theoretical framework
Abstract explanatory structure
A theoretical framework is a structure of concepts, assumptions, and principles that guides research or analysis.
It establishes the lens through which a problem is examined and connects individual observations to broader ideas: Her theoretical framework drew on feminist theory to analyze workplace dynamics.
In academic writing, the theoretical framework section explains which established theories inform the study and why they were chosen.
- literature reviewAnalysis of prior scholarship
- research questionQuery guiding systematic investigation
- paradigmGoverning framework of thought
- modelRepresentation or paradigm
- frameSupporting outer structure
construct · big picture · ontology · methodology · research design · guiding principles · epistemology · dissertation · scholarly work · sociology · hypothesis · outline · deductive reasoning · variables · assumptions · building blocks · economics · operationalization
theoretical frameworkraw data
Unanalyzed collected information
empirical data · empirical evidence · primary sources · field observations · hard facts
theoretical frameworkpractical application
Real-world employment of knowledge
fieldwork · clinical practice · praxis · hands-on practice · hands-on experience