In some cases, authors may be able to sufficiently describe their conceptualization of the phenomenon under study in an introduction alone, without a separate conceptual framework section. However, incomplete descriptions of how the researchers conceptualize the components of the study may limit the significance of the study by making the research less intelligible to readers. Authors must describe their conceptualization of a construct if the research is to be understandable and useful. A conceptual framework is a description of the way a researcher understands the factors and/or variables that are involved in the study and their relationships to one another. Conceptual frameworks are different from theoretical frameworks in both their breadth and grounding in established findings.

• Aligning the data collection and analysis with the framework ensures that a study is coherent and can contribute to the field.
• The first step in identifying a theoretical framework involves reflecting on the phenomenon within the study and the assumptions aligned with the phenomenon.
• The “theoretical framework” of an experiment or paper refers to the larger assumptions in which the researcher is working.
• They predicted that students in heterogeneous groups would experience greater improvement in their reasoning abilities and science achievements with much of the learning guided by the more knowledgeable peers.

Literature reviews, theoretical frameworks, and conceptual frameworks are all important in DBER and BER. Theoretical frameworks connect the study to the base of knowledge in educational theory and specify the researcher’s assumptions. Conceptual frameworks allow researchers to explicitly describe their conceptualization of the relationships among the components of the phenomenon under study.

What Do We Mean by Framework?

Theoretical frameworks provide an overall picture of how different elements interact with each other, while conceptual frameworks focus on specific aspects of those interactions. This is an opinion piece on the subject of whether or not ‘theoretical’ and ‘conceptual’ frameworks are conceptual synonyms, or they refer to different constructs. Collectively, literature reviews, theoretical frameworks, and conceptual frameworks work to guide methodological decisions and the elucidation of important findings. Each offers a different perspective on the problem of study and is an essential element in all forms of educational research. As new researchers seek to learn about these elements, they will find different resources, a variety of perspectives, and many suggestions about the construction and use of these elements.

While observing the same “objective event,” the scientists are operating under different theoretical frameworks that provide a particular perspective or “lens” for the interpretation of the phenomenon. Each of these scientists brings specialized knowledge, experiences, and values to this phenomenon, and these influence the interpretation of the phenomenon. The scientists’ theoretical frameworks influence how they design and carry out their studies and interpret their data. Reeves et al. (2016) is an example of an article that proposed a conceptual framework about graduate teaching assistant professional development evaluation and research. The authors used existing literature to create a novel framework that filled a gap in current research and practice related to the training of graduate teaching assistants. This conceptual framework can guide the systematic collection of data by other researchers because the framework describes the relationships among various factors that influence teaching and learning.

Differences between Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks

They should search for knowledge gaps and determine which issues require clarification or which require solutions. They will be able to create their own conceptual framework as a result, which will act as a roadmap for their research project. A conceptual framework serves as a road map for your research, assisting in project visualization and implementation. https://personal-accounting.org/what-are-the-variations-between-conceptual/ It outlines the relevant variables for your study and shows possible relationships between them. A study by Jensen and Lawson (2011) provides an example of how a theoretical framework connects different parts of the study. They compared undergraduate biology students in heterogeneous and homogeneous groups over the course of a semester.

Nevertheless, many graduating college students and even graduate students find it challenging to develop these frameworks. The theoretical framework of the study and the conceptual framework are frequently confused. One finding, for instance, posited that inquiry instruction, as a whole, resulted in reasoning and achievement gains. This links to Vygotsky (1978), because inquiry instruction involves interactions among group members. Heterogeneous groups performed better with more traditional and didactic instruction, regardless of the reasoning ability of the group members.

What is Ghost Authorship in Research?

It is used to identify relationships between different variables and concepts, as well as to explain how these relationships work together to produce certain outcomes. Conceptual frameworks can be used to develop hypotheses or test theories about how certain phenomena work in the real world. Many people while making researches especially for the first time get caught up in the steps to making a good impression in the theoretical and conceptual framework of the study. Often times, students find it difficult to differentiate between theoretical and conceptual framework. Today, you will be exposed to the meaning of theoretical and conceptual framework and how to write a good theoretical and conceptual framework. You will also see the differences and similarities of theoretical and conceptual framework.

The conceptual framework thus consists of the ideas that are used to define research and evaluate data. Conceptual frameworks are often laid out at the beginning of a paper or an experiment description for a reader to understand the methods used. When a researcher’s conceptual framework closely aligns with an existing framework, the discussion may be brief. For example, Ghee et al. (2016) referred to portions of SCCT as their conceptual framework to explain the significance of their work on students’ self-efficacy and career interests.