1. INTRODUCTION
Meaning:
It is the researcher’s own position on the problem and gives direction to the study.
2. DEFINITION
A written or visual presentation that: “explains either graphically, or in narrative form, the main
things to be studied – the key factors, concepts or variables - and the presumed relationship among
them”.
It may be an adaptation of a model used in a previous study, with modifications to suit the inquiry.
3. NATURE OF FRAMEWORKS
Abstractions
Mental images
Conceptions
The pieces of the conceptual framework are borrowed but the researcher provides the structure. To
develop the structure you could:
Identify the key words used in the subject area of your study.
Take one key concept, idea or term at a time and brainstorm all the other things that might be
related and select those that seem most relevant.
Started early in the development of the framework but refinement is the last step
To develop a map arrange the concepts on the page in sequence of occurrence from left to right
with outcome concepts located on the far right
Decide what sort of medical research you want to conduct. Experiments requiring drug tests or other
scientific investigation are best done with the quantitative method. If your nursing research involves
people, opt for the qualitative approach.
Identify the thesis statement of your research and write it in a circle in the middle of a piece of
paper. Draw lines away from the center and make circles to record your secondary ideas. Use
colored pencils if they help you articulate your thoughts .
Highlight the gaps, connections and contradictions in your conceptual framework. Leave it alone for
a while and then revisit the design to see if it suits your nursing research project or it you need to
add additional material
Review the ethical regulations of nursing research and make sure your conceptual framework fits
within the guidelines. The conceptual framework of your nursing research will be reviewed by a
board to examine the privacy and involvement of others.
Meet with your supervisor to review your conceptual framework. An experienced medical
researcher may be able to identify points you missed in your conceptual framework and make
suggestions on how you could improve it.
The ability to move beyond descriptions to explanations means ‘what’ to ‘why’ and ‘how’.
A means of setting out an explanation set that might be used to define and make sense of the data
that flow from the research question
A filtering tool for selecting appropriate research questions and related data collection methods
A reference point for the discussion of the literature, methodology and results
Once developed will influence the researcher’s thinking and may result in some things being given
prominence and others being ignored – ongoing bias
The solution is to revisit the conceptual framework, particularly at the end when evaluating your
work
8. CONCEPTUAL MODELS AND THEORIES USED IN NURSING RESEARCH
Orem’s (1995)