How to Create a Theoretical Framework? Structure and Example

Oh, so you have to develop a theoretical framework and do not know how? Worry not, this blog can solve your problem. But first, let us understand what is a theoretical framework. It is nothing but a collection of concepts, terms, and theories that helped you to develop your arguments in research.

Now, you may ask, what are these theories or concepts? They help to explain various phenomena, relate different things, or help to predict outcomes. But where do these theories come from, how do we make this framework, why do we need it, and what is its structure, all these questions will be answered in this blog. So, without any delay, let us start with the importance of the theoretical framework of acceptability.

Why Do You Need a Theoretical Framework?

You have understood the theoretical framework meaning, but why is it necessary for our research paper? First, it is a great opportunity to explain and present to the readers what you have learned during your research journey. Further, adding it helps in making the audience understand:

1. The arguments you made in your paper and how they are developed.

2. The assumptions and motivation behind your arguments and approaches you took during your research process.

3. The credibility of your arguments as they are backed by previous research theories and the concepts of your theoretical framework.

4. What do the previous researchers have to say about your topic?

So, this is why you need a theoretical framework in research. But many people get confused between conceptual framework and theoretical framework. So, you will learn their difference in the next section.

Conceptual Vs Theoretical Framework

Now, you will learn the difference between conceptual framework vs theoretical framework. Knowing this is essential for any thesis you will write in future, as all of them require it. But if you are facing issues in completing your paper, you can read our blog on how to write a research paper get expert tips to learn to complete your writing. So, now read the table below to know the difference.

It is all about the difference between the two. Now is the time to learn the steps to develop a theoretical framework.

How to Develop a Theoretical Framework?

Here are the steps to developing a strong theoretical framework. If you use them, you will learn the skill to write this section in your paper. It is an in-depth guide that will give you a road map to do your work effectively. So, now let us begin with the first step.

Explain Essential Terms

The first step is to explain essential terms and concepts in your theoretical framework. But where you will get them? You will pick them from your research problem, thesis statement, and hypothesis of your introduction. As they may have  different meanings, or readers may not know about them. For instance, there is a paper whose research question is how job enjoyment is connected to employee retention. So, in your theoretical framework in qualitative research, you will explain job enjoyment and employee retention.

Read Previous Theories

The second step to developing your theoretical framework is to read the previous research done on your topic from your literature review section. You do it to know how they have discussed different terms and concepts and the relation between them. Then, you critically evaluate the explanation of the previous papers. You do so to choose the best explanation, combine two into one, or discard an approach for defining the terms and concepts in your theoretical framework.

Explain Their Use-case

After discussing the existing theories, terms and concepts of previous research. It is the time to write how your paper will use them. In the theoretical framework template, you have to explain:

• How a previous theory is not applicable today.
• The usability of existing theory to interpret your results
• Combine different theories into a new one.

These are three steps of how to write a theoretical framework. It is the time to learn how you structure it.

The Structure of a Theoretical Framework

You have understood how to create a theoretical framework, but do you know how to present its content and where it is placed in your paper? You can add it in the literature review section or as a separate chapter. If your theoretical framework outlines are too long as they contain various complex theories, it is better to have a separate chapter. If we talk about its structure, it should be logical and clear. To do so, you can:

1. Explain the terms, concepts, and theories as they come into the research problem.
2. Organise by order of theories you have used in your literature review. 
3. Organise the content using the date of theories.

You should know that structuring anything is necessary be it a framework or a proposal. Therefore, it is always best to know, how to write a research proposal. Because that is what is going to get your dissertation approved by your professor. Now, let’s get back to structuring your theoretical framework. Here’s an example to build further understanding.

An Example of a Theoretical Framework

Here is a theoretical framework example in research paper to help you do your work effectively.

It is one sample, but you must read more theoretical framework examples to help you know how to build it in your paper. But even if all these sound complex, you can get assistance from experts to do your work by searching for science research paper help, and the next section will help you know how to get the aid in detail.

Get Our Help in Creating Theoretical Framework

It is the whole blog on a theoretical framework. First, the meaning and importance are discussed, and then the difference between theoretical and conceptual frameworks is given to build the fundamentals about the topic. Then, you read about the steps to develop the framework and its structure and an example to help you create it effectively. But if all these sound complex, you can get the help of experts to develop your theoretical framework by searching for paper help. The professionals will help you deliver quality work for your research.