In Chapter 2, you will be
expanding on the theories you mentioned in Chapter 1. This is where you go into
the background of the theory, where did it come from and why was it developed?
Talk about the major ideas of the theory, and go into some depth on how the
theory has been applied in studies similar to yours (giving citations of
course). Then you will want to discuss why you are using this theory as opposed
to other ones. Finally, you will want to go into some detail as to how the
theory relates to your study and to your research questions. What does the
theory predict will happen in your study? Yes, you can have multiple theories,
they should each offer different insights in your problem and each needs to be
discussed. You will also want to compare and contrast the different theories'
predictions.
You may also wish to discuss the
conceptual framework of your study. A conceptual framework is a less developed
form of a theory and consists of statements that link abstract concepts, in
psychology it is often described by the term "model." You can build
your own conceptual model by thinking through how you think your variables are
related to the main concept. Draw a picture of how you think the relationship
works. Then think through what aspects you will be examining in your study. If
you want to address this area in your paper, you will need to discuss other key
theorists and researchers who have done related studies and how their results
fit into your conceptual ideas. You will also want to discuss how the concept
has been used previously in research; keeping in mind other researchers may only
have examined a portion of the model.
Next time we will examine the
literature review. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to
discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your
ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu
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