CHAPTER 3

The development of the theoretical framework:

literature review and construction of

a theoretical perspective
RESEARCH PROCESS Third step
DEVELOPMENT OF A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:

Literature review
Detection of literature
Obtaining the literature
Literature review or Extraction and compilation of relevant information
Construction of the theoretical framework

What are the functions of the theoretical framework?

When we want to learn something new, we first have to think about what we want.
learn and ask questions. Then, we have to think about how we can learn it.
and search for information from other people who have already studied it. This is called 'elaborating the
theoretical framework." It's like putting together a puzzle, looking for the pieces that fit well.
to better understand what we want to learn.
Six main functions
Helps to prevent errors that have been made in other studies.
2. Provides guidance on how the study will be conducted. Indeed, when attending to the
background, we can realize how a specific problem has been addressed
of research (what types of studies have been conducted, with what types of subjects, how they
they have collected the data, in which places they have been carried out, what designs have been
used).
3. Broaden the scope of the study and guide the researcher to focus on their
problem avoiding deviations from the original proposal.
4. Leads to the establishment of hypotheses or statements that will later have to
subject to testing in reality.
5. Inspires new lines and areas of research.
6. Provides a framework for interpreting the study results.
What stages are included in the preparation of the theoretical framework?

The development of the theoretical framework consists of two stages: 1) the literature review
corresponding and 2) the adoption of a theory or development of a theoretical perspective;
both stages will be addressed next.
WHAT DOES THE LITERATURE REVIEW CONSIST OF?
The literature review is when we look for information in books and other materials.
that can help us with our study. It is important to find the information that
We need to solve our research problem. There are many materials.
different ones we can use, such as magazine articles and books. But there are so many
materials that we cannot read completely. That's why we have to choose the most important ones and
Recent. There are many things we do when we review the literature.
Detection of literature and other documents
The bibliographic review involves the identification, consultation, and acquisition of references.
other relevant resources for the study objectives, from which it should be
extract and compile the relevant and necessary information to contextualize our
research problem
A. Primary sources (direct). They constitute the objective of bibliographic research or
literature review.
B. Secondary sources. They consist of compilations, summaries, and listing of references.
published in a particular area of knowledge
EXAMPLE OF A REFERENCES INDEX
There are documents called tertiary sources. They contain names of
magazines, newsletters, companies, and other things that can help people who study
behavior. There is also information about books and organizations that help with
research. These documents are very useful for finding information on many
different sources.
START OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW
The literature review can begin directly with the search for sources.
primary sources, but this is uncommon due to the lack of access to libraries and collections
updated in many countries.
Primary sources are the ultimate objective of the literature review. It is important
keep in mind that the specialists in the corresponding areas are responsible for
elaborate secondary or tertiary sources, and it is essential to take advantage of their effort
proper way. It is highly recommended, especially for those who have not
conducted a literature review previously, go to an information center that
be connected by computer terminal to various banks or databases. Each
one of these banks groups multiple references or primary sources within a field
of knowledge in particular. In addition, these centers provide advice on what
Banks are convenient for connecting according to the specific research problem.
In summary, to identify the literature that interests us and will serve to develop the
theoretical framework we can:

a) Go directly to the primary or original sources (when one knows very well the
area of knowledge where the literature review is conducted.
b) Consult experts in the area to guide the detection of relevant literature and
to secondary sources, and thus locate the primary sources (which is the strategy of
detection of most common references.
c) Refer to tertiary sources to locate secondary sources and places where it can
obtain information, and through it detect the primary sources of interest.
OBTAINING LITERATURE
It is important to physically locate primary sources in libraries or other places.
relevant for your future reference. It is not always possible to find all sources
primaries, but it is essential to review the majority of them, especially the most
recent and those written by prominent experts. If they are not found in the locality, they
they can write to prestigious libraries, journals, publishing companies, or experts in the
theme. Some information centers connected to databases offer the service of
recovery of primary sources.
LITERATURE CONSULTATION
To consult the primary sources of interest, it is necessary to select those that are
outline for the specific theoretical framework and discard those that are not useful. The primary sources
the most used are books, scientific journals, and presentations or submitted papers
in conferences. It is important to ask questions to select the primary sources that
will serve to elaborate the theoretical framework. Foreign literature can be useful, but it
you must be careful how it is used. Once the useful references have been selected, you
they are carefully reviewed and the necessary information is extracted to develop the framework
theoretical. It is advisable to note all the complete identification data of the
reference.
EXTRACTION AND COLLECTION OF RELEVANT INFORMATION IN THE LITERATURE
There are different ways to collect reference information, such as using cards,
loose sheets, notebooks or notebooks. The important thing is to extract the necessary data and ideas.
to develop the theoretical framework and note the complete reference from where it was extracted
information. Examples are provided on how to annotate the complete reference according to the
type of source, such as books, book chapters, journal articles, journalistic articles
and videocassettes or movies.
Examples of ways to gather references
As mentioned before, when collecting information from references, sometimes it is extracted
just one idea, while in other cases several ideas. Let's look at some examples
of collecting information extracted from primary sources, with the aim of illustrating the
manner in which this collection is made in bibliographic work notes or cards
(Note that in all cases the full reference is included)
HOW IS THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK BUILT?
One of the purposes of the literature review is to analyze and discern whether the theory
existing and the previous research suggests an answer, even if it is partial, to the
research question or questions or a direction to follow within the theme of our
study (Dankhe, 1986). The reviewed literature can reveal to us, in relation to our
research problem, the following:
1) That there exists a fully developed theory, with abundant empirical evidence,
and that applies to our research problem.
2) That there are several theories that apply to our research problem.
3) There are "pieces and bits" of theory with moderate or limited empirical support, that
they suggest potentially important variables that apply to our problem of
research (empirical generalizations or microtheories).
4) That there are only guides that have not been studied yet and vaguely related ideas with the
research problem (Dankhe, 1986).
In each case, the strategy we will use to build our framework varies.
theoretical. But before doing so, it is necessary to explain some terms that have been used
driving in this section; for example, what is a theory? and what are its
functions? Let's take a break and review these concepts.
We must clarify that much could be said about a theory (there are even works
complete discussions dedicated solely to speaking about this topic); however, because it is not
the main purpose of the book is to delve into this topic, we will only address some aspects of
he.
ACCEPTANCES OF THE TERM THEORIES
The term "theory" has been used in various ways to refer to different
questions. Upon reviewing the literature on this subject, contradictory definitions are found or
ambiguous. Moreover, concepts such as 'theory', 'theoretical orientation', 'framework' are used
"theoretical reference", "theoretical framework" or "model" as synonyms or with slight nuances.
differentials. Some people use the term to refer to a series of ideas that
they have something, while others consider that theories are sets of ideas not
probable and incomprehensible things that have little relation to reality. There are also
who think that theories are something totally disconnected from everyday life and
that should only be taken into account when they can show us how to live better.
Some believe that the theory represents simple ideas for which they have not been devised.
relevant empirical procedures to measure them, which gives the theory a certain
mystical quality. Others identify any kind of conceptualization with theory,
while some equate it with the texts of classical authors of the sciences of
behavior. Finally, some conceive of the theory as a conceptual framework that
represents the nature of a reality. These erroneous interpretations have caused
controversies and have led to research down different paths.
THE SCIENTIFIC DEFINITION
The theory can be conceptualized as a final explanation, consisting of a
set of interrelated propositions that explain why and how an occurs a
phenomenon. According to several authors, a theory is a set of constructs, definitions and
related propositions that present a systematic viewpoint of
phenomena specifying relationships between variables in order to explain and predict the
Phenomena. The theories can be accompanied by schemes, diagrams, or graphic models.
for educational purposes and to illustrate the most important theoretical concepts.

FUNCTIONS OF THE THEORY

Some people doubt the usefulness of theories in education because they have not
analyzed its importance nor have they applied a theory to reality. Sometimes, the lack of
application is due to the lack of knowledge on how to do it. Furthermore, the theory is the
Finally, scientific research explains and describes reality.
The theory has three main functions: to explain, to systematize, and to predict. The explanation
it involves describing and explaining a phenomenon, while systematization implies giving
order to the dispersed knowledge about a phenomenon. Prediction involves making
inferences about how a phenomenon will manifest in the future given certain
conditions. An adequate theory must understand the factors that affect the phenomenon to
to be able to make accurate predictions.

USEFULNESS OF THE THEORY

A theory is useful if it describes, explains, and predicts a phenomenon, organizes knowledge and
orient the research. There are no 'bad or inadequate' theories, since if it does not meet its
function, it is not a theory. Some people see little usefulness in theories because they read
supposed "theories" that do not fulfill their function. Not all theories are equally
Some are more developed than others and fulfill their functions better.
the most common criteria for evaluating a theory are: ability to describe, explain and
prediction, logical consistency, perspective, fruition, and parsimony.
A theory must be supported by empirical evidence to describe, explain, and predict.
phenomena. It must also be logically consistent, have perspective to explain
various phenomena, having the ability to generate new questions and discoveries,
and to be parsimonious, that is, simple and straightforward.

What strategies do we follow to build the theoretical framework: do we adopt a theory or

Do we develop a theoretical perspective?
If we find a theory that already explains everything we want to know, we can use that.
theory to build our own theory. But if the theory has already been studied a lot,
We should not investigate the same thing again. Instead, we can ask new questions.
based on what we already know. We can also test a theory in a different place
or with different people. If we use a theory already developed, our theoretical framework ...
he will explain that theory. For example, if we want to know what motivates people
at work, we can use an existing theory. This theory says that certain
The characteristics of the work motivate people. We can use a drawing to
explain this theory.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

It is important to conduct a literature review in an organized manner to build a

theoretical or reference framework in a research. It is advisable to review what has been
done before in the community or similar communities to conceive a better study and
more comprehensive. However, at times, the literature review and the construction of the
The theoretical framework can be quicker and simpler. When building the theoretical framework, we must
focus on the research problem and link logically and coherently the
concepts and propositions existing in previous studies.
To conduct a proper literature review, it is necessary to use various sources.
consult experts, identify relevant theories and empirical generalizations, and detect
limitations and gaps in the existing literature.
BASIC CONCEPTS
Theoretical framework
secondary. Tertiary sources. Conceptual framework. Theory. Functions of the theory. Construction
from a theory. Criteria for evaluating a theory. Empirical generalization. Development strategy
of the theoretical framework. Structure of the theoretical framework. Evaluation of the review conducted in the literature

SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
McCORMICK, M. (1986). The New York Times guide to reference materials. New York:
Signet (New American Library), June 1986 printing. The entire book is recommended.
for the topic
literature review
REYNOLDS, RD. (1983). A primer in theory construction Indianapolis, Indiana: The Bobbs-
Merrill
Company Inc., 11 layer printing. Chapters "Statements", "Forms of theories", "Testing"
theories and
Strategies for developing a scientific body of knowledge (four to seven).
WIERSMAN, W. (1986). Research methods in education: An introduction. Boston,
Massachusetts: Allyn and
Bacon, fourth edition. Chapter 'The review of the literature' (chapter three)