The theoretical framework and conceptual framework in educational research are two concepts that may be unclear to novice researchers since they are not explicitly defined in the research literature and occasionally have several meanings. The theoretical framework is based on a theory and explains the broader relationship between concepts that serve as the basis for a particular study. The conceptual framework might be something different.
Could someone explain what a conceptual framework is and how it is different from a theoretical framework?
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The main difference between a conceptual framework and a theoretical framework is that a conceptual framework is more general and provides a way of understanding a phenomenon, while a theoretical framework is more specific and provides a set of hypotheses or predictions to be tested.
A conceptual framework is a visual or written outline that illustrates the key concepts and ideas underlying a research study, providing a framework for understanding the relationships between the various components of the research project. A theoretical framework, on the other hand, is a set of assumptions, principles, and propositions that guide the analysis and interpretation of data and is derived from existing scholarly literature and used to explain and predict phenomena in a particular field of study. Simply put, the conceptual framework is the research paradigm, and the theoretical framework is the specific underlying theory of a research study. The following could be helpful, particularly with dissecting various research terminology.
Zimmerman, A. S. (Ed.). (2022). Methodological innovations in research and academic writing. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8283-1
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