Theoretical foundation (in a research or thesis): definition and parts

What is the theoretical foundation of a research, thesis or project, and what are its parts?

In every research project there should always be a section or section in which we explain to the reader what is the theoretical basis on which our study is based. This theoretical and conceptual framework will serve as a basis for arguing the project or the thesis you want to defend.

In this article we explain you how to elaborate the foundation, which are its parts and objectives, as well as the functions that this section fulfills in a research study.

What is the theoretical foundation of a research study?

According to William Daros, Argentine researcher and professor of philosophy, in any investigation that is self-respecting.there must be a frame or theoretical foundation that fulfills the following functions:

1. Enabling the description of problems in a body of knowledge.

Since the old theories do not seem to explain the current problem, it is a matter of generating new ones, so that the problems have a new meaning in reference to them.The new theories should be used so that the problems have a new meaning in reference to them.

2. Making sense of the facts or phenomena

The theoretical foundation of a project or research should guide the organization of the facts or phenomena. should guide the organization of the facts or phenomena studied.. What is a fact in one theory may not be the same "fact" in another.

3. To be the integrating axis of the whole research process.

Without the theoretical foundation, the problem makes no sense, nor can we proceed to elaborate a methodological design with which to test the hypotheses proposed.

4. To be a fundamental instrument for the analysis of the problems.

This analysis implies considering the parts separately (abstraction), by considering them in terms of a totality.. This information is then enriched by the synthesis (in which the parts meet the composition).

How to elaborate the theoretical framework in a research

The elaboration of the theoretical foundation in a thesis or research work is part of one of the fundamental tasks when it comes to constructing and and support a work that requires large doses of patience, perseverance and curiosity.. At the end of the day, it is a matter of asking questions such as what research has been done so far; who, how and where it has been done; or posing new hypotheses that generate answers that, in turn, generate new questions.

All research must refer to a system or a theoretical orientation in which to situate itself.. Unless a researcher invents his or her own theory, in general most research attempts to add new hypotheses and data to studies that have been conducted previously.

Hence, in order to construct this section it is essential to review and analyze the existing literature. review and analyze the existing bibliographyThis will allow us to reaffirm our own theoretical convictions or, on the contrary, to discard them or to underline the differences found.

In addition to gathering and analyzing the bibliographical references, it is necessary to formulate hypotheses that can be demonstrated in the course of the study.. The researcher needs to present answers that anticipate the questions of a fact or a specific social phenomenon.

It is convenient to formulate the central argument of the research, which will later be contrasted with empirical data. It is therefore a matter of having a theoretical intuition that guides the whole study.

Each research project will use its own particular arguments and ideas, although all of them should describe the basic concepts to be used, based on the theory on which they are based.

And finally, every researcher must make explicit the objectives and purpose of his or her work: the why and what for.Finally, every researcher must explain the objectives and purpose of his work: the why and what for of his research, so that questions such as: What do I want to achieve with this study? or what concepts and arguments will I use to demonstrate this hypothesis? are answered.

Your objectives

The framework or theoretical foundation is nothing more than the demonstration of our theoretical position or argument on which we base the research study, as well as the ideas on which we base our hypothesis.It is also the ideas with which we relate and the judgments we share or do not share with other authors.

The main objectives of this section are the following:

1. Developing research from an innovative perspective

We try to be pioneers in the ideas and to mark the to mark the differences with other authors.

To situate the object of study within a framework of knowledge.

It is also necessary to use a set of concrete theoretical definitions.

3. Present a glossary of terms and ideas

This glossary is based on the terms that will be used during the analysis of the research topic. during the analysis of the research topic.

4. To grant reliability or trustworthiness to the choice of a methodology.

The use of measurement instruments, the data collection process and the way to evaluate the results are justified.

Parts of a theoretical foundation

The framework or theoretical foundation of a research is usually divided into several sections: the bibliographical background, the theoretical bases and the definition of terms. Let us see what each of them consists of.

Bibliographic background

This section of the theoretical foundation section should include the background should include the background of the research, i.e., all previous work and research that is relevant to the approach and objectives of the current study.that is, all previous works and research that are related to the approach and objectives of the current study.

The information gathered in this section can be either books or publications in scientific journals, whether articles, compilations, compilations, or publications in scientific journals.whether they are articles, compilations, meta-analyses, etc.

In general, there are two types of background information: theoretical background information, which is all that which arises from sources such as books or documentation, and which presents ideas or theories on a particular subject; and field background information, which is all that research that is carried out with subjects or in the experimental setting, with the aim of collecting numerical data or descriptive information on a particular fact.

Theoretical bases

Theoretical bases are a set of concepts and theories that constitute the point of view or the determined approach that the author has used to explain that the author has used to explain what the research study consists of and what it is based on.

The theoretical basis section constitutes the central nucleus of any research study, since it is on these theories that the work in question is built. If there is a good theoretical basis, the study will be better founded and will have greater validity. In addition, they can be divided according to their nature into psychological, philosophical, legal, among others, depending on what needs to be argued in the study.

Definition of terms

In this section of the theoretical foundation, the author will try to define the terms of the words and concepts that he will use in his research, through the use of technical language and with the objective of allowing the reader to better understand the study, as well as to give coherence and meaning to it.

In short, the objective of this section is to describe, analyze and establish the meaning of the most abstruse concepts. establish the meaning of the most abstruse concepts or those that may present a certain ambiguity, and which require, on the part of the reader, the use of technical language.and which require, on the part of the author, a more detailed analysis in order to understand the study in its context and with precision.