Conceptual Framework and Theory Development

A conceptual framework is a structure that researchers use to best explain the relationship they expect to see between variables, or the characteristics of the phenomenon they investigate. This term is used often interchangeably with “model” and “theory.” And although all conceptual frameworks and models are not necessarily theories, theories and theoretical frameworks are normally viewed as conceptual frameworks. A conceptual framework forms the basic foundation for conducting a study, helping to summarize either the basic constructs and their expected relationships in a deductive investigation, or the outcomes of the inductive inquiry. They evolve and change as knowledge accumulates (Miles et al., 2014). As Miles et al. (2014: 20) put it: “Conceptual frameworks are simply the current version of the researcher’s map of the territory being investigated. As the explorer’s knowledge of the terrain improves, the map becomes correspondingly more differentiated and integrated.” Thus, a conceptual framework becomes increasingly refined, elaborate, and comprehensive as knowledge accumulates and forms the basis for its expansion and revision, which may also suggest the use of different methodologies (Ravitch & Riggan, 2016).