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Theories & Theoretical Frameworks*

  • Theories are formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena
    • the conceptual basis for understanding, analyzing, and designing ways to investigate relationships within social systems.
  • The theoretical framework is the structure that can hold or support a theory of a research study.
  • The theoretical framework introduces and describes the theory that explains why the research problem under study exists.

* Abend, Gabriel. "The Meaning of Theory." Sociological Theory 26 (June 2008): 173–199; Swanson, Richard A. Theory Building in Applied Disciplines. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2013.