously dominant notion in psychology, behaviorism, which holds that we learn best through rewards, punishments, and relationships between concepts.
Behaviorism
In behavioral psychology, behaviorism is a learning theory that asserts that behaviors are acquired through association, try, and error.
This theory takes the philosophical position that learning must be measured. It ignores inner cognitive states because according to behaviorists, thoughts cannot be assessed. As a result, this theory proposes that behavior should be researched in a scientific and observable manner, with no regard for underlying psychological processes.
Psychoanalytic Theory
According to psychoanalytic and psychodynamic theories, which were first put out by Sigmund Freud, human behavior is the outcome of interactions between the id, ego, and superego, the three mental components.
Psychology students may apply this theory to their research project in which they observe the behaviors of patients and compare them to the theories of Freud regarding developmental stages, the relationship between the id, ego, and superego, or the influence of the subconscious on cognition and behavior.
This theoretical framework is rarely applied today, although it serves as a basis for more highly esteemed theories like psychosocial theory.
Psychosocial Theory
Psychoanalytic theory by Freud is an expansion of psychosocial theory. This theory emphasizes how early social interactions impact results later in life while maintaining that subconscious ideas influence conduct.
Erik Erikson, a pivotal contributor to the development of psychosocial theory postulated that people have approximately defined life stages, each requiring us to overcome obstacles such as an inferiority complex against industry.
Psychosocial theory plays a key role in investigating the genesis of psychological complexes that individuals encounter in their lives and assists them in overcoming them.
Feminist Theory
A social and political framework known as feminism examines how men and women are viewed in society to promote the rights and interests of women.
Generally, a researcher using a feminist framework would be primarily interested in how women are positioned with males in society and how a constructed gender hierarchy shapes and structures their lives and personal autonomy.
Conflict Theory
Conflict theory is a framework based on Marxist ideas about how power operates in society through economic and cultural apparatuses. It often emphasizes the role of coercion and power, particularly with social class and economic capital.
This method usually entails analyzing how a capitalist setting distributes power through the economy, policy documents, media, and other channels. Some conflict theorists might investigate prospects for cultural and economic existence in a post-capitalist world by looking at non-capitalist contexts like workers’ cooperatives.
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A Few More Theoretical Frameworks
The following are some additional theoretical frameworks in communication studies, sociology, psychology, and economics.
- Agenda-Setting Theory
- Cultivation Theory
- Positivism
- Postmodernism
- Labeling Theory
- Postcolonialism
- Strain Theory
- Poststructuralism
- Functionalism
- Symbolic Interactionism
- Monetarism
- Marxist Economics
- Behavioral Economics and more
Wrapping Up
Choosing a theoretical framework is the first step in your research study. Once chosen, it will serve as the foundation for your research methodology and data gathering and analysis techniques. Furthermore, in the analysis chapters of your dissertation, you can frequently refer to ideas and concepts within your selected theoretical framework to shed light on your observations.
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