Study Guide: The theoretical framework of a thesis: what and how?

The theoretical framework is one of the more infamous components of a thesis. A good theoretical framework gives you a strong scientific research base and provides support for the rest of your thesis. But what exactly is a theoretical framework? And how do you write one? The goal of a theoretical framework After you have identified your problem statement and research question(s), it is important to determine what theories and ideas exist in relation to your chosen subject. By presenting this information, you ‘frame’ your research and show that you are knowledgeable about the key concepts, theories, and models that relate to your topic. The definitions and models you select also give your research direction, as you will continue to build on these choices in different stages of your project. The theoretical framework also provides scientific justification for your investigation: it shows that your research is not just coming “out of the blue,” but that it is both grounded in and based on scientific theory