Theoretical Framework Example for a Thesis or Dissertation
Your theoretical framework defines the key concepts in your research, suggests relationships between them, and discusses relevant theories based on your literature review.
A strong theoretical framework gives your research direction. It allows you to convincingly interpret, explain, and generalize from your findings and show the relevance of your thesis or dissertation topic in your field.
Sample problem statement and research questions
Your theoretical framework is based on:
- Your problem statement
- Your research questions
- Your literature review
As the concepts of “loyalty” and “customer satisfaction” play a major role in the investigation and will later be measured, they are essential concepts to define within your theoretical framework.
Sample theoretical framework
Below is a simplified example showing how you can describe and compare theories in your thesis or dissertation. In this example, we focus on the concept of customer satisfaction introduced above.
Of course, you could analyze the concepts more thoroughly and compare additional definitions to each other. You could also discuss the theories and ideas of key authors in greater detail and provide several models to illustrate different concepts.
Your theoretical framework
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