meljun cortes research seminar 1_theoretical_framework

Developing the theoretical and conceptual framework

J199 lecture, R.E.Khan

Edited and updated by:

M. B. dela Fuente

TheoryTheories are constructed in order to explain, predict and master phenomena (e.g. relationships, events, or the behavior). In many instances we are constructing models of reality. A theory makes generalizations about observations and consists of an interrelated, coherent set of ideas and models.

Formulating the Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework of the study is a structure that can hold or support a theory of a research work. It presents the theory which explains why the problem under study exists.

Thus, the theoretical framework is but a theory that serves as a basis for conducting research.

Formulating the Theoretical FrameworkPurpose:• It helps the researcher see clearly the variables

of the study;• It can provide him with a general framework for

data analysis;• It is essential in preparing a research proposal

using descriptive and experimental methods.

For example:

Media Organization, Selection, and Production. McQuail’s theory on media as an institution takes into account all forces that affect media’s performance. (After: Littlejohn, 1992)

Basic theory 1

Thesis examines the gatekeeping, news selection and reportage of world news in leading Philippine dailies and primetime newscasts.

For example: Basic theory 2

Selective Gatekeeping. Galtung and Ruge selective gatekeeping theory suggests that news from around the world are evaluated using news values to determine their newsworthiness. (After Mc Quail and Windahl 1993, p. 166)

For example: Basic theory 3

Model of the Agenda Setting Theory. Malcolm McCombs and Donald Shaw’s theory simply states that the issues given most attention by the media will be perceived as the most important. (Before: McQuail and Windahl 1993)

For example: Combined theory

Integrated Theoretical Framework. The integrated theoreticalframework shows how media content is shaped by pressures to the media organization, selective gatekeeping and agenda setting.

Based on the foregoing example, how should the theoretical framework formulated?

1. specifies the theory used as basis for the study

2. mentions the proponents of the theory3. cites the main points emphasized in the

theory4. Supports his exposition of the theory by ideas

from other experts;5. illustrates his theoretical framework by

means of a diagram; and,6. reiterates his theoretical proposition in the

study.

ConceptAfter formulating the theoretical framework, the researcher has to develop the conceptual framework of the study. A concept is an image or symbolic representation of an abstract idea. Chinn and Kramer (1999) define a concept as a “complex mental formulation of experience”. While the theoretical framework is the theory on which the study is based, the conceptual framework is the operationalization of the theory.

Conceptual frameworkIt is the researcher’s own position on the problem and gives direction to the study.It may be an adaptation of a model used in a previous study, with modifications to suit the inquiry. Aside from showing the direction of the study, through the conceptual framework, the researcher can be able to show the relationships of the different constructs that he wants to investigate.

Conceptual Framework. News values, and the pressures and constraints shape the newspapers and television newscasts. The result of this relationship is selective reporting of events.

Conceptual Framework

Operational Framework. Foreign news sections of Philippine newspapers and foreign news segments of television newscasts are shaped by the interests of owners, editorial policies, audience and advertisements. The criteria for selection of foreign news, the news values, also affect the foreign news coverage. These factors result in unequal treatment of stories and paved way for the dominance of some topics and of some regions in foreign news coverage of media.

Based on the foregoing example, how should the conceptual framework formulated?

1. cite your conceptual framework or paradigm;2. Identify your variables;3. Point out the dependent and intervening

variables;4. Show the direction of the study.Once the conceptual framework has been determined, the next for the researcher is to determine what research methods to employ to best answer the research problem through the proposed framework.

Research design depends on the nature of the data to analyzed. Quantitative data – when your thesis problem requires numerical measurements of traits, trends, characteristics or attributes of the subject matter;Analysis leads researcher to:• depict what is typical and atypical among the data;• show the degree of difference or relationship between two or more variables;• determine the likelihood that the findings are real for the population as opposed to having occurred only by chance in the sample.

Qualitative data – when your thesis problem focuses on the meanings, perceptions, symbols or description of the subject matter.

Analysis leads researcher to:• observe behaviors, situations, interactions and environments;• scrutinize these observations for patterns and categories;• answer research questions based on what can be deduced from the findings.

IS/IT RESEARCHTheoretical Framework for

• IS research involves the study of the application of IT to organizations and society.

• The goals are (1) to promote the acquisition of knowledge, and (2) to document how individuals, groups, organizations and society can use IS and technology more efficiently and effectively.

• Nunamaker’s Multi-methodological Approach to IS Research

• Software Engineering Research Methodology (SERM)

• DAGS Framework (Adams, 2009)• Task-Technology Fit Theory (TTF)

Nunamaker’s Multi-methodological Approach to IS Research

• “a research methodology consists of the combination of the process, methods and tools that are used in conducting research in a research domain.” (Nunamaker as cited in Adams, 2009)

• Research strategies is composed of: (1) observation, (2) theory building, (3) systems development, and (4) experimentation.

Research Life Cycle

1. Theory building2. Experimentation3. Observation4. Systems Development


Research Model

• Theory Building involves:– Development of new ideas and concepts– Conceptual Frameworks– Models

• Mathematical• Simulation• Data

– Methods


Theory Building Models

• Usually concerned with generic system behaviors

• Subjected to rigorous analysis• Mathematical models often have constraining

assumptions which limit applicability of models

• Often display limited practical relevance to the target domain


Relevance of a Theory

• Refers to potential insights and impacts on practical applications

• Theory building or basic research contributes to the body of knowledge in a research domain but produces no system that takes advantage of this new knowledge


Theories May Be Used to Suggest

• Research hypotheses• Guide design of experiments• Conduct systematic observations


Experimentation

• Laboratory and field experiments• Computer and experimental simulations• Concerns itself with validation of underlying

theories


Experimental Designs Are:

• Guided by theories and• Facilitated by systems development• Used to refine theories and improve systems


Observation

• Research methodologies– Case studies– Field studies– Sample studies unobtrusively obtained

• Used to get a general feel for what is involved


Observation

• Helps to formulate hypotheses to be tested in experimentation or to focus later investigations

• Insights are gained in natural, more holistic settings, relevant to domain studied


31

Researchers are expected to report sufficient

contextual and environmental conditions

to enable judgment of limitations


It is extremely important that other It is extremely important that other research methodologies be research methodologies be

employed to support systems employed to support systems development effortsdevelopment efforts

32

Software system by itself is not sufficient to prove anything scientifically relevant.


Utilizing Different Research Methodologies in System Development

• Systems development is the hub of research• Interacts with other research to form an

integrated and dynamic research program• No one research methodology is preeminent


Where multiple research methodologies are applicable, they

appear to be complimentary, providing valuable feedback

to one another

34Nunamaker’s Multi-methodological Approach to IS Research

35

ResearchResearch ProcessProcess

Body of KnowledgeBody of Knowledge

Apply valid Research

Methodologies

Understand the Research Domains

Knowledge of Research Domains

++

++Knowledge of Research

Methodologies

Results contribute to thebody of knowledge

FRAMEWORK OF RESEARCHNunamaker’s Multi-methodological Approach to IS Research

System Development Research Process

Develop aSystem Architecture

Analyze &Design the System

Build the(Prototype) System

Observe & Evaluate The System

Construct a Conceptual Framework


Research Issues in Design Science


Construct a Conceptual Framework

• State a meaningful question• Investigate the system functionalities and

requirements• Understand the system building

processes/procedures• Study relevant disciplines for new approaches

and ideas


Develop a System Architecture

• Develop a unique architecture design for extensibility, modularity, etc.

• Define functionalities of system components and interrelationships among them


Analyze & Design the System

• Design the database/knowledge base schema and processes to carry out system functions

• Develop alternative solutions and choose one solution


Build the System

• Learn through the system building process about:– Concepts– Framework– Design

• Gain insights about the problems and the complexity of the system


Observe & Evaluate the System

• Observe the use of the system by experiments, case studies and field studies

• Evaluate the system by laboratory experiments or field experiments

• Develop new theories/models based on the observation and experimentation of the system’s usage

• Consolidate experiences learned


In Concluding…

Building a system in and of itself does not constitute research


Design Science Is Credible As a Design Science Is Credible As a Research MethodologyResearch Methodology

As just one of many methodologies


Software Engineering Research Methodology

• Based on the three phases of the software engineering methodology: conceptual, formal, and developmental.

• Conceptual phase– Primary activity where the theoretical foundation

of the research effort is defined.– Dependent on the clarity with which problems are

articulated, and the understandability and translatability of the concepts identified.



• Formalization phase– Concerned with the application of mathematical

or logic based techniques to describe, develop and verify a software system.

– The use of which reduces the possibility of misconceptions and misunderstandings.



• Development phase– Concerned with prototyping.– Prototype allows researchers to study the validity

of their solution by studying system performance in a controlled environment.


DAGS Framework

• Integrates design science, action research, grounded theory and system development methodologies in leveraging information technology

DAGS Framework (Adams, 2009)

Design Science

• Described by R. Buckminister Fuller (as cited in Adams, 2009) as

“The function of what I call design science is to solve problems by introducing into the environment new artifacts, the availability of which will induce their

spontaneous employment by humans and thus, coincidentally, cause humans to abandon their

previous problem-producing behaviors and devices.”


Design Science

• Applied research or research that applies knowledge to solve practical problems (Nunamaker 1991)

• Attempts to create things that serve human purposes, as opposed to natural and social sciences, which try to understand reality. (March and Smith 1995)

• A problem solving paradigm that seeks to create innovations (Hevner 2004)


Design Science

• March and Smith (1994) characterized design science products or outputs as being four types:– Constructs– Models– Methods– Instantiations


Design Science

• Constructs – concepts form the vocabulary of a domain. They constitute a conceptualization used to describe problems within the domain and to specify their solutions.

• Models – a set of propositions or statements expressing relationships among constructs. Models represent a situation as problem and solution statements.


Design Science

• Methods – a set of steps (algorithms) used to perform a task. Methods are based on a set of underlying constructs (language) and a representation (model) of the solution space.

• Instantiations – an implementation is the realization of an artifact in its environment, an instantiation that operationalizes constructs, models and methods.


Action Research

• Qualitative approaches to IS research are gaining acceptance as a valid research methodology.

• Action research is a popular and accepted methodology primarily because it associates research and practice, research informs practice and practice informs research synergistically.


Action Research

• Conceived as an approach in studying social psychology within the framework of field theory.

• Over a dozen different manifestations have been identified, characterized by different models, structures and goals.

• Susman and Evered (1978) detailed a five phase cyclical process requiring the establishment of a client-system research environment.


Grounded Theory

• Designed to cultivate an integrated set of concepts that offer a thorough theoretical explanation of the social phenomena under study.

• Grounded theory is an inductive, theory discovery methodology that allows the researcher to develop a theoretical account of the general features of a topic while simultaneously grounding the account in empirical observations or data.


Grounded Theory

• It implies that theory must be developed from a systematic analysis of empirical data.

• The objective is the discovery of a theoretically comprehensive explanation about the phenomenon using techniques and analytical procedures that enable investigators to develop a theory that is significant, generalizable, reproducible and rigorous.


Elements of Grounded Theory

• Three basic elements of grounded theory: concepts, categories, and propositions.– Concepts – basic unit of analysis since it is from

conceptualization of data that theories are developed.

– Categories – more abstract than the concepts they represent.

– Propositions – indicators of the generalized relationship between a category and its concepts between discrete categories.


(Events) Grounded Theory

• Procedures and Cannons (Corbin and Strauss, 1990)1. Data Collection and Analysis are Interrelated

Processes2. Concepts are the Basic Units of Analysis3. Categories are the Basic Units of Analysis4. Sampling in Grounded Theory proceeds on

Theoretical Grounds5. Analysis makes use of Constant Comparisons


(Events) Grounded Theory6. Patterns and Variations must be Accounted for7. Process Must Be Built into the Theory8. Writing Theoretical Memorandums is an integral

part of doing Grounded Theory9. Hypotheses about relationships among

categories should be developed and verified as much as possible during the research process

10. A grounded theorist need not work alone11. Broader structural conditions must be analyzed,

however microscopic the research.


(Building Theory) Grounded Theory

• Developed for the purpose of studying social phenomena using a systematic set of data collection and analysis procedures to develop inductively derived theory from the data.

• Theory construction process (Charmaz, 2002): (1) Coding and Categorizing, (2) Memo-writing, (3) Theoretical Sampling


System Development

• Primary purpose is to add to the body of knowledge about the creation and evaluation of software design, development and implementation issues by investigating “all aspects of the software development process, including software formulation, implementation, description, evolution, modeling and evaluation.”


System Development

• Study the effective design, delivery, use and impact of information technology in organizations and society.

• A variety of approaches and methodologies have been employed and are categorized into four generally accepted research approaches (Morrison and George, 1995).


System Development

– Formulative research - development and refinement of theories, models or frameworks that guide research activities and support scientific progress through paradigm shifts.

– Evaluative research - methodologies that employ the scientific method and normally consist of theory or model generation or observation followed by hypothesis generation and testing.


System Development

– Descriptive research – the development and description of theories or models to provide the input for developing units of theory, its laws of interaction, system states and model boundaries.

– Developmental research – generation of knowledge for examining or solving general problems.


System Development Research Methodology

• An age-old method and process that humans used to study nature and to create new products.

• Nunamaker argue that the synthesis and expression of new technologies and new concepts in a tangible product can act as both contribution to both basic and applied research.


System Development Research Methodology

• Methodology is the philosophy of the research process1. Researcher identifies research problems and

related research questions;2. Develops and evaluates a software prototype3. Evaluation of results may suggest revision of

prototype concepts, requirements, and architecture, design and implementation considerations.


Task-Technology Fit Theory

• Dependent factors: individual performance, system utilization

• Independent factors: task characteristics, technology characteristics

• TTF theory holds that IT is more likely to have a positive impact on individual performance and be used if the capabilities of the IT match the tasks that the user must perform (Goodhue and Thompson, 1995)

Task-Technology Fit Theory (Goodhue and Thompson, 1995)


• Measure of task-technology fit:1. Quality2. Locatability3. Authorization4. Compatibility5. Ease of use/training6. Production timeliness7. Systems reliability8. Relationship with users

Factors are measured using between two and ten questions with responses on a seven point scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.



• TTF measure is found to be a significant predictor of user reports of improved job performance and effectiveness that was attributable to their use of the system under investigation.


References• Adams, Lascelles A. (2009) “DAGS: An Information System Design

Research Framework Supporting the Design, Development and Delivery of More Effective Information Systems”. (Doctoral Dissertation)

• Nunamaker, J.F. Jr., Chen, M., Purdin, T.D. (1991) “Systems Development in Information Systems Research”, Journal of Management Information Systems.

• York University. “Theories Used in IS Research - Task Technology Fit” (http://www.istheory.yorku.ca/tasktechnologyfit.htm last accessed Sep 8, 2013)

• IS Theory (list of IS theories as compiled by BYU) (http://istheory.byu.edu/wiki/Main_Page)

http://www.istheory.yorku.ca/tasktechnologyfit.htm

http://www.istheory.yorku.ca/tasktechnologyfit.htm

http://istheory.byu.edu/wiki/Main_Page

http://istheory.byu.edu/wiki/Main_Page