2부 · 원고 쌓아 올리기 — 09화

Building a Conceptual or Theoretical Foundation

Chapter purpose. By the end of this chapter, you should be able to apply the central concepts to a real assignment, research paper, thesis, or article in your own discipline.

What a framework does

A framework identifies concepts and relationships that guide attention. It can shape the research question, definitions, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. A theory should not appear only in the literature review; if it matters to the study, readers should be able to see how it influenced methodological and analytical decisions.

Theoretical and conceptual frameworks

A theoretical framework applies or combines established theory to interpret a problem. A conceptual framework may assemble concepts from research and practice into a studyspecific model. Terminology varies by discipline, so writers should follow local conventions and define how the term is being used.

Selecting a framework

Choose a framework because it clarifies the research problem and supports analysis, not because it is popular. Examine its assumptions, unit of analysis, prior applications, and limits. A framework developed in another context may still be useful, but the writer should justify its transfer and avoid treating it as culturally universal.

Writing the foundation

Introduce the framework, define its central concepts, explain relevant relationships, review how it has been used, justify its fit, and state exactly how it will guide the present study. A diagram may help when it communicates relationships more efficiently than prose, but every element must also be explained in the text.

Using theory without forcing the data

A framework identifies what the researcher will attend to and how concepts are related; it does not guarantee a result. Explain the framework's origin, central constructs, assumptions, and relevance to the problem. Then show how it informs research questions, sampling, instruments, coding, or interpretation. If it affects none of these decisions, it may be decorative rather than functional. International students should be cautious when transferring a framework developed in another national or disciplinary context. Do not reject it merely because it is foreign, but examine whether its constructs, categories, and presumed relationships fit the Korean setting. Define local institutional features that may modify the framework, and distinguish adaptation from confirmation. In interdisciplinary work, a conceptual framework may integrate several bodies of scholarship. Make the integration visible through a diagram or proposition set, and define the level at which each concept operates. Avoid combining theories only because they share a keyword.

Discipline rotation—engineering

A human–computer interaction study may combine a usability construct with cognitiveload theory. The framework should specify which measures represent each construct and how design features are expected to influence performance or user experience.