The purpose of the theoretical framework is to justify and give context to your research. It accomplishes this by explaining the theories and concepts that are most relevant to the topic being examined. The theoretical framework helps establish a context by relating your research topic to the larger ongoing dialogue in the literature about the issues you are exploring. It demonstrates your knowledge about the theories and research that others have done regarding your topic, and helps show how your research will address any gaps, contradictions or unknown aspects in the current body of knowledge.
The theoretical framework usually begins with a definition of the key concepts and variables in your study. You need to clearly define what your main terms and concepts mean, both generally and within the context of your specific research. Defining your concepts upfront helps orient the reader and provides a common language. The theoretical framework then progresses to a description and discussion of the major theories, models, concepts and ideas that inform your approach. You synthesise and summarise the most pertinent theories and ideas from the literature to demonstrate how prior work relates to the topic.
When discussing the theories, you critically analyse their major constructs, propositions and assumptions. You examine strengths and limitations of each approach. The theories should logically connect to one another and help build the case for your research questions and design. Discussing related theories and ideas shows that you understand different perspectives in the literature and can think critically about a subject area. As you review and critique the literature, look for areas where there are inconsistencies, gaps or disagreements between theories that your research could help address.
An effective theoretical framework flows cohesively from broad, overarching ideas to specific, related theories and concepts. It should culminate by explicitly stating how the theories you have synthesised directly link to and provide a foundation for your research questions or hypotheses. The framework explains which theories and ideas you will use to examine your problem, interpret results and situate your findings within the existing body of literature. By directly linking your research questions back to the theories discussed, the framework provides a justification for the significance and rationale of your study.
The depth and breadth of information covered in the theoretical framework can vary depending on factors like the type of research (qualitative vs quantitative), scope of the paper/thesis and complexity of the subject area. An adequate theoretical framework section generally ranges from 5000-8000 words. The key elements that should be included are definitions of concepts, discussion of relevant theories and ideas from the literature, analysis of their strengths and limitations, and explicit statements linking theories to research questions or objectives. A sound theoretical framework sets the stage for the research by thoroughly situating it within the context of previous scholarship.
Andrew Stroud