Module 3 Review of Related Literature and Conceptual/ Theoretical Framework

Introduction

This module includes review of the literature which involves the systematic
identification, location and analysis of documents containing information related to the research
problem. A literature review surveys books, scholarly articles, and any other sources relevant to
a particular issue, area of research, or theory which provides a description, summary, and
critical evaluation of these works in relation to the research problem being investigated. Also,
it tackles about conceptual framework which illustrates what you expect to find through
your research and theoretical framework which guides your research in determining what things
you will measure, and what statistical relationships you will look for.

Learning Outcomes
After learning the contents in this module, you are expected to:
1. Explain the significant roles or functions of the review of related literature and the
conceptual/theoretical framework in research;
2. Design a conceptual/theoretical framework of the research to be conducted; and
3. Demonstrate positive attitude on collecting and writing RRL of a research to be conducted.

Learning Contents

In this module, you are going to learn the following topics:

1. Review of Related Literature and Studies
2. Conceptual/ Theoretical Framework

Teaching and Learning Activities

The Review of Related Literature and Studies

What is literature review?
Literature review is the process of collecting, selecting, and reading books, journal
articles, reports, abstracts, and other reference materials including electronic sources that provide
information and/or insights about the problem under investigation or to be tested.
The RRL will help in searching for selecting a better research topic, and understanding
the existing body of knowledge, specifically (a) where an excess of research exists, and (b) where
new research is needed.
Why the review of related literature and studies is important in research?
A review of related literature and studies is necessary for two main reasons:
1. To broaden the researcher’s perspective of the research problem: and
 2. To help the researcher on how to focus the problem into a workable question.

The Need for a Review of Related Literature and Studies

A review of related literature is very much needed in research. It helps he researcher in many
ways:
1. It helps the researcher identify and define a research problem.
2. It helps justify the need for studying a problem.
3. It helps prevent unnecessary duplication of a study.
4. It can be a source of a theoretical bases for the study.
5. It enables the researcher to learn how to conceptualize a research problem and properly
identify and operationally study variables.
6. It provides a basis for identifying and using appropriate research design.
7. Results of related studies provide lessons for data analysis and interpretation.

Functions of a Review
A review of related literature and studies assesses the researcher’s readiness to conduct
the study and identify potential gaps in the literature. Specifically, the review seeks to:
1. What has been done already;
2. Provides insights necessary to develop a logical framework into which the topic fits;
3. Provide the rationale for the hypotheses being investigated and the justification of the
significance of the study;
4. Identify potentially useful methodological studies; and
5. Facilitate the interpretation of the results.

How to do the review of related literature

A review of related literature (RRL) is a detailed review of existing literature related to

the topic of a research. In an RRL, the researcher talks about knowledge and findings from existing
literature relevant to the topic. If gaps or conflicts are found in existing literature, these can also
be discussed in the review, and if applicable, how the researcher plans to address these gaps or
resolve these conflicts through the study.
To undertake an RRL, therefore, the researcher needs to identify first the relevant
literature. This can be done through various sources, online and offline. Be sure of saving all
applicable resources because these will be needed to mention them in research. When going
through the resources, make notes and identify key concepts of each resource to describe in the
review. Before starting the review, determine how to organize the review, that is, whether to
discuss the resources by themes, dates, extent of relevance, and so on. When writing the review,
begin by providing the background and purpose of the review. Then, begin discussing each of the
identified resources according to the way these resources be organized.

https://www.editage.com/insights/samples-of-
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How to write a literature review
Writing a literature review involves finding relevant publications (such as books and journal
articles), critically analyzing them, and explaining what you found. There are five key steps:

1. Search for relevant literature

2. Evaluate sources
3. Identify themes, debates and gaps
4. Outline the structure
5. Write your literature review

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources – it analyzes, synthesizes, and
critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

Why write a literature review?

When writing a research paper, a literature review has to be conducted to situate research
within existing knowledge. The literature review gives a chance to:

 Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context

 Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
 Position yourself in relation to other researchers and theorists
 Show how your research addresses a gap or contributes to a debate

The researcher might also have to write a literature review as a stand-alone assignment. In
this case, the purpose is to evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge
of scholarly debates around a topic.

The content will look slightly different in each case, but the process of conducting a
literature review follows the same steps.

Step 1: Search for relevant literature

Before to begin searching for literature a clearly defined topic is needed.

In writing the literature review section of a research paper, search for literature related
to research problem and questions.

In writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, choose a focus and develop a

central question to direct the search. Unlike a dissertation research question, this question has to
be answerable without collecting original data. You should be able to answer it based only on a
review of existing publications.

Research question example: What is the impact of social media on body image among Generation Z?
Make a list of keywords
Start by creating a list of keywords related to research question. Include each of the key
concepts or variables a researcher is interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. Add
to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.

Keywords example

 Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok

 Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
 Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth

Search for relevant sources

Use keywords to begin searching for sources. Some useful databases to search for journals
and articles include:

 Your university’s library catalogue

 Google Scholar
 JSTOR
 EBSCO
 Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
 Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
 EconLit (economics)
 Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)

Read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to the question. When a useful
book or article is found, check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.

To identify the most important publications on the topic, take note of recurring citations.
If the same authors, books or articles keep appearing in reading, make sure to seek them out.

Step 2: Evaluate and select sources

You probably won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on the topic
– you’ll have to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your questions.

For each publication, ask yourself:

 What question or problem is the author addressing?

 What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
 What are the key theories, models and methods? Does the research use established
frameworks or take an innovative approach?
 What are the results and conclusions of the study?
 How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or
challenge established knowledge?
 How does the publication contribute to your understanding of the topic? What are its key
insights and arguments?
  What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?

Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies
and major theories in your field of research.

You can find out how many times an article has been cited on Google Scholar – a high
citation count means the article has been influential in the field, and should certainly be included
in your literature review.

The scope of your review will depend on your topic and discipline: in the sciences you
usually only review recent literature, but in the humanities you might take a long historical
perspective (for example, to trace how a concept has changed in meaning over time).

Take notes and cite your sources

As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later
incorporate into the text of your literature review.

It is important to keep track of your sources with citations to avoid plagiarism. It can be
helpful to make an annotated bibliography, where you compile full citation information and write
a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and
saves time later in the process.

Step 3: Identify themes, debates, and gaps

To begin organizing your literature review’s argument and structure, you need to
understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your
reading and notes, you can look for:

 Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more
or less popular over time?
 Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
 Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
 Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction
of the field?
 Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?

This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable)
show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.

Example of trends and gaps in reviewing the literature on social media and body image, you note
that:

 Most research has focused on young women.

 There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
 But there is still a lack of robust research on highly visual platforms like Instagram and
Snapchat – this is a gap that you could address in your own research.
Step 4: Outline your literature review’s structure
There are various approaches to organizing the body of a literature review. You should have
a rough idea of your strategy before you start writing.

Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these
strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed
chronologically).

Chronological
The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you
choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarizing sources in order.

Try to analyze patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field.
Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.

Thematic
If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organize your literature review into
subsections that address different aspects of the topic.

For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes,
key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and
economic access.

Methodological
If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research
methods, you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different
approaches. For example:

 Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research

 Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
 Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources

Theoretical
A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework. You can use it to
discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.

You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various
theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.

Step 5: Write your literature review

Like any other academic text, your literature review should have an introduction, a main
body, and a conclusion. What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature
review.
Introduction
The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review. It
briefly describes the nature of the researcher’s problem and explains what led the researcher to
investigate the question.

Reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly
context. You can emphasize the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have focused on the
problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been much research on x, few
researchers have taken y into consideration”).
Stand-alone literature review
If you are writing a stand-alone paper, give some background on the topic and its importance,
discuss the scope of the literature you will review (for example, the time period of your sources),
and state your objective. What new insight will you draw from the literature?

Body

The body briefly reports what experts think or what other researchers have found about the
research problem. The conducted researches on one key element or factor of a research problem
are reviewed under that topic followed by studies done on other aspects of the problem. The
common findings of several studies are summarized in one or two sentences and only when
necessary, some specific findings of each study may be presented.
Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into
subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.

As you write, you can follow these tips:

 Summarize and synthesize: give an overview of the main points of each source and
combine them into a coherent whole.
 Analyze and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers’ insigths-add your own
interpretations where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the
literature as a whole
 Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
 Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transition words and topic sentences to draw
connections, comparisons and contrasts

Conclusion

The conclusion presents the course of action suggested by the literature. Based on the
state of knowledge revealed by the literature, the researcher could further justify the need
for the study.

https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/literature-review/
How do you write the literature review of a research paper?

Many researchers struggle when it comes to writing literature review for their research
paper. A literature review is a comprehensive overview of all the knowledge available on a specific
topic till date. When a research topic is already decided, usually the first step to take in the direction
of conducting research is learn more about the previous research published on the topic, and this
eventually translates into literature review when writing a research paper. Literature review is one
of the pillars on which the research idea stands since it provides context, relevance, and
background to the research problem to explore.

Types of literature review

Literature reviews can be categorized as experimental and theoretical. Experimental

literature review basically refers to surveying all the information available on a particular topic
and critically analyzing the gaps that need to be worked upon. In this sense, it essentially forms
the first experiment of any research project. The more extensive the review, the more precise and
systematic the research project will be. Therefore, it is one of the most critical parts of one’s research.

Theoretical literature review essentially involves two steps:

1. Surveying and critically reading the existing literature: this step is commonly referred to
as experimental literature review.
2. Summarizing and actually penning down the gist of your review in an organized manner:
this is known as theoretical review.

Literature reviews for research article

Every research report/ thesis/research article begins with an introduction to the topic of
research. This forms the literature review for the article. The main purpose of the review is to
introduce the readers to the need for conducting the said research. A literature review should begin
with a thorough literature search using the main keywords in relevant online databases such
as Google Scholar, PubMed, etc. Once all the relevant literature has been gathered, it should be
organized as follows:
1. Background literature about the broad research topic to introduce the readers to the field of
study.
2. Recent progress on the study topic which can be organized thematically or chronologically.
Ideally, separate themes should be discussed in a chronological manner to describe how
research in the field has evolved over time and to highlight the progress in the field.
3. The review should include a comparison and contrast of different studies. Discussing the
controversial aspects helps to identify the main gaps that need to be worked upon. This is
essential for defining the problem statement of the study and highlighting the significance
of the research under question.
4. Once a problem statement has been defined, the strengths and pitfalls of other studies that
have tackled the problem statement should be discussed. This is important for outlining the
need and novelty of the research.
 A literature review should not be a mere recounting of all the available information. It
should be a critical and analytical summary of the selected literature that guides the readers through
the central theme of the research.

https://www.editage.com/insights/how-to-write-the-literature-review-of-your-research-paper

What is a conceptual framework?

A conceptual framework is a written or visual representation of an expected relationship
between variables. Variables are simply the characteristics or properties that you want to study.

The conceptual framework is generally developed based on a literature review of existing

studies and theories about the topic.

A conceptual framework is an analytical tool that is used to get a comprehensive

understanding of a phenomenon. It can be used in different fields of work and is most commonly
used to visually explain the key concepts or variables and the relationships between them that need
to be studied. It illustrates what you expect to find through your research. It also defines the
relevant variables for your study and maps out how they might relate to each other.

You should construct a conceptual framework before you begin collecting data. It is
often represented in a visual format.

Research example
You want to know if students who study more hours get higher exam scores. To investigate
this question, you can use methods such as an experiment or survey to test the relationship between
variables.
Before you start collecting data, construct a conceptual framework to show exactly which
variables you will measure and how you expect them to relate to each other. A conceptual
framework can be designed in many different ways. The form you take will depend on what kind
of relationships you expect to find.

Independent and dependent variables

If we want to test a cause-and-effect relationship, we need to identify at least two key
variables: the independent variable and the dependent variable. In our example:

score” depends on “hours of study.” Our hypothesis is that the more hours a student studies, the
better they will do on the exam.

Causal relationships often involve several independent variables that affect the dependent
variable. However, to keep things simple, we’ll work with just one independent variable, namely
“hours of study.”

To visualize our expected cause-and-effect relationship, we will use the basic design
components of boxes and arrows. Each variable appears in a box. To indicate a causal
relationship, each arrow should start from the independent variable (the cause) and point to the
dependent variable (the effect).

Next, we should identify other variables that might influence the relationship
between our independent and dependent variables. Some common variables to include are
moderators, mediators, and control variables.

Moderating variables
Now we’ll expand the framework by adding a moderating variable (aka a moderator).
A moderator alters the effect that an independent variable has on a dependent variable.

The moderator thus changes the effect component of the cause-and-effect relationship.
This moderation is also referred to as the interaction effect.

In our example, we expect that the number of hours a student studies is related to their
exam score: the more you prepare, the higher your score will be.

Now we add the moderator “IQ.” A student’s IQ level changes the effect that the
variable “hours of study” has on the exam score: the higher your IQ, the fewer hours of study you
must put in to do well on the exam.

In other words, the “IQ” moderator moderates the effect that the number of study hours
has on the exam score.

Let’s take a look at how this might work. The graph shows how the number of hours
spent studying affects exam score. The more hours you study, the better your results. A student
who studies for 20 hours will get a perfect score.
 But the graph looks different when we add an “IQ” moderator of 120. A student with this
IQ will already achieve a perfect score after just 15 hours of study.

Below, the value of the “IQ” moderator has been increased to 150. A student with
this IQ will only need to invest five hours of studying in order to get a perfect score.
 The higher the IQ, the fewer hours a student needs to study in order to achieve a score
of 100%.

In short, a moderating variable is something that changes the cause-and-effect

relationship between two variables as its value increases or decreases.

Mediating variables
Now we’ll expand the framework by adding a mediating variable. In a cause-and-effect
relationship, a mediating variable is a variable that links the independent and dependent variables,
allowing the relationship between them to be better explained.

Here’s how the conceptual framework might look if a mediator variable were involved:

The mediating variable of “number of practice problems completed” comes between

the independent and dependent variables. The hours of study impacts the number of practice
problems, which in turn impacts the exam score.

In this case, the mediator helps explain why studying more hours leads to a higher
exam score. The more hours a student studies, the more practice problems they will complete;
the more practice problems completed, the higher the student’s exam score will be.

By adding the mediating variable of “number of practice problems completed,” we help

explain the cause-and-effect relationship between the two main variables.

Keep in mind that mediating variables can be difficult to interpret, and care must be
taken when conclusions are drawn from them.

Moderator vs mediator
It’s important not to confuse a moderators and mediators. To remember the difference,
you can think of them in relation to the independent variable.

A mediating variable is affected by the independent variable, and it affects the dependent
variable. Therefore, it links the two variables and helps explain the relationship between them.
 A moderating variable is not affected by the independent variable, even though affects
the dependent variable. For example, no matter how many hours you study (the independent
variable), your IQ will not get higher.

Control variables
To test a cause-and-effect relationship, we also need to consider other variables that
we’re not interested in measuring the effects of, but that could potentially impact students’ exam
scores.

These are control variables—variables that are held constant so that they don’t interfere
with the results.

For example, it is likely that if a student feels ill, they will get a lower score on the exam.
Therefore, we’ll add “health” as a control variable.

That means we should keep the variable “health” constant in our study—we’ll only
include participants who are in good health on the day of the exam.

https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/conceptual-framework/

You may also visit the links below for your further reading:

https://topnotcher.ph/how-to-make-a-conceptual-framework/

https://simplyeducate.me/2015/01/05/conceptual-framework-guide/

You may also watch the following videos to enrich your understanding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5q3GLIb8PE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UufeuPxqBHQ
What is theoretical framework?
Theoretical Framework

A theoretical framework is a collection of interrelated concepts, like a theory but not

necessarily so well worked-out. A theoretical framework guides your research, determining what
things you will measure, and what statistical relationships you will look for.

Theoretical frameworks are obviously critical in deductive, theory-testing sorts of studies

(see Kinds of Research for more information). In those kinds of studies, the theoretical framework
must be very specific and well-thought out.

Surprisingly, theoretical frameworks are also important in exploratory studies, where you
really don't know much about what is going on, and are trying to learn more. There are two reasons
why theoretical frameworks are important here. First, no matter how little you think you know
about a topic, and how unbiased you think you are, it is impossible for a human being not to have
preconceived notions, even if they are of a very general nature. For example, some people
fundamentally believe that people are basically lazy and untrustworthy, and you have keep your
wits about you to avoid being conned. These fundamental beliefs about human nature affect how
you look things when doing personnel research. In this sense, you are always being guided by a
theoretical framework, but you don't know it. Not knowing what your real framework is can be a
problem. The framework tends to guide what you notice in an organization, and what you don't
notice. In other words, you don't even notice things that don't fit your framework! We can never
completely get around this problem, but we can reduce the problem considerably by simply making
our implicit framework explicit. Once it is explicit, we can deliberately consider other frameworks,
and try to see the organizational situation through different lenses.

Cases and Variables

Cases are objects whose behavior or characteristics we study. Usually, the cases are
persons. But they can also be groups, departments, organizations, etc. They can also be more
esoteric things like events (e.g., meetings), utterances, pairs of people, etc.

Variables are characteristics of cases. They are attributes. Qualities of the cases that we
measure or record. For example, if the cases are persons, the variables could be sex, age, height,
weight, feeling of empowerment, math ability, etc. Variables are called what they are because it is
assumed that the cases will vary in their scores on these attributes. For example, if the variable is
age, we obviously recognize that people can be different ages. Of course, sometimes, for a given
sample of people, there might not be any variation on some attribute. For example, the variable
'number of children' might be zero for all members of this class. It's still a variable, though, because
in principle it could have variation.

In any particular study, variables can play different roles. Two key roles are independent
variables and dependent variables. Usually there is only one dependent variable, and it is the
outcome variable, the one you are trying to predict. Variation in the dependent variable is what
you are trying to explain. For example, if we do a study to determine why some people are more
satisfied in their jobs than others, job satisfaction is the dependent variable.
 The independent variables, also known as the predictor or explanatory variables, are the
factors that you think explain variation in the dependent variable. In other words, these are the
causes. For example, you may think that people are more satisfied with their jobs if they are given
a lot of freedom to do what they want, and if they are well-paid. So 'job freedom' and 'salary' are
the independent variables, and 'job satisfaction' is the dependent variable. This is diagrammed as
follows:

(yes, I know. It looks like the Enterprise)

There are actually two other kinds of variables, which are basically independent
variables, but work a little differently. These are moderator and intervening variables. A moderator
variable is one that modifies the relationship between two other variables.

For example, suppose that the cases are whole organizations, and you believe that
diversity in the organization can help make them more profitable (because diversity leads to fresh
outlooks on old problems), but only if managers are specially trained in diversity management
(otherwise all that diversity causes conflicts and miscommunication). Here, diversity is clearly an
independent variable, and profitability is clearly a dependent variable. But what is diversity
training? Its main function seems to be adjust the strength of relation between diversity and
profitability

For example, suppose you are studying job applications to various departments within
a large organization. You believe that in overall, women applicants are more likely to get the job
than men applicants, but that this varies by the number of women already in the department the
person applied to. Specifically, departments that already have a lot of women will favor female
applicants, while departments with few women will favor male applicants. We can diagram this as
follows:
 Actually, if that model is true, then this one is as well, though it's harder to think about:

Whether sex of applicant is the independent and % women in dept is the moderator,
or the other around, is not something we can ever decide. Another way to talk about moderating
and independent variables is in terms of interaction. Interacting variables affect the dependent
variable only when both are acting in concert. We could diagram that this way:

An intervening or intermediary variable is one that is affected by the independent

variable and in turn affects the dependent variable. For example, we said that diversity is good
for profitability because diversity leads to innovation (fresh looks) which in turn leads to
profitability. Here, innovation is an intervening variable. We diagram it this way:
 Note that in the diagram, there is no arrow from diversity directly to profitability. This
means that if we control for innovativeness, diversity is unrelated to profitability. To control for a
variable means to hold its values constant. For example, suppose we measure the diversity,
innovativeness and profitability of a several thousand companies. If we look at the relationship
between diversity and profitability, we might find that the more diverse companies have, on
average, higher profitability than the less diverse companies. But suppose we divide the sample
into two groups: innovative companies and non-innovative. Now, within just the innovative group,
we again look at the relationship between diversity and profitability. We might find that there is
no relationship. Similarly, if we just look at the non-innovative group, we might find no
relationship between diversity and profitability there either. That's because the only reason
diversity affects profitability is because diversity tends to affect a company's innovativeness, and
that in turn affects profitability.

Here's another example. Consider the relationship between education and health. In
general, the more an educated a person is, the healthier they are. Do diplomas have magic powers?
Do the cells in educated people's bodies know how to fight cancer? I doubt it. It might be because
educated people are more likely to eat nutritionally sensible food and this in turn contributes to
their health. But of course, there are many reasons why you might eat nutritionally sensible food,
even if you are not educated. So if we were to look at the relationship between education and health
among only people who eat nutritionally sensible food, we might find no relationship. That would
support the idea that nutrition is an intervening variable.

http://www.analytictech.com/mb313/elements.htm#:~:text=A%20theoretical%20framework%20
is%20a,relationships%20you%20will%20look%20for.

You may open the links below for additional reading resources for your farther learning:

https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/theoretical-framework/

https://www.thephdproofreaders.com/structuring-a-thesis/what-is-a-theoretical-framework/

What are the differences between conceptual and theoretical frameworks?

Conceptual framework is the framework that you are developing after rigorous literature
review & wanted to test the hypotheses associated with the framework. Sometimes, conceptual
framework also called research model or research framework by different researchers / scholars or
after some refinements / fine-tuning.
Theoretical framework refers to previous theories, frameworks, models that you
were reviewing during literature review. Normally, a researcher will develop his or her conceptual
framework underpinned on some theoretical frameworks that s/he has reviewed. Usually, without
theoretical frameworks to support your conceptual framework, you might expose to questioning
during article review / thesis viva examination. Theoretical frameworks are important as they serve
as life-saver / base / float in which without them a conceptual framework might sink miserably.
Theoretical framework basically deals with the various theoretical underpinnings of
your study. Thus, under this section, you can review all/a number of theories which are considered
relevant to your study. This should constitute their assumptions, strengths, limitations/criticisms,
application in previous studies and applicability to your study.
When you are done doing this, you can either "adopt" or "adapt" one of them to serve
as your conceptual framework. You can also draw from more than one of them to create your own
conceptual framework.
The conceptual framework then becomes what actually guides/underpins your study.
In your analysis, you would have to incorporate the conceptual framework into your discussions.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What-are-the-differences-between-conceptual-framework-

and-theoretical-framework#:~:text=how%20phenomena%20occur.-

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elationships%20between,will%20have%20to%20be%20undertaken.&text=The%20conceptual%
20framework%20is%20also%20called%20the%20research%20paradigm.

A conceptual framework is the total, logical orientation and associations of anything and

everything that forms the underlying thinking, structures, plans and practices and implementation

of your entire research project. So, the conceptual framework comprises your thoughts on

identification of the research topic, the problem to be investigated, the questions to be asked, the

literature to be reviewed, the theories to be applied, the methodology you will use, the methods,

procedures and instruments, the data analysis and interpretation of findings, recommendations and

conclusions you will make (Ravitch & Riggan, 2017). Thus, the conceptual framework is the

logical conceptualization of your entire research project. Saying that it is a logical

conceptualization means that a conceptual framework is a metacognitive, reflective and

operational element of the entire research process. This in turn means that the conceptual

framework involves high order consideration of the following questions and/or issues about your
research:

1. What do you want to do in your research? For example, as articulated in your research topic.
2. Why do you want to do it? For example, why is it important to conduct that research? Why it

is significant? What aims will it seek to achieve? Which specific objectives will it pursue? How
much scope will it cover?

3. How do you plan to do it? For example, which methodology will you apply? Which methods

will you use? Who will be your participants? How will you gather data? How will you analyse the
data?

4. How will you make meaning of the data? For example, which theoretical framework will you
use to analyse the data? Which software will you use? Which skills will you need?

5. Which worldview will you locate your research in? For example, will it be in the positivist or
interpretivist paradigm; critical or pragmatic paradigm?

6. How will you report your findings? For example, in a research paper, or a seminar paper, or a

conference paper, a book chapter, or a book or a thesis? Thus, you can look at the conceptual
framework as the logical master plan for your entire research project.

It is noteworthy, as you can see from the above, that a theoretical framework is only a

little sub-set of the conceptual framework. A helpful analogy might be, that while the conceptual

framework is the house, the theoretical framework is but a room that serves a particular purpose

in that house. The purpose of the room could, for example, be the kitchen, or living room, or

bathroom or bedroom, or garage. While each room has a unique purpose, no single room can serve

all the functions that a house serves. This analogy should help you to appreciate better, why these

two terms should never be used interchangeably. Only in a one-room ‘house’, would the house

and room be one and the same thing. Most houses are not built like that. The conceptual framework

is thus the umbrella term relating to all the concepts and ideas that occupy your mind as you

contemplate, plan, implement and conclude your research project. Thus, whereas the conceptual

framework could be the product of your own thinking about your research study, the theoretical
framework comprises other people’s theoretical perspectives that you interpret as relevant to your
research, and in particular, helpful in your data analysis and interpretation. That is why the term

conceptual framework is so all-inclusive, that trying to unpack it in your research proposal could

be messy. And since most of the constituent parts of the conceptual framework have sections of

their own which need to be addressed in the research process, there is no need of taking the risk of
trying to unravel this complex set of concepts.

The main reason you should develop a theoretical framework for your research is so

as to have a scholarly foundation for all your sense making of the meaning contained in your data

(Neuman, 1997). The theoretical framework provides a structure for what to look for in the data,

for how you think of how what you see in the data fits together, and helps you to discuss your

findings more clearly, in light of what existing theories say. It helps you to make connections

between the abstract and concrete elements you observe in your data.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1198682.pdf

You may also visit the following links to understand more about the differences
between conceptual framework and theoretical framework:

https://afribary.com/blog/5/what-is-the-difference-between-the-theoretical-and-the-conceptual-
framework/

https://exploringacademia.com/difference-between-theoretical-and-conceptual-frameworks/

Activities

Activity 1. Group activity. Read and collect at least 5 review of related literature and studies that

you are going to organize and write in Chapter II of your research/study. You may include here a
theoretical framework that supports your study.

Activity 2. Group activity. Formulate the conceptual framework or paradigm of your study based
on your review of related literature and studies emphasizing the variables of your study.
Self-Assessment

SA 1. Discuss your answer to the following questions:

1. Why RRLS is important in conducting a research/study?

2. How a conceptual framework differ from from a theoretical framework?

SA 2. Give at least 2 samples of cited literatures in published research papers.

References
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