Conceptual Frameworks lecture 4 Dr Douglas Fleming Faculty

Conceptual Frameworks lecture 4 Dr. Douglas Fleming Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa

Many institutions do not require a conceptual framework. In our faculty, however, it is a standard feature of a thesis. There seems to be little consensus on the differences (if any) between a theoretical and a conceptual framework. In fact, some of the colleagues I have talked have told me they see no differences at all between the two.

A theoretical framework seems to me to be what I would call a focused literature review. Of course, really, all lit reviews should be focused: in other words, a review that describes the trends within the literature related to your topic. On the other hand, a conceptual framework (which is based on your lit review) is the outline of your theoretical approach to an idea or thought. In other words, how have you used the literature/concepts/theories to frame your project?

Conceptual frameworks connect the problem statement, purpose, research question(s) and literature review into an overall map. They specify in general terms how the research will proceed by describing the relationship between specific variables related to the study.

go to Maltais example http: //douglasfleming. weebly. com go to Macdonald learning object http: //innovation. dcuoit. ca/conceptualframeworks/CF_LO_content. html