Developing a good "Conceptual Framework" is an essential part of any doctoral research. To what extent one can use the relevant life experiences in the development of the same for a topic based on seasonal migration.
In research you need to have yourself neutral, you cannot use your own experience. so forget about personal experience.
I wouldn't say you cannot use your personal experience, as Hassan highlights, Madan. However, you couldn't use it as a sole basis to develop a conceptual framework. Untested conceptual frameworks mainly arise from the literature and the current 'state of affairs' of a specific topic. For instance, in phenomenological research there is the concept of the 'phenomenological nod'. This refers to the fact that the researcher directly relates to the experiences of the participants through their own previous experiences. I experienced the same in a 2002 phenomenological study, in Journal of Advanced Nursing, related to the academic writing experience of student nurses.
Personal experiences, if bringing in additional dimensions, to the study- it can be used. I agree with Dean Whitehead's answer that it cannot be used as the sole basis for creating your conceptual framework. All the theoretical models, authenticated and published or not published may not capture in entirety all the dimensions and issues involved in seasonal migration. The researcher might have come across, based on his/her own experience, new dimensions or factors. These can be added and conceptual framework can be evolved. Research evolves in new shapes and incarnations (avatars) with additional inputs, based on experience or new observations.
The conceptual framework is derived from theory and past studies. Then, you are trying to identify gaps in existing theory literature and then come up with a new idea. That new idea could be emanating from personal experience of a gap that has remained uncovered.
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