Are there any demarcation among Research Framework, Conceptual Framework, Theoretical Framework, Structural Model or Measurement Model?

Hi Muhammad,

Conceptual framework is the framework that  you are developing after rigorous literature review & wanted to test the hypotheses associated with the framework.  Sometimes, conceptual framework also called research model or research framework by different researchers / scholars or after some refinements / fine-tuning.

Theoretical framework refers to previous theories, frameworks, models that you were reviewing during literature review.  Normally, a researcher will develop his or her conceptual framework underpinned on some theoretical frameworks that s/he has reviewed.  Usually, without theoretical frameworks to support your conceptual framework, you might expose to questioning during article review / thesis viva examination.  Theoretical frameworks are important as they serve as life-saver / base / float in which without them a conceptual framework might sink miserably.

Structural model and measurement model usually being coined when a researcher is performing a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) be it Covariance-based SEM or Variance-based SEM.  Measurement model (sometimes also called outer model) depicts the relationship between all the constructs & their respective indicators (survey questionnaire items) specified by the researcher to test for construct validity (Hair et al., 2010).  Those indicators in the measurement model are used to indicate or measure their respective constructs.  Measurement model is drawn using multivariate statistical tools like SPSS AMOS, SmartPLS etc based on the conceptual framework / research model developed by the researcher.

Structural model (sometimes also called inner model) illustrates how the dependency relationships are connecting all the constructs within a hypothesized model.  Structural model is specified from a validated measurement model (Hair et al., 2010) also using tools like AMOS, SmartPLS etc.

The flow of sequence based on time basis should be: Theoretical Framework --> Conceptual Framework / Research Framework --> Measurement Model --> Structural Model

Regards,

Fung

Dear Khalil

I think you got your detail answer of your question. I think it is enough 

I think you have different sets of things here. First, Research Framework, Conceptual Framework, Theoretical Framework are all basically the same. Then, Structural Model and Measurement Model apply to two different aspects of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), as explained by Fung.

David, I am of the opinion that Han Ping Fung's response is quite dependable enough. Theoretical framework is a projection/use of an existing theory to foreground or underpinned a research work. Whereas, a conceptual framework is a model that is developed by a researcher after rigorous literature review of existing theories or studies. So the difference lies in the fact that conceptual framework is "newly" developed by a concerned researcher, but theoretical framework involved the use of an existing theory by other scholar (s) 

I agree with Samuel's point.  Great explanation, Han Ping Fung!!

I hope I understood your question correctly  but if you are looking for a structure to a research approach I always find Crottys approach as pretty solid. He covers the majority of the components you discuss and the key areas of discussion within each.

To put it simply, conceptual framework is the one to be developed by the new researcher and theoretical framework is something which already been developed by other researchers. Hope it helps.

Your question is very timely and I think it is convenient to answer what I have said to another colleague.

The research framework has also been understood as the object of the investigation, that is, the part of objective reality where the problem to be investigated is discovered.

I agree that there is ambiguity in both terms, the definition depends on the authors.

I prefer those work that connect the concepts and are presented in models , that's what they call a conceptual framework and I do not think it's wrong, since research moves according to the limits imposed by these concepts.

These same researchers build a system of conceptual relationships which they call the theoretical framework, that is, the discourse that explains the relationship between the previously linked concepts.

Han Ping Fung gave a very profound exposition on the question. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) may seem to be less common in everyday research and publications. The following insight from Crockett (2012) may be useful.

SEM is a second-generation multivariate analysis technique that determines the extent to which an a priori theoretical model proposed by the researcher is supported by the sample (Crockett, 2012). SEM tests models that include both observed and latent variables, allowing a researcher to confirm the factor structure of a newly developed or existing psychometric instrument and thus may be used to examine the plausibility of complex, theoretical counseling models. More specifically, SEM tests models that specify how groups of variables define a construct, as well as the relationships between constructs. SEM models combine path and factor analytic methods thus allowing for the incorporation of both observed and latent variables into the model.

Hello Muhammad

I will just add to Han Ping Fung’s elaborate response.

In psychology, Conceptual could mean representation of the variable that you cannot see (of feel) with your senses. For example, I cannot see thoughts of my research participants, but I can measure them by conceptualizing that when an individual answers a questionnaire, I will know what he/she thinks about a subject matter.

Conceptual could also mean that a researcher identified logical connections between 2 theories (or just variables in one theory) when studying these theories. The logical connections reflect the relationships (if…, then…) between concrete variables. The relationships are then, placed into a statistical model (quantitative) or explored using qualitative design first.

Theoretical framework on paper is a short description of major theoretical concepts and their relationships in brief; only those that you will use in your study (1-2 pages).

Structural and measurement models are taken from previous research on your topic; they could be slightly expended or minimized, depending on your conceptual framework.

I like the book by Andy Field “Discovering Statistics: Using IBM SPSS Statistics;” there is very illustrative material on modeling. There is a website of his too.