What is a conceptual framework? A simple and relatable explanation!
What is a conceptual framework? What does it look like? Why can’t someone explain it in simple, relatable terms? Where does it go in your thesis? Does it go in the literature review, the methodology, in between the two, somewhere else?
I’m going to explain all of that that by taking you through an example research project on Netflix true crime shows and telling you how Beyonce can be very helpful for remembering one of the key things that goes into a conceptual framework. Intrigued? Keep reading!
We’ll be covering 3 key things. 1) What is a conceptual framework? 2) What does a conceptual framework look like? 3) Where does it need to go in your dissertation?
(1) What is a conceptual framework?
A conceptual framework identifies the main things you’re going to study in your research project - or your variables.
It helps you organize them in a simple and comprehensive way. It helps you take a step back from them and think about how they might be related, how they might link to each other. In this way, it boosts your ability to be critical and analytical.
(2) What does it look like?
A conceptual framework most commonly takes the form of a diagram, where you visually represent the things that your research is looking at.
Let's take a look at our example.
Let’s take this dissertation question: What impact do Netflix true crime shows have on knowledge of homicide?
What would a conceptual framework diagram look like for this research question? How do we decide what to include in the diagram?
We start by looking at our research question and identifying the nouns within it - the words that represent people, places or things. In this example: Netflix true crime shows and knowledge of homicide – these are our concepts. They are represented in the diagram below.
I have put Netflix True crime shows first, because that is our independent variable. What does that mean? The independent variable is one thing that you’re studying that influences the other thing that you’re studying – that other thing being knowledge of homicide. The independent variable comes in and changes or effects something else.
It helps to remember the independent variable like an independent, sassy, go-getter person. It marches in, it changes things, it shakes things up. I always think of the Destiny’s Child song “Independent Woman” when I think of an independent variable. Because it helps me to remember what independent variable means. I think about it strutting in, like Beyonce, having an impact, singing that song, making everyone in the room turn to look at it and go “Wow! Check out that independent variable doing its thing, look at it go!”.
Next to the independent variable – Netflix true crime shows – we have the dependent variable – knowledge of homicide. The dependent variable is the thing that changes or the thing that is affected. So, when you introduce the independent variable, you see a change in the dependent variable. The dependent variable is DEPENDENT ON the independent variable for a change to happen.
The independent variable struts into the room, and the dependent variable has a reaction to that, something happens to our knowledge of homicide as a result of watching true crime shows – that’s why we have that arrow there from the independent variable to the dependant variable because it indicates what is causing the effect.
We’re not saying whether our knowledge gets better or worse, we’re just saying Netflix true crime shows have some kind of effect on our knowledge of homicide, it causes some kind of change. If we’re actually doing this for our dissertation, that is what we would have found in our literature review – most of what we know about violent crime like homicide comes from what we see of it in the media. So, it is perfectly reasonable to develop a conceptual framework like this one.
(3) Where does the conceptual framework go in your dissertation?
In my view, it should go at the end of the literature review. After you’ve read a sufficient amount of literature to be able to identify the key concepts and critically analyze what other people have said about them in their research, you are in a position to make some observations about how you think they are connected.
I would have ‘Conceptual Framework’ as a heading within your Literature Review, which comes before the concluding summary section of your literature review. This actually sits quite neatly here in your dissertation because it’s an opportunity to ‘zoom out’ and think about the bigger picture again, to revisit your research question, to ask “So what?” before you move on to the Methodology chapter that comes next. The literature review chapter is concerned with the ‘What?’ question: What are you studying? What have other people said about this? What are you bringing together? What factors and concepts are relevant? And importantly – WHAT is the relationship between them? The methodology chapter, which comes next, is concerned with the ‘How?’ question – and that’s separate from the what question, The methodology chapter details HOW you’re going to investigate this in your own fieldwork.
Is the literature review the last time you’re going to explore the conceptual framework? No! it certainly shouldn’t be - you should be revisiting it in your Discussion chapter when you’re thinking critically about your own findings in relation to the existing literature. The conceptual framework is a helpful thing to look back on here because it enables you to zoom out again and ask the ‘So what?’ question. You might refine or tweak it here depending on what you found out in your own study and it will form part of your contribution to knowledge.
There you go, a very brief run down of what a conceptual framework is, the things that you should include within it and where exactly in your dissertation it needs to go.
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