Theoretical Foundations: Definition, Types and Methods of Writing

Theoretical Foundations: Definition, Types and Methods of Writing- Is that the theoretical basis?, On this occasion About Knowledge.co.id will discuss it and of course other things that also surround it. Let's take a look at the discussion in the article below to better understand it.

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Theoretical Foundations: Definition, Types and Methods of Writing

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The theoretical foundation is one of the parts in a study that contains theories and research results derived from literature studies.

This section serves as the theoretical framework used to complete various research work. The theoretical foundation can also be referred to as the theoretical framework.

In general, this Theoretical Framework consists of several concepts along with definitions and references to be used for highly relevant scientific literature, theories used for study or research. This section should provide an understanding of the theory as well as concepts relevant to the topic the research being discussed and relating to the broader field of knowledge currently being considered.

The Function of Theory in Research

The theory used in the study has several functions, including the following:

• Serves to summarize and also compile existing knowledge in a particular field.
• Serves to provide temporary information about the events and relationships being observed. This is done by providing variables that are related to each other.
• Serves to stimulate the development of new knowledge by providing direction for further investigation.

Sugiyono argues that in research the theoretical basis needs to be upheld so that the research has a solid foundation, and is not just an act of trial and error (trial and error).

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Types of Theoretical Foundations

The following are the differences in theory used in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research, namely:

• Theory in quantitative research

Before discussing quantitative theory, researchers need to understand the variables and their types that will be used in building the theory. Research variables refer to the characteristics or attributes of an individual or an organization that can be measured or observed.

The types of variables that are usually used in research include the following;

• • Independent variable or independent
  • Dependent or dependent variable
  • Intervening or mediating variables
  • Moderating variable
  • Control variable
  • Counfounding or spurious variables.

Theory in quantitative research is a set of constructs (or variables) that are interrelated related, associated with propositions or hypotheses that detail the relationship between variables (usually in the context of magnitude or ). directions).

A theory in research may function as an argument, discussion, or reason. Theories usually help explain (or predict) phenomena that occur in the world.

Lebovitz and Hagedorn (1971) in Creswell (2016) add the definition of theory to the idea of ​​theoretical rationale, which is as "an attempt to find out how and why variables and relational statements relate to each other" other".

In a quantitative research proposal, the researcher can assert his theory in various forms:

• • The researcher confirms the theory in the form of statements of interconnected hypotheses. For example, the higher a person's rank, the stronger his centrality.
  • The researcher states the theory in the form of an "if-then" statement that shows why one should expect the independent variable to affect the dependent variable.
  • The researcher presents the theory in visual form. This visual form is important for translating variables into a visual image.

• Theories in qualitative research

Qualitative researchers use theory in research for different purposes:

• • In qualitative research, theory is often used as an explanation for certain behaviors and attitudes. This theory can be perfect in the presence of variables, constructs, and research hypotheses.
  • Qualitative researchers often use theoretical perspectives as general guidelines for researching gender, class, and race (or other issues concerning marginalized groups).
  • In qualitative research, theory is often used as the end point of research. By making theory the end point of research, it means that the researcher applies the research process inductively that proceeds from the data, then to general themes, then to a theory or model certain.
  • Some qualitative research does not use theory that is too explicit. This case could happen due to 2 things:
    • 1) Because none of the qualitative research has been conducted with “truly general” observations
    • 2) Because the previous conceptual structure composed of certain theories and methods has provided a starting point for all observations (Schwandt, 1993 in Creswell, 2016).

• Theory in mixed methods research

Theories in mixed methods research can be applied deductively, such as by testing or verification of theory quantitatively or inductively, as by generation of theories or patterns quantitative. In addition, there are several unique ways of incorporating a theory into mixed methods research in which researchers collect, analyze, and combine quantitative and qualitative data using a mixed methods design that rancangan different.

This framework uses 2 forms, both of which have appeared in the mixed methods literature over the last 5-10 years.

• • Using social science framework

Social science theory can be an overarching framework for mixed methods research. Social science theories can be drawn from various theories found in social sciences such as: leadership, economics, political science, marketing, behavior change, adoption or diffusion of social science theories anything.

• • Using a transformative framework

The use and acceptability of transformative theories in mixed methods research has grown more and more in the last decade.

This impetus comes from the work of Mertens (2003, 2009) in Creswell (2016), which not only conveys the main purpose of this theory but also how this goal is used to become a general research process and method mix.

How to Write Theoretical Foundation

In writing the theoretical basis, there are several things that you need to pay attention to first, including the following:

• There is the name of the originator of the theory.
• Write down the year and place of the first time.
• Give a scientific description of the theory.
• Connect existing theories with research efforts to achieve research goals or targets.

In addition, in compiling a theoretical basis there are several things that need to be considered by a researcher, including the following:

In preparing a theoretical basis, a researcher should use relevant guidelines with various problems being researched and also a guide containing the results of the research previous.
Writing between other sub-chapters must remain clearly connected to each other and must pay attention to the rules of library writing.

In order to get good and correct research results, literature studies must meet the principle of up-to-date and must also be related to research problems. When using references with several editions, the latest edition should be used. whereas if the reference is no longer published, then the reference used is the last one published. For the use of the journal as reference material, the limitation on the year of publication does not apply.

The more reading sources that are read, the better the quality of the research carried out, especially the sources readings that come from text books or other sources, for example from journals, newspapers, articles or magazines, the internet and others other.

The guidelines of the theoretical framework are very applicable to any type of research.
The theory in a research is not a person's personal opinion, unless the opinion is written in a book.

For correlational research, at the end of the theoretical framework, theoretical models, conceptual models (if needed) and hypotheses are presented in separate chapters. However, for case study research, it is only sufficient to develop a theoretical model and also provide an explanation.

The theoretical model referred to above is a frame of mind from an author in a research conducted by him. The framework can be in the form of an existing expert framework, or a framework based on existing supporting theories.

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