JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND

TECHNOLOGY- MOMBASA CAMPUS

SCHOOL OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS INNOVATION AND

TECHNOLOGY

MARTIN OTUNDO RICHARD

PHD-PROJECT MANAGEMENT.

(Senior academic researcher in Mombasa-Kenya)

(+254721246744:email.martinotundo@gmail.com)

TASK: Distinguish between a theoretical framework and a

conceptual framework in research. Explain how the two are related,
and their relevance to social research.

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Introduction

A theoretical framework is a group of related ideas that provides guidance to a research project
or business endeavor. The appropriateness of a theoretical framework that a marketing
department/counselling is using to promote its corporate and product image to the consuming
public/target for example can be an important determinant of its ultimate success.

A conceptual framework is an analytical tool with several variations and contexts. It is used to
make conceptual distinctions and organize ideas. Strong conceptual frameworks capture
something real and do this in a way that is easy to remember and apply. For example, Isaiah
Berlin used the metaphor of a “Fox” and a “Hedgehog” to make conceptual distinctions in how
important philosophers and authors view the world. Berlin describes hedgehogs as those who use
a single idea or organizing principle to view the world (examples given include Dante, Pascal,
Dostoevsky, Plato, Ibsen and Hegel). Foxes, on the other hand, incorporate a type of pluralism
and view the world through multiple, sometimes conflicting, lenses (examples include Goethe,
Joyce, Shakespeare, Aristotle, Herodotus, Molière, Anderson, Balzac). Economists use the
conceptual framework of “supply” and “demand” to distinguish between the behavior and
incentive systems of firms and consumers. Like many conceptual frameworks, supply and
demand can be presented through visual or graphical representations.

Conceptual vs Theoretical Framework

All those involved in conducting a research inevitably face the problem of choosing the right
framework to proceed and to remain confined within it. There are both conceptual as well as
theoretical frameworks that are equally popular. Though there are similarities, there are
differences in approach and style that confuse many. This article by Martin Otundo attempts to
find out these differences to enable students to finalize an approach that better suits their
requirements.

Theoretical framework is based upon theories that have already been tested. These are theories
that are the result of painstaking research conducted earlier by other investigators. Theoretical
framework is broader in scope and dimension. It however involves broad generalizations that
reflect relationship between things in a phenomenon. Conceptual framework differs from
theoretical framework in that it provides the direction that is missing in theoretical framework.
Also called research paradigm, conceptual framework makes things easier by delineating the
input as well as output of the research project. One gets to know the variables that need to be
tested in a conceptual framework.

Theoretical framework is like a treasure inside a room and you are given the key to the door.
Afterwards, you are left on your own as to how you interpret and what you finally discover from
the room. In sharp contrast, conceptual framework provides you with a readymade mold in
which you pour all your data and it gives back the findings.
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Both frameworks are popular and it ultimately boils down to personal preferences as well as
aptitude to choose the framework for research. For those who are a bit more inquisitive and
daring, theoretical framework is more suitable while those who need direction to conduct their
research go for conceptual framework to base their research upon.

Other scholars argue that, a common point exists between the two for example; a conceptual
framework is the researcher’s idea on how the research problem will have to be explored. This is
founded on the theoretical framework, which lies on a much broader scale of resolution. The
theoretical framework dwells on time tested theories that embody the findings of numerous
investigations on how phenomena occur.

The theoretical framework provides a general representation of relationships between things in a

given phenomenon. The conceptual framework, on the other hand, embodies the specific
direction by which the research will have to be undertaken in relation to the direction given by
the theoretical framework. Statistically speaking, the conceptual framework describes the
relationship between specific variables identified in the study as guided by the conceptual
framework. It also outlines the input, process and output of the whole investigation. The
conceptual framework is also called the research paradigm.

Laura Beth Drilling of Demand Media in the USA has written an article that looks at the major
differences and links between the conceptual and theoretical framework in relation to psychology
and other fields. According to the writings, the "theoretical framework" of an experiment or
paper refers to the larger assumptions in which the researcher is working. For example, a
psychologist writing a paper may be working in a Freudian, Jungian or behaviorist theoretical
framework. A theoretical framework provides a large, overarching structure of ideas that the
researcher can then draw from in beginning to analyze a phenomenon or a text. This differs with
the conceptual framework that is, the conceptual framework refers to the specific ideas a
researcher uses in the study. Examples of conceptual frameworks include the methods of a
chemistry experiment, the definitions a sociologist uses to describe a culture and the types of
data an economist considers when evaluating a country's industry. 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.

She further goes ahead to show that, the difference between theoretical and conceptual
frameworks is scale -- referring to the Big Ideas and the smaller ones. The conceptual framework
is a set of specific ideas that can be used within the larger theoretical framework. A theoretical
framework may contain many ideas that are not explored within the paper or experiment it
structures. However, by definition, all aspects of the conceptual framework are used in the
process of research.

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However, she shows that there exists a similarity between the two in that, a theoretical
framework often informs the conceptual framework. For instance, a Freudian psychologist is
likely to place a great deal of importance on early childhood data from their subjects.

Also, the theoretical framework may also determine what ideas are not considered by a
conceptual framework and later on interlink the two by adding the ideas for the betterment of the
whole research. For example, a behaviorist is unlikely to consider a subject's dreams.

Professor Akintola Akintoye, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK has focused on the
differences and later on the similarities of the theoretical framework and conceptual framework
by focusing on their activities in relation to social studies. The purpose of the theoretical
framework from those of a conceptual framework are as follows: the purpose of a theoretical
framework is to provide the organization for the study, to test theories, to make research findings
meaningful and generalizable, to establish orderly connections between observations and facts,
to guide the researcher in the interpretations of the results, to predict and control situations, to
stimulate research etc. Purposes of Conceptual Framework include: To clarify concepts and
propose relationships among the concepts in a study, to provide a context for interpreting the
study findings, to explain observations, to encourage theory development that is useful to
practice etc.

The similarities as shown by professor include: TF and CF together, helps the researcher see
clearly the main variables and concepts in a given study; provides the researcher with a general
approach (methodology –research design, target population and research sample, data collection
& analysis); guides the researcher in the collection, interpretation and explanation of the data;
guides future research –specifically where the conceptual framework integrates literature review
and field data etc.

The differences between a CF and TF have been researched on and illustrated buy a table as
follows while a summary of the similarities has only been tabled in the scientific experimental
researches as opposed to social descriptive sciences. The differences can be summarized as
follows in the table below:

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Difference between CF and TF
(Imenda, 2014)
Conceptual Theoretical
Genesis Created from a variety of Evolve from literature review /
conceptual and theoretical adapted from existing theory
perspectives
Conceptual Synthesis of relevant Application of a theory as a whole
Meaning concepts or in part
Process Underline Inductive –many aspects of Deductive –use dominantly in
Review of Literature different theoretical natural science
perspectives are brought
together
Methodological Located in both Located mainly in the quantitative
Approach quantitative and qualitative research paradigm
paradigms
School of Limited to specific Wider application beyond the
Application research problem and / or current research problem and
context context
Research Base Social Science / Natural Sciences based research
Management based
research

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References

Babbie, Earl. (2007). The Practice of Social Research (11th edition). Belmont, CA: Thompson,
Wadsworth pp. 89. Babbie also identifies exploration and description as purposes of empirical
research.

Brains, C., Willnat, L., Manheim, J. and Rich, R. (2011). Empirical Political Analysis:
Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods New York, NY: Longman, pp. 75-77. Brains et
al 2011 also identify exploration, explanation and description as research purposes. Explanation
is connected to hypotheses testing (as a framework). The other research purposes are not
connected to a framework.

Colander, David. (2013). Microeconomics, 9th edition, New York: McGraw Hill and Frank,
Robert and Ben Bernanke. 2013. Principles of Microeconomics, 5th edition. New York: McGraw
Hill.

Maxwell, J. (2009). "Designing a qualitative study" in The Sate Handbook for Applied Social
Science Researchedited by L. Bickmam and D. Rog. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage p. 222.

Ravitch, and Riggan. (2012). Reason and Rigor: How Conceptual Frameworks guide Research,
Thousand Oaks CA: Sage p. xiii.

Shields, Patricia and Rangarjan, N. (2013). A Playbook for Research Methods: Integrating
Conceptual Frameworks and Project Management. [1]. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press

Shields, Patricia. (2014). Tools for Excellent Papers: 2014 ASPA Student Summit. Presentation
at the American Society for Public Administration annual conference, Washington DC March
15.

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