Title: Building a conceptual framework
1Building a conceptual framework
- Literature Review as process and product
2Overview of session
- What is a conceptual framework?
- What is literature review?
- Growing your conceptual framework
- The literature and the development of your
conceptual framework - Your conceptual framework and the design and
conduct of your research - Communicating about your research
- The literature review as a chapter of your thesis
3What is a conceptual framework
- Qualitative research (Gilgan, 2004 Perry, 1995)
- Broad structure for data collection and analysis
- Sensitises researcher - what to look for / how to
look - Progressively refined, may incorporate
experiential knowledge - built as information
comes to light - Quantitative research
- Theory
- Hypothesis
- Identifying, validating
- and operationalising variables
- (see for e.g. Dickson, Derevensky Gupta, 2002)
4 What is literature review?
- Process and product
-
- Range of student conceptions
- List
- Search
- Survey
- Vehicle for learning
- Research facilitator
- Report (Bruce, 1994)
5Stages in engaging with the literature
Developing and demonstrating your understanding
- STUDENT AND NOVICE RESEARCHER
- SCHOLAR AND EXPERIENCED RESEARCHER
- Learning what is known and UNKNOWN
- Learning how knowledge in your field has been
developed - Showing you understand your field
- Confirming that your own research is WORTHWHILE
- Explaining how knowledge has developed over time
- Explaining how your research is JUSTIFIED
- Identifying how you have make a CONTRIBUTION to
your field
Adapted from fIRST Consortium Helping Student
Writers Online Training resources (see your
supervisor)
6The literature and the development of your
research question / thesis statement / hypothesis
- Review not an end in itself but a means to an end
identifying a worthwhile, researchable topic - Connecting to other work in the field justify
attention to your topic, identify gaps, (revise)
to ensure relevance and originality, clarify
contribution - Draw out and state (refine) questions as they
arise throughout the review - (Denscombe, 2002 Perry, 1995)
7The expert identity and voice
- Eventually your literature review will
- show that you are across the literature
relevant to your topic - critique existing knowledge question
assumptions, identify limitations, challenge
relevance - Imagining that you will do this can be difficult
- at the beginning of your research
- if you are writing in a language and culture you
are not familiar with (see for example Moodies
work with an Indonesian Engineering student)
8Developing a critical voice
- Critical evaluation balanced assessment (not
only pointing out negatives criticising) - Involves
- Examining assumptions
- Questioning and challenging ideas
- Judging validity and worth of evidence
- Providing evidence for your claims
- Forming opinions / arguments
- Making connections esp. with central concerns
of your topic
9The literature and the development of your
conceptual framework
- Moving from the literature to developing an idea
of your thesis as a whole - Clarifying the purpose and relevance of your
research with respect the literature (research) - Framework
- links literature, core concepts and your research
question - helps structure your review
- (for qualitative researchers) develops as
participant views and issues are gathered and
analysed
10Conceptual framework and the design and conduct
of research
- Concepts for data
- collection analysis
- Participant voice
- As Bs
- Back to drinking!
- Drinking ???
- Mapping the
- conceptual space
Renoirs Bal au Moulin de la Galette
11Concept mapping
- Plotting the conceptual 'space' of your research
- A concept map is a kind of diagram that lays out
key ideas related to your area and indicates
relationships between these areas - Mapping is useful for
- seeing and thinking about information and
relationships in different ways - indicating the relative importance of ideas /
areas of study - highlighting connections, gaps, contradictions
- helping you contain your study by identifying
side issues. (University of Victoria, Canada
Learning Skills Program, Organising and
Integrating Information handouts, Concept Mapping)
12Your turn Remember this is a pictorial view of
relationships
Graphics from http//classes.aces.uiuc.edu/ACES100
/Mind/c-m2.html
13What to do
- Start with your central concepts (A B)
- Use lines, arrows etc. as you branch out to show
how other ideas or concepts link with your main
ideas - Go with the flow do not stop to write lengthy
explanations of a word or relationship
14Lit Review chapter in your thesis
- With editing and (much) redrafting your lit
review will form a key part of your final thesis
- introduce study area
- set context
- justify questions (these arise from identified
gaps, problems etc.) - justify approach (methods need to fit the
questions asked) - foreshadow findings
- support claims (findings)
- identify contribution
15Conclusion
- Being engaged with others research in your field
of study is an ongoing process write early,
write often - Drafting and redrafting your literature review
locates and justifies you own research
highlights, examines, critiques those concepts
most relevant to your study - The conceptual framework built from your review
is important for designing (conducting and
reporting) your study - Presenting your literature review shows examiners
you are familiar with (enough) ideas and debates
and that your research contributes (something) to
these
16 17References and additional resources
- Concept Mapping
- Mapping exercise from University of Victoria -
Counselling Services. See also re concept mapping
http//classes.aces.uiuc.edu/ACES100/ click on
Mind Module then Concept Maps and
http//www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/conmap.php
- Useful books and articles
- Becker, H.S. (1986). Writing for social
scientists how to start and finish your thesis,
book, or article. Chicago University of Chicago
Press. - Bell, J. (2005). Doing your research project a
guide for first time researchers in education,
health and social science. Berkshire, UK Open
University Press. Esp. Chapter 6 The review of
the literature - re critical review. - Bruce, CF. (1994). Research students' early
experiences of the dissertation literature
review. Studies in Higher Education, 19(2),
217-229. - Caslin, M. Scott, K. (2003). The five-question
method for framing a qualitative research study.
The Qualitative Report, 8(3), 447-461. Available
via the journal site at http//www.nova.edu/ssss/Q
R/ accessed 9.5.8 - Denscombe, M. (2002). Ground rules for good
research a 10 point guide for social research.
Buckingham, UK Open University Press. - Dickson, LM., Derevensky, JL., Gupta, R. (2002).
The prevention of gambling problems in youth A
conceptual framework. Journal of Gambling
Studies, 18(2), 97-159. - Moodie, J. (nd) The development of a critical
voice in the writing of International
Postgraduate Students. Retrieved 9.5.8 from
http//learning.uow.edu.au/LAS2001/unrefereed/mood
ie.pdf - Neuman, W.L. (2000). Social research methods
qualitative and quantitative approaches (4th
ed.). Boston Allyn and Bacon. - Perry, C. (1995). A Structured approach to
presenting PhD theses Notes for candidates and
their supervisors. Paper presented to the ANZ
Doctoral Consortium, University of Sydney,
February 1994, with later additions to 18
September 1995. Retrieved 8.8.7 from
http//www.elec.uq.edu.au/doc/Thesis_guide/phdth1.
html - Silverman, D. (2000). Doing qualitative research
a practical handbook. London SAGE. See chapter
18 The Literature Review Chapter. - Steane, P. (2004). Fundamentals of a literature
review. In S. Burton P. Steane (Eds.),
Surviving your thesis (pp.124-137). London
Routledge.
18Useful websites
- Getting started on your literature review a
general guide for postgraduate research students.
http//www.mmu.ac.uk/tips/downloads/postgraduate/l
iterature_review.doc.pdf - This site also has other Tips for postgraduate
students including Critical reading, thinking and
writing via http//www.mmu.ac.uk/tips/postgraduate
/cheshire_pack.php - Writing a literature review sources available at
QUT and on-line http//www.library.qut.edu.au/lear
n/learnhow/literaturereview.jsp - Why do a literature review as well as
organisation and writing in FAQ section of
University of Queensland PhD study pages at
http//www2.ems.uq.edu.au/phdweb/phfaq23.html - Section on General guidelines for questions to
ask in refining your topic from the Millerville
Honours Students website http//muweb.millersville
.edu/honors/thesis.htm - The 'Research Room' at the Writer's complex of
Empire State University esp. Evaluating sources
and interactive online tutorial on developing a
research question (if you have a question
evaluate it in exercise 3) http//www.esc.edu/esco
nline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/wholeshortlink
s2/ResearchRoomMenu?opendocument - The OWL at Purdue http//owl.english.purdue.edu/ow
l/ provides a range of resources for writing.
Also see Thesis or Question at http//owl.english.
purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/thesis.ht
ml - Critical Thinking http//www.canberra.edu.au/study
skills/learning/criticalwriting and
http//unilearning.uow.edu.au/main.html