Defining The Conceptual Framework

What is it?

 The researcher’s understanding/hypothesis/exploration of either an

existing framework/model or how existing concepts come together to inform
a particular problem. Shows the reader how different elements come
together to facilitate research and a clear understanding of results.
 Informs the research questions/methodology (problem statement drives
framework drives RQs drives methodology)
 A tool (linked concepts) to help facilitate the understanding of the
relationship among concepts or variables in relation to the real-world. Each
concept is linked to frame the project in question.
 Falls inside of a larger theoretical framework (theoretical framework =
explains the why and how of a particular phenomenon within a particular
body of literature).
 Often a visual
o Can be a graphic or a narrative – but should always be explained
and cited

 Can be made up of theories and concepts

What does it do?

 Explains or predicts the way key concepts/variables will come together to

inform the problem/phenomenon
 Gives the study direction/parameters
 Helps the researcher organize ideas and clarify concepts
 Introduces your research and how it will advance your field of practice. A
conceptual framework should include concepts applicable to the field of
study. These can be in the field or neighboring fields – as long as important
details are captured and the framework is relevant to the problem.
(alignment)
What should be in it?

 Variables, concepts, theories, and/or parts of other existing frameworks

Making a Conceptual Framework

How to make a conceptual framework

 With a topic in mind, go to the body of literature and start identifying the
key concepts used by other studies. Figure out what’s been done by other
researchers, and what needs to be done (either find a specific call to action
outlined in the literature or make sure your proposed problem has yet to be
studied in your specific setting). Use what you find needs to be done to either
support a pre-identified problem or craft a general problem for study. Only
rely on scholarly sources for this part of your research.
  Begin to pull out variables, concepts, theories, and existing frameworks
explained in the relevant literature.
 If you’re building a framework, start thinking about how some of those
variables, concepts, theories, and facets of existing frameworks come
together to shape your problem. The problem could be a situational condition
that requires a scholar-practitioner approach, the result of a practical need,
or an opportunity to further an applicational study, project, or research.
Remember, if the answer to your specific problem exists, you don’t need to
conduct the study.
 The actionable research you’d like to conduct will help shape what you
include in your framework. Sketch the flow of your Applied Doctoral Project
from start to finish and decide which variables are truly the best fit for your
research.
 Create a graphic representation of your framework (this part is optional,
but often helps readers understand the flow of your research) Even if you do
a graphic, first write out how the variables could influence your Applied
Doctoral Project and introduce your methodology. Remember to use APA
formatting in separating the sections of your framework to create a clear
understanding of the framework for your reader.
 As you move through your study, you may need to revise your framework.
 Note for qualitative/quantitative research: If doing qualitative, make sure
your framework doesn’t include arrow lines, which could imply causal or
correlational linkages.
Example Frameworks

Let’s say I’ve just taken a job as manager of a failing restaurant. Throughout first
week, I notice the few customers they have are leaving unsatisfied. I need to figure
out why and turn the establishment into a thriving restaurant. I get permission from
the owner to do a study to figure out exactly what we need to do to raise levels of
customer satisfaction. Since I have a specific problem and want to make sure my
research produces valid results, I go to the literature to find out what others are
finding about customer satisfaction in the food service industry. This particular
restaurant is vegan focused – and my search of the literature doesn’t say anything
specific about how to increase customer service in a vegan atmosphere, so I know
this research needs to be done.

I find out there are different types of satisfaction across other genres of the food
service industry, and the one I’m interested in is cumulative customer satisfaction. I
then decide based on what I’m seeing in the literature that my definition of customer
satisfaction is the way perception, evaluation, and psychological reaction to
perception and evaluation of both tangible and intangible elements of the dining
experience come together to inform customer expectations. Essentially, customer
expectations inform customer satisfaction.

I then find across the literature many variables could be significant in determining
customer satisfaction. Because the following keep appearing, they are the ones I
choose to include in my framework: price, service, branding (branched out to
include physical environment and promotion), and taste. I also learn by reading the
literature, satisfaction can vary between genders – so I want to make sure to also
collect demographic information in my survey. Gender, age, profession, and
number of children are a few demographic variables I understand would be helpful
to include based on my extensive literature review.

Note: this is a quantitative study. I’m including all variables in this study, and the
variables I am testing are my independent variables. Here I’m working to see how
each of the independent variables influences (or not) my dependent variable,
customer satisfaction. If you are interested in qualitative study, read on for an
example of how to make the same framework qualitative in nature.

Also note: when you create your framework, you’ll need to cite each facet of your
framework. Tell the reader where you got everything you’re including. Not only is it
in compliance with APA formatting, but also it raises your credibility as a
researcher. Once you’ve built the narrative around your framework, you may also
want to create a visual for your reader.

See below for one example of how to illustrate your framework:

If you’re interested in a qualitative study, be sure to omit arrows and other notations
inferring statistical analysis. The only time it would be inappropriate to include a
framework in qualitative study is in a grounded theory study, which is not something
you’ll do in an applied doctoral study.

A visual example of a qualitative framework is below:

Additional Framework Resources

Some additional helpful resources in constructing a conceptual framework

for study:

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-make-a-concept-map-in-microsoft-
word McGaghie, W. C.; Bordage, G.; and J. A. Shea (2001). Problem Statement,
Conceptual Framework, and Research Question. Retrieved on January 5, 2015
from http://goo.gl/qLIUFg

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/160940690900800406 (Building a
Conceptual Framework: Philosophy, Definitions, and Procedure)

https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/conceptual-framework/

https://www.projectguru.in/developing-conceptual-framework-in-a-research-
paper/

Conceptual Framework Research

A conceptual framework is a synthetization of interrelated components and

variables which help in solving a real-world problem. It is the final lens used for
viewing the deductive resolution of an identified issue (Imenda, 2014). The
development of a conceptual framework begins with a deductive assumption that a
problem exists, and the application of processes, procedures, functional approach,
models, or theory may be used for problem resolution (Zackoff et al., 2019). The
application of theory in traditional theoretical research is to understand, explain, and
predict phenomena (Swanson, 2013). In applied research the application of theory
in problem solving focuses on how theory in conjunction with practice (applied
action) and procedures (functional approach) frames vision, thinking, and action
towards problem resolution. The inclusion of theory in a conceptual framework is
not focused on validation or devaluation of applied theories. A concise way of
viewing the conceptual framework is a list of understood fact-based conditions that
presents the researcher’s prescribed thinking for solving the identified problem.
These conditions provide a methodological rationale of interrelated ideas and
approaches for beginning, executing, and defining the outcome of problem
resolution efforts (Leshem & Trafford, 2007).

The term conceptual framework and theoretical framework are often and
erroneously used interchangeably (Grant & Osanloo, 2014). Just as with traditional
research, a theory does not or cannot be expected to explain all phenomenal
conditions, a conceptual framework is not a random identification of disparate ideas
meant to incase a problem. Instead it is a means of identifying and constructing for
the researcher and reader alike an epistemological mindset and a functional
worldview approach to the identified problem.

References

Grant, C., & Osanloo, A. (2014). Understanding, Selecting, and Integrating a

Theoretical Framework in Dissertation Research: Creating the Blueprint for Your
“House.” Administrative Issues Journal: Connecting Education, Practice, and
Research, 4(2), 12–26

Imenda, S. (2014). Is There a Conceptual Difference between Theoretical and

Conceptual Frameworks? Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi/Journal of Social Sciences, 38(2),
185.

Leshem, S., & Trafford, V. (2007). Overlooking the conceptual

framework. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 44(1), 93–105.
https://doi-org.proxy1.ncu.edu/10.1080/14703290601081407

Swanson, R. (2013). Theory building in applied disciplines. San Francisco: Berrett-

Koehler Publishers.

Zackoff, M. W., Real, F. J., Klein, M. D., Abramson, E. L., Li, S.-T. T., & Gusic, M.
E. (2019). Enhancing Educational Scholarship Through Conceptual Frameworks: A
Challenge and Roadmap for Medical Educators. Academic Pediatrics, 19(2), 135–
141. https://doi-org.proxy1.ncu.edu/10.1016/j.acap.2018.08.003
REVIEW CRITERIA
The introduction builds a logical case and context for the problem statement.
The problem statement is clear and well articulated.
The conceptual (theoretical) framework is explicit and justified.
The research question (research hypothesis where applicable) is clear,
concise, and complete.

The variables being investigated are clearly identified and presented.

ISSUES AND EXAMPLES RELATED TO THE CRITERIA

Introduction
A scholarly manuscript starts with an Introduction that tells a story. The
Introduction orients the reader to the topic of the report, moving from broad
concepts to more specific ideas.1 The Introduction should convince the
reader, and all the more the reviewer, that the author has thought the topic
through and has developed a tight, “researchable” problem. The Introduction
should move logically from the known to the unknown. The actual
components of an Introduction (including its length, complexity, and
organization) will vary with the type of study being reported, the traditions of
the research community or discipline in which it is based, and the style and
tradition of the journal receiving the manuscript. It is helpful for the reviewer to
evaluate the Introduction by thinking about its overall purpose and its
individual components: problem statement, conceptual framework, and
research question. Two related articles, “Reference to the Literature” and
“Relevance,” follow the present article.

Problem Statement
The Introduction to a research manuscript articulates a problem statement.
This essential element conveys the issues and context that gave rise to the
study. Two examples of problem statements are: “With the national trend
toward more patient care in outpatient settings, the numbers of patients on
inpatient wards have declined in many hospitals, contributing to the
inadequacy of inpatient wards as the primary setting for teaching students,”2
and “The process of professional socialization, regardless of the philosophical
approach of the educational program, can be stressful … few studies have
explored the unique stressors associated with PBL in professional
education.”3 These statements help readers anticipate the goals of each
study. In the case of the second example, the Introduction ended with the
following statement: “The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify
stressors perceived by physiotherapy students during their initial unit of study
in a problem-based program.” In laying out the issues and context, the
Introduction should not contain broad generalizations or sweeping claims that
will not be backed up in the paper's literature review. (See the next article.)

Conceptual Framework
Most research reports cast the problem statement within the context of a
conceptual or theoretical framework.4 A description of this framework
contributes to a research report in at least two ways because it (1) identifies
research variables, and (2) clarifies relationships among the variables. Linked
to the problem statement, the conceptual framework “sets the stage” for
presentation of the specific research question that drives the investigation
being reported. For example, the conceptual framework and research
question would be different for a formative evaluation study than for a
summative study, even though their variables might be similar.

Scholars argue that a conceptual or theoretical framework always underlies a

research study, even if the framework is not articulated.5 This may seem
incongruous, because many research problems originate from practical
educational or clinical activities. Questions often arise such as “I wonder why
such an event did not [or did] happen?” For example, why didn't the residents'
test-interpretation skills improve after they were given feedback? There are
also occasions when a study is undertaken simply to report or describe an
event, e.g., pass rates for women versus men on high-stakes examinations
such as the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1.
Nevertheless, it is usually possible to construct at least a brief theoretical
rationale for the study. The rationale in the USMLE example may be, for
instance, about gender equity and bias and why these are important issues.
Frameworks are usually more elaborate and detailed when the topics that are
being studied have long scholarly histories (e.g., cognition, psychometrics)
where active researchers traditionally embed their empirical work in well-
established theories.

Research Question
A more precise and detailed expression of the problem statement cast as a
specific research question is usually stated at the end of the Introduction. To
illustrate, a recent research report states, “The research addressed three
questions. First, do students” pulmonary physiology concept structures
change from random patterns before instruction to coherent, interpretable
structures after a focused block of instruction? Second, can an MDS
[multidimensional scaling] solution account for a meaningful proportion of
variance in medical and veterinary students' concept structures? Third, do
individual differences in the ways in which medical and veterinary students
intellectually organize the pulmonary physiology concepts as captured by
MDS correlate with course examination achievement?6

Variables
In experimental research, the logic revealed in the Introduction might result in
explicitly stated hypotheses that would include specification of dependent and
independent variables.7 By contrast, much of the research in medical
education is not experimental. In such cases it is more typical to state general
research questions. For example, “In this [book] section, the meaning of
medical competence in the worlds of practicing clinicians is considered
through the lens of an ethnographic story. The story is about the evolution of
relationships among obstetrical providers and transformations in obstetrical
practice in one rural town in California, which I will call ‘Coast Community,’
over the course of a decade.”8

For some journals, the main study variables (e.g., medical competence) will
be defined in the Introduction. Other journals will place this in the Methods
section. Whether specific hypotheses or more general research questions are
stated, the reviewer (reader) should be able to anticipate what will be revealed
in the Methods.

SUMMARY
The purpose of the Introduction is to construct a logical “story” that will
educate the reader about the study that follows. The order of the components
may vary, with the problem statement sometimes coming after the conceptual
framework, while in other reports the problem statement may appear in the
first paragraph to orient the reader about what to expect. However, in all
cases the Introduction will engage, educate, and encourage the reader to
finish the manuscript.