“Theory-Building Research Methods.” In Swanson R. Means to guide and inform research so that it can, in turn, guide research efforts and improve professional practice.Means of providing members of a professional discipline with a common language and a frame of reference for defining boundaries of their profession, and.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 giving old data new interpretations and new meaning,.Way of telling us that certain facts among the accumulated knowledge are important and which facts are not,. Means for prescribing or evaluating solutions to research problems,.Means for identifying and defining research problems,.Response to new problems that have no previously identified solutions strategy,.Means by which new research data can be interpreted and coded for future use,.To the end, the following roles served by a theory can help guide the development of your framework.* Think of theories as the conceptual basis for understanding, analyzing, and designing ways to investigate relationships within social systems. Discuss the assumptions or propositions of this theory and point out their relevance to your research.Ī 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, understanding concepts and variables according to the given definitions, and building knowledge by validating or challenging theoretical assumptions.Review the key social science theories that are introduced to you in your course readings and choose the theory or theories that can best explain the relationships between the key variables in your study.Group these variables into independent and dependent categories. List the constructs and variables that might be relevant to your study.Review related literature to find answers to your research question.Answer the question, what factors contribute to the presumed effect? Brainstorm on what you consider to be the key variables in your research.The research problem anchors your entire study and forms the basis from which you construct your theoretical framework. Examine your thesis title and research problem.Here are some strategies to develop of an effective theoretical framework: Colorado State University Trochim, William M.K. Alabama State University Drafting an Argument. It alerts you to examine how those key variables might differ and under what circumstances.īy virtue of its application nature, good theory in the social sciences is of value precisely because it fulfills one primary purpose: to explain the meaning, nature, and challenges of 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 ways. A theoretical framework specifies which key variables influence a phenomenon of interest. Having a theory helps you to identify the limits to those generalizations.It permits you to move from simply describing a phenomenon observed to generalizing about various aspects of that phenomenon. Articulating the theoretical assumptions of a research study forces you to address questions of why and how.Guided by a relevant theory, you are given a basis for your hypotheses and choice of research methods. The theoretical framework connects the researcher to existing knowledge.An explicit statement of theoretical assumptions permits the reader to evaluate them critically.The theoretical framework strengthens the study in the following ways. The selection of a theory should depend on its appropriateness, ease of application, and explanatory power. You must review course readings and pertinent research literature for theories and analytic models that are relevant to the research problem you are investigating. The theoretical framework is not something that is found readily available in the literature. The theoretical framework must demonstrate an understanding of theories and concepts that are relevant to the topic of your research paper and that will relate it to the broader fields of knowledge in the class you are taking. Giving an Oral Presentation Toggle DropdownĪ theoretical framework consists of concepts, together with their definitions, and existing theory/theories that are used for your particular study.
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