In the research methodology, both terms are used to present the overall research design of the study. How they differ with each other !!
Jabareen (2009, p. 51) defines conceptual framework as a network, or a plane, of interlinked concepts that together provide a comprehensive understanding of a phenomenon or phenomena. According to Imenda (2014, p. 189), a theoretical framework is the application of a theory, or a set of concepts that drawn from the same theory, to offer an explanation of an event, or shed some light on a particular phenomenon or research problem.
Please also refer to their details (features, application, procedures etc.,) by accessing to the following papers.
- Green, H. (2014) The Use of Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks in Qualitative Research, Nurse Researcher, 21, 6, pp. 34-38.
- Imenda, S. (2014) Is there a conceptual difference between theoretical and conceptual frameworks?, Journal of Social Science, 38, 2, pp. 185-195.
- Jabareen, Y. (2009) Building a Conceptual Framework: Philosophy, Definitions, and Procedure, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8, 4, pp. 49-62.
- Marshall, C. and Rossman, G. B., (1999) The "What of the Study": Building the Conceptual Framework, in Marshall, C. and Rossman, G. B. (Eds.), Designing Qualitative Research, Sage Publications, Inc., London, 3rd ed, pp. 21-54.
- Perry, C. (1998) A structured approach to presenting phd theses: notes for candidates and their supervisors, Australasian Marketing Journal, 6, 1, pp. 63-86.
Jabareen (2009, p. 51) defines conceptual framework as a network, or a plane, of interlinked concepts that together provide a comprehensive understanding of a phenomenon or phenomena. According to Imenda (2014, p. 189), a theoretical framework is the application of a theory, or a set of concepts that drawn from the same theory, to offer an explanation of an event, or shed some light on a particular phenomenon or research problem.
Please also refer to their details (features, application, procedures etc.,) by accessing to the following papers.
- Green, H. (2014) The Use of Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks in Qualitative Research, Nurse Researcher, 21, 6, pp. 34-38.
- Imenda, S. (2014) Is there a conceptual difference between theoretical and conceptual frameworks?, Journal of Social Science, 38, 2, pp. 185-195.
- Jabareen, Y. (2009) Building a Conceptual Framework: Philosophy, Definitions, and Procedure, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8, 4, pp. 49-62.
- Marshall, C. and Rossman, G. B., (1999) The "What of the Study": Building the Conceptual Framework, in Marshall, C. and Rossman, G. B. (Eds.), Designing Qualitative Research, Sage Publications, Inc., London, 3rd ed, pp. 21-54.
- Perry, C. (1998) A structured approach to presenting phd theses: notes for candidates and their supervisors, Australasian Marketing Journal, 6, 1, pp. 63-86.
Both terms are used interchangeably, in some books, the conceptual model considered more abstract than the theoretical.
For theorists who are less conservative, both terms are almost the same.
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