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. As discussedpreviously, 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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