Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and Theoretical Frameworks:

Authors’ Note: Please address correspondence to Tonette S. Rocco, Adult Education & Human Resource Development, Florida International University, 11200 Tamiami Trail, 360 A ZEB, Miami, FL 33199; e-mail: [email protected].

Human Resource Development Review Vol. 8, No. 1 March 2009 120-130 DOI: 10.1177/1534484309332617 © 2009 SAgE Publications

Instructor’s Corner

Literature Reviews, Conceptual Frameworks, and Theoretical Frameworks: Terms, Functions, and Distinctions TONETTE S. ROCCO MARIA S. PLAKHOTNIK Florida International University, Miami

This essay starts with a discussion of the literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework as components of a manuscript. This discussion includes similarities and distinctions among these compo- nents and their relation to other sections of a manuscript such as the prob- lem statement, discussion, and implications. The essay concludes with an overview of the literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework as separate types of manuscripts. Understanding similarities and differences among the literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework can help novice and experienced researchers in organizing, conceptualizing, and conducting their research, whether qual- itative, quantitative, or mixed-methods.

Key words: Literature Review, Conceptual Framework, Theoretical Framework, Integrative Literature Review

Sometimes novice scholars get the impression that the background to a study or problem statement is sufficient or that weak connections to the concepts supporting a study are all that are needed to connect the purpose to the litera- ture. Unfortunately, without a literature review or a framework where the history and big ideas of an area are discussed, a paper drifts. All empirical studies—qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods—must be connected to literature or concepts that support the need for the study, be related to the study’s purpose statement, and situate the study in terms of previous work.

Rocco, Plakhotnik / LITERATURE REVIEWS 121

Even qualitative empirical studies using grounded theory to nurture theory must be connected to a body of literature, conceptual framework, or theoretical framework. A misconception is that because qualitative studies are often inductive, there is no place for theory. Yet all research emanates from the researcher’s implicit or explicit theory of the phenomenon under investigation (Merriam, 2001). These theories come from the academic discipline, the professional application, and the practitioner skills and attitudes that inform service to a client (Passmore, 1997). The importance of any study is demon- strated through the linkages made between research questions and larger theoretical concepts or policy issues, demonstrating how “the particulars of the study serve to illuminate larger issues and, therefore, are of significance” (Marshall & Rossman, 1995, p. 7). Merriam (2001) cautions, “It is often the lack of a clearly articulated theoretical framework—or weak theorizing in general—that results . . . [in rejection] by publication outlets” (p. 45).

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the use of terms and functions of and distinctions among the literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework as components of a manuscript and as types of manuscripts. The first section will discuss literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework as components of a manuscript. The second section will discuss literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework as types of manuscripts.

The first area to be discussed is that these terms are used interchangeably. The second area is that the literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework serve similar functions within a manuscript reporting the results of an empirical study. The third area presents the distinctions between literature review, theoretical framework, conceptual framework as a component of an empirical manuscript, and the distinctions between the three types of manuscripts.

Literature Review, Theoretical Framework, and Conceptual Framework as Components of a Manuscript

The first area to be discussed is that these terms are used interchangeably. The second area is that the literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework serve similar functions within a manuscript reporting the results of an empirical study. The third area presents the distinctions among literature review, theoretical framework, and conceptual framework as a component of an empirical manuscript.