Introduction to Research

Framework
 Research Framework
• A framework for research is defined as a structure that
provides “guidance for the researcher as study questions
are fine tuned, methods for measuring variables are
selected and analyses are planned”.
• In research two notions are used i.e., theoretical and
conceptual framework.
 Framework
• As stated by Grant and Osanloo (2014),
• “Without a theoretical framework, the structure and vision for a
study is unclear, much like a house that cannot be constructed
without a blueprint.
• By contrast, a research plan that contains a theoretical framework
allows the dissertation study to be strong and structured with an
organized flow from one chapter to the next.”
 Key Terms
• It is important to understand the following terms:
• Theory,
• Concept,
• Conceptual Framework and
• Theoretical Framework.
 Theory
• A theory is a set of interrelated concepts, which structure
a systematic view of phenomena for the purpose of
explaining or predicting.
• A theory is like a blueprint, a guide for modeling a
structure.
• A blueprint depicts the elements of a structure and the
relation of each element to the other.
• Just as a theory depicts the concepts, which compose it
and the relation of concepts with each other.
 Components of Theory
• According to Wacker (1998: 363), a theory has four
components, namely
• Definition of terms, concepts or variables,
• A domain to which the theory is applicable,
• A set of relationships amongst the concept and variables, and
• Specific predictive claims.
 Components of Theory
• Putting all these components together, a theory is
therefore a careful outline of ‘the precise definitions in a
specific domain to explain why and how the relationships
are logically tied so that the theory gives specific
predictions.”
• The concepts and propositions of theories are empirically
measurable.
 Concept

• A concept is defined as “an image or symbolic representation of an

abstract idea”.
• Chinn and Kramer (1999: 252) see concepts as the components of
theory which “convey the abstract ideas within a theory”; or a
“complex mental formulation of experience.”
• A concept is an abstraction or generalization from experience or
the result of a transformation of existing concepts.
Example
 FOR EXAMPLE
• The concept of Academic Achievement is
abstracted (i.e. generalized) from activities that
children must learn in school.
o Reading, writing, calculation, drawing pictures,
etc. are the educational activities that children
must learn/ master.
o The concept, Academic Achievement, captures
the variety of activities/behaviors and the
mastery of these activities/ behaviors in a single
phrase/word.
 Intelligence
• Intelligence is a concept generalized
from and it is an abstraction of
observations of behaviors related to
knowledge, skill, and aptitude.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
• CF is an explanation of how a researcher sees the different
concepts and outcomes of study and its relations with
each other.
• It can be developed from the researcher's personal
experience, previous studies, or from more than one
theory or models
 Conceptual Framework
• A researcher may opine that his/her research problem cannot
meaningfully be researched in reference to only one theory, or
concepts resident within one theory.
• In such cases, the researcher may have to “synthesize” the existing
views in the literature concerning a given situation – both
theoretical and from empirical findings.
• The synthesis may be called a model or conceptual framework,
which essentially represents an ‘integrated’ way of looking at the
problem.
• Thus, a conceptual framework may be defined as an end result of
bringing together a number of related concepts.
 WHAT IT DOES?

• Conceptual frameworks serve as the springboard for

theory development
• CF shows the relationship of the stated propositions with
central factors or key concepts.
 BASIC ELEMENTS OF CF
• A conceptual framework is composed of
• Concepts and
• The relational linkages between them ( called
propositional statements).

CONCEPTS PROPOSITIONS
Conceptual Framework
 Theoretical Framework
• A theoretical framework refers to the theory that a researcher
chooses to guide him/her in his/her research.
• Thus, a theoretical framework is the application of a theory, or a
set of concepts drawn from one and the same theory, to offer an
explanation of an event, or shed some light on a particular
phenomenon or research problem.
• For example Newton’s laws of motion that could be applied to a
given research problem, deductively.
 Theoretical Framework
• A good theoretical framework identifies and labels the important
variables in the situation that are relevant to the problem defined.
• It logically describes the interconnections among these variables.
The relationships among the independent variables, the
dependent variable(s), and if applicable, the moderating and
intervening variables are elaborated.
Example
Concepts Theory

Conceptual Theoretical
Framework Framework
 Differences Between Theoretical
Framework and Conceptual Framework
• Theoretical framework is curled from an existing theory or theories
in the literature that has already been tested and validated by others
and is considered as an acceptable theory in the scholarly literature
(Grant & Osanloo, 2014).
• Conceptual framework is the researcher’s understanding of how the
research problem will be explored, the specific direction the
research will have to take, and the relationship between the
different variables in the study.
• Theoretical framework is derived from a theory while conceptual
framework is derived from concepts.
 CROSS SECTIONAL & LONGITUDINAL
RESEARCH DESIGNS
• A cross-sectional study is a type of research design in which you collect data
from many different individuals at a single point in time. In cross-sectional
research, you observe variables without influencing them.

• Researchers in economics, psychology, medicine, epidemiology, and the other

social sciences all make use of cross-sectional studies in their work. For
example, epidemiologists who are interested in the current prevalence of a
disease in a certain subset of the population might use a cross-sectional design
to gather and analyze the relevant data.
• longitudinal studies collect data repeatedly from the same subjects over time, often
focusing on a smaller group of individuals that are connected by a common trait.
Example of a Cross Sectional Study
You want to know how many families with children in
Karachi are currently low-income so you can estimate how
much money is required to fund a free lunch program in
public schools. Because all you need to know is the current
number of low-income families, a cross-sectional study
should provide you with all the data you require.
Example of a Longitudinal Study
A cross-sectional study on the impact of police on crime
might find that more police are associated with greater
crime and wrongly conclude that police cause crime when it
is the other way around. However, a longitudinal study
would be able to observe the rise or fall in crime some time
after increasing the number of police in an area.
Thank You