Theor

eti
cal
framewor
kvs.Concept
ual
framewor
k

Whati
stheor
eti
cal
framewor
k?

Thetheoret
ical
frameworkisthestr
uctur
ethatcanholdorsuppor
tat heor
yofaresearchst
udy.
Thetheoret
ical
frameworkintr
oducesanddescri
besthetheor
ythatexplai
nswhytheresear
ch
probl
em understudyexi
sts.

Whati
sconcept
ual
framewor
k?

Aconceptualfr
amewor ki sarepr
esentati
onoft herel
ati
onshipy
ouexpecttoseebetweenyour
vari
abl
es,orthecharacteri
sti
csorpropert
iesthatyouwantt ost
udy.Concept
ualf
rameworks
canbewritt
enorv i
sual andaregeneral
lydevelopedbasedonal i
ter
atur
erevi
ewofexist
ing
studi
esaboutyourtopic.

Theor
eti
cal
vs.Concept
ual

Whil
eat heoreti
calf
rameworkdescri
besthet
heoreti
calunderpi
nningsofyourwor
kbasedon
exi
stingr
esearch,aconcept
ualf
ramewor kal
l
owsy out odrawyourownconclusi
ons,
mapping
outthevari
ablesyoumayuseiny ourst
udyandtheinterpl
aybetweenthem.

Ti
psonhowt
omakeTheor
eti
cal
framewor
k:

1.Exami
ney
ourt
hesi
sti
tl
eandr
esear
chpr
obl
em.

2.Brai
nst
orm onwhatyouconsi
dert
obet
hekeyvar
iabl
esi
nyourr
esear
ch.Answert
he
questi
on,
whatfact
orscont
ribut
etot
hepr
esumedef
fect
?

3.Rev
iewr
elat
edl
i
ter
atur
etof
indanswer
stoy
ourr
esear
chquest
ion.

4.Li
sttheconstruct
sandv ar
iabl
esthatmightber
elev
antt
oyourst
udy
.Gr
oupt
hesev
ari
abl
es
i
ntoindependentanddependentcat
egori
es.

5.Reviewthekeysoci
alsci
encetheori
esthatar
eint
roducedtoy ouinyourcourser
eadingsand
choosethetheor
yortheori
esthatcanbestexpl
aint
herelat
ionshipsbetweenthekeyvari
abl
es
i
ny ourstudy
.

6.Discusstheassumpt
ionsorpr
oposi
ti
onsoft
hist
heor
yandpoi
ntoutt
hei
rrel
evancet
oyour
research.

Ti
psonhowt
omakeaConcept
ual
framewor
k:

1.Fami
l
iar
izey
our
sel
fwi
tht
heobj
ect
iveoft
heconcept
ual
framewor
k.
 Theor
eti
cal
framewor
kvs.Concept
ual
framewor
k

2.Cr
eatetheconcept
ual
framewor
kbasedony
ourownknowl
edgeoft
hecomponent
sandt
hei
r
i
nter
rel
ati
onshi
ps.

3.Makesur
ethatev
ery
thi
ngi
ntheconcept
ual
framewor
krel
atesbackt
othest
udy
’sst
ated
goal
s.

4.Shar
eyourconcept
ual
framewor
kwi
thot
her
stosol
i
citf
eedbackandsuggest
ionsf
or
devel
opment.

Exampl
eofaTheor
eti
cal
framewor
k:

Exampl
e:Pr
obl
em st
atementandr
esear
chquest
ions

Anewbout iquedowntownisstr
uggli
ngwiththef actt
hatmanyoft hei
ronl i
necustomersdonot
returntomakesubsequentpurchases.Thi
sisabi gissuefortheotherwisefast
-gr
owing
store.Managementwant st
oincreasecust
omerl oyalt
y.Theybeli
evethatimprovedcustomer
satisfact
ionwil
lplayamajorr
oleinachiev
ingtheirgoalofincr
easedreturncustomers.

Toinvest
igatet
hisprobl
em,
youhav
ezer
oedi
nont
hef
oll
owi
ngpr
obl
em st
atement
,obj
ect
ive,
andresearchquest
ions:

Pr
obl
em:
Manyonl
i
necust
omer
sdonotr
etur
ntomakesubsequentpur
chases.

Obj
ect
ive:
Toi
ncr
easet
hequant
it
yofr
etur
ncust
omer
s.

Resear
chquesti
on:Howcant hesati
sfact
ionoft
hebout
ique’
sonl
i
necust
omer
sbei
mpr
ovedi
n
ordert
oincr
easethequant
it
yofreturncustomer
s?

Theconcept sof“customerloyalt
y”and“cust
omersat i
sfact
ion”areclear
lycentralt
othisstudy
,
alongwit
ht heirr
elat
ionshi
pt otheli
kel
ihoodthatacustomerwi l
lret
urn.Yourtheoreti
cal
frameworkshoulddef i
netheseconceptsanddi scusst
heori
esaboutt herel
ationshipbetween
thesevar
iables.

Somesub-
quest
ionscoul
dincl
ude:
 Theor
eti
cal
framewor
kvs.Concept
ual
framewor
k

Whati
sther
elat
ionshi
pbet
weencust
omerl
oyal
tyandcust
omersat
isf
act
ion?

Howsat
isf
iedandl
oyal
aret
hebout
ique’
sonl
i
necust
omer
scur
rent
ly?

Whatf
act
orsaf
fectt
hesat
isf
act
ionandl
oyal
tyoft
hebout
ique’
sonl
i
necust
omer
s?

Exampl
eofConcept
ual
framewor
k:

Exampl
e1

ResearchTopi
c:Hy
poglycemi
cAbi
l
ityofGabi(
Col
ocasi
aescul
ent
a)LeafExt
racti
ntheBl
ood
GlucoseLevel
ofSwissMice(
Musmusculus)

Figure1presentstheConceptualFr
amewor kofthestudy
.Thequantityofgabi
leafext
ractis
theindependentvariabl
ewhil
ethebloodglucoselev
eloftheSwissmiceisthedependent
vari
ableofthestudy .Thr
oughtheempiri
calevi
denceandstati
sti
calanaly
sispr
esentedinthi
s
study,adir
ectrel
ationshi
pbetweenthesevari
ablesisest
abli
shed.

Ref
erences:

ht
tps:
//f
il
ipi
know.
net
/concept
ual
-f
ramewor
k-exampl
e/#exampl
e-2

ht
tps:
//www.
scr
ibbr
.com/
disser
tat
ion/
theor
eti
cal
-f
ramewor
k-exampl
e/