The Prospectus Guidebook states that the framework section
should be:
In
one paragraph, describe the theoretical base or conceptual framework in the
scholarly literature that will ground the study. Base this description on the
problem, purpose, and background of your study. This theory or framework
informs, and is informed by, the research question(s) and helps to identify
research design decisions, such as the method of inquiry and data collection
and analysis
In reality, you will need more than this. Describe the
theory(s) that you will be using in your study. Then take it to the next step
and lay out what the theory predicts will happen in your study. If you find
that you can’t come up with predictions – it may not be an appropriate theory.
To do this, think through each step of your study and how it relates to your
theory. It may make it clearer to give you an example from a recent article I
wrote with some colleagues (Stadtlander et al., 2013):
The
patient-by-treatment-context interactive model of Christensen and Johnson
(2002) provides the framework for the study. The model proposes that the
relationship between patient characteristics and patient adherence is moderated by the treatment
context. The model has been successfully applied to
specific illnesses; for example, renal insufficiency and hemodialysis
(Christensen, Moran, & Ehlers, 1999) and cardiac rehabilitation
(Christensen et al., 1999). It does not
appear to have been previously applied in the present context of ongoing
preventative care in older adults. The
patient (LOC, resilience, self-efficacy, beliefs, and behavior) and treatment
(primary health provider [PHP] characteristics, health behaviors) variables in the current study were
derived from the literature and are consistent with this model.
From
the perspective of the patient-by-treatment-context interactive model of
Christensen and Johnson (2002), adherence (preventative care) is expected to be
best when the patient's characteristics (personality and beliefs) are
consistent with the treatment context (PHP characteristics and behavior;
Christensen, 2004). Thus, in the current study, there should be consistent
preventative care (adherence) when the patient has higher internal LOC (being
proactive in health), higher resilience (inner strength and optimism,
health-promoting behaviors) and higher self-efficacy (more likely to seek
information and self-confidence) and to indicate that they like or feel
comfortable with their PHP (treatment).
In addition, it would be expected that there would be less preventative
care (lack of adherence) when the patient has lower internal LOC (i.e.,
external; not proactive in health), higher powerful others and chance scores
(increased trust in PHP). Other expectations include lower resilience (higher
level of subjective complaints, fewer health-promoting activities), and lower
self-efficacy (less likely to apply health interventions [preventative care]
and less self-confidence) and to indicate that they do not like or feel
comfortable with their PHP (treatment).
Next time we will celebrate the Dissertation Mentor blog's
first birthday! 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
Christensen,
A. J. & Johnson, J. A. (2002). Patient adherence with medical treatment
regimens: An interactive approach. Current Directions in Psychological Science,
11(3), 94-97.
Christensen,
A. J., Moran, P. J. & Ehlers, S. E. (1999). Prediction of future dialysis
regimen adherence: A longitudinal test of the patient by treatment interactive
model. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral
Medicine. San Diego.
Christensen,
A. J., Edwards, D. L., Moran, P. J., Burke, R., Lounsbury, P., & Gordon, E.
I. (1999). Cognitive distortion and functional impairment in patients
undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.
Cognitive Therapy and Research, 23(2), 159-168.
Stadtlander, L., Giles, M., Sickel, A., Brooks, E., Brown,
C., Cormell, M., Ewing, L., Hart, D., Koons, D., Olson, C., Parker, P.,
Semenova, V., & Stoneking, S. (2013). Independent Living Oldest-Old and Their Primary Health
Provider: A Mixed Method Examination of the Influence of Patient Personality
Characteristics. Journal of Applied
Gerontology. Advanced online publication. doi: 10.1177/0733464813482182
