Theoretical Framework

This assignment has three parts. All three parts can be submitted as one document.

Part I. Theoretical Framework for a Quantitative Research Study

Read pages 1534-1536 of the study entitled, Children’s Classroom Engagement and School Readiness Gains in Prekindergarten. This is a quantitative research study and the purpose of the study was to determine if the type of classroom engagement of prekindergarten children is related to gains in school readiness during the prekindergarten school year. The researchers observed children in the prekindergarten classes and profiled the students according to the types of activities in which they engaged during the prekindergarten classes. Thus, the research hypothesis might read as follows: There is a significant difference in the gains in school readiness among prekindergarten children who differ in their classroom engagement experiences.

In quantitative research studies, the theoretical framework should explain the relationship between variables in the hypothesis. The variables in the research hypothesis for this quantitative study are types of classroom engagement experiences (independent variable) and gains in school readiness (dependent variable). The theoretical framework should explain the different types of classroom engagement and how these different types of engagement are expected to influence gains in school readiness. Summarize the theoretical framework for this study in two to three paragraphs.

Length: 2-3 paragraphs

Minimum: 1 scholarly resource

Part II. Conceptual Framework for a Qualitative Research Study

Read pages 51 - 52 of the study entitled, Effective Teachers: An Investigation from the Perspectives of Elementary School Students (Evans, 2002). This is a qualitative research study designed to “learn what elementary school students know about effective teachers and what they value in their teachers” (Evans, 2002). Thus, the researcher is seeking to identify characteristics or descriptions of effective teachers based on the perceptions of elementary students.

The researcher interviewed 14 children in the fifth grade individually, and then he interviewed them again as a group. The researcher asked the students open-ended questions to determine their understanding of effective teachers and to identify their perceptions of effective teachers. The research questions are listed on page 52 of the article.

Miles and Huberman (1994) provide examples of conceptual frameworks for several research studies. According to the authors, the conceptual framework serves several purposes and these purposes are as follows: (a) the conceptual framework specifies who will be included in the study and who will not be included in the study, (b) the conceptual framework describes and explains the relationships that may be present according to logic, theory, and/or experience, and (c) the conceptual framework allows the researcher to gather general constructs into intellectual bins (p. 18). The conceptual framework anchors the study and the researcher will refer to the framework when analyzing and interpreting data. Read pages 18-22 in the textbook by Miles and Huberman (1994), which is located under your weekly resources.

Quite often, the conceptual framework for a study is presented as a visual diagram along with an explanation. The reading passages on pages 51 and 52 of the qualitative research study explain the conceptual framework for the study. You will also see on pages 54 and 55 that the researcher used the conceptual framework to structure and organize the study findings.

Write two to three paragraphs in which you summarize the conceptual framework for this study. It may help you to develop a visual model to summarize the conceptual framework. In your discussion, explain who will be included in the study and who will not be included in the study. Then, explain your reason for including the elementary school students. Identify the “intellectual bins” of the conceptual framework. Usually, these intellectual bins are the codes, categories, or themes that you identify when analyzing qualitative data.

Length: 2-3 paragraphs

Minimum: 1 scholarly resource

Part III. Identify a Theoretical Framework and a Conceptual Framework Related to Your Research Topic of Interest.

For the Week 1 assignment, you identified and downloaded five articles related to your research topic. Hopefully, you were able to identify at least one qualitative study and one quantitative study among these five studies. Select the two studies that are most related to your research topic of interest. The theoretical/conceptual framework for a research study is usually explained in the first few pages of a research article (the Introduction section).

Part III. Identify a Theoretical Framework and a Conceptual Framework Related to Your Research Topic of Interest.

For the Week 1 assignment, you identified and downloaded five articles related to your research topic. Hopefully, you were able to identify at least one qualitative study and one quantitative study among these five studies. Select the two studies that are most related to your research topic of interest. The theoretical/conceptual framework for a research study is usually explained in the first few pages of a research article (the Introduction section). Identify the framework for each study, and then write a summary (two to three paragraphs) of the theoretical/conceptual framework for each of the two studies. Be sure to use APA conventions in writing the summaries of the frameworks for the two articles.

Length: 2-3 paragraphs

Minimum: 1 scholarly resource

Total Length of pages for this assignment: 3-4 pages

Additional References

https://books.google.com/books?id=U4lU_-wJ5QEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Miles+and+Huberman&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAmoVChMIi5Wwj_jnxwIVwrgeCh3Z3wzy#v=onepage&q=Miles%20and%20Huberman&f=false