THEORETICAL SUPPORT: CHARACTERISTICS, WHAT IT IS FOR AND EXAMPLE - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The theoretical support of an investigation is the conglomeration of theories that serve to support the arguments that are used in an investigation to give solutions to a problem. By presenting this information somewhere in the research, the researcher demonstrates mastery of the topic under development, which gives more credibility to his work.

The conceptual definitions and working models that are selected during the construction process of an investigation also serve to give concrete form to a project. The support allows, both the reader and the person who develops the research, to make it known that the project has a theoretical support and is not something that came out of nowhere.

Usually, the theoretical support of an investigation is developed after identifying the basic questions of the project and the basic problem that the investigation is going to address. These theories must be entirely related to the content of the investigation.

characteristics

Development difficulty

Usually, developing the theoretical underpinning of an investigation is not an easy task. This is because most of the texts used during the research process do not present the theoretical information directly, but rather the methods themselves are shown.

To create a theoretical basis, the researcher must group together a large number of information sources, in order to then be able to explain the theory of all the work carried out in the project. This requires the use of various sources, which often makes the information search process difficult.

Adaptability

The theoretical support is characterized by being versatile in its meaning; that is, it can be developed no matter what type of research is being done.

In addition, there are a number of ways to develop conceptual underpinning in an investigation, each one better suited to certain types of investigation than others.

For example, in a psychological investigation the theories that are developed are usually closely related to the field of psychology.

In an investigation about inflationary problems or bank collapses, the theoretical underpinning is usually full of economic theories.

Scope

The theory presented in sustenance must have a very wide range. Most of the investigations (especially those developed in the student environment, such as postgraduate studies) must include the theory of any method applied at work.

That is, everything that is written in the research must be included in one way or another in the theoretical support.

In many cases it is also necessary that the theoretical support has original contributions to the work area by the author of the research. In particular, this also happens with research papers such as graduate theses.

However, for the most part, theoretical support should only include research theory and not present new ideas to the field of work.

This depends on the type of research being carried out and the demands of whoever supervises the project (in the student or professional field).

What is it for?

Clarification capacity

Theoretical support allows explaining everything exposed in an investigative work in a simpler and more clearly defined way.

In addition, it allows researchers to consider other options during the development of their project; therefore, it limits the margin of impartiality that exists when the developer of a job prefers one idea over another.

By clarifying the concept in its entirety, it is possible for the researcher to understand the limitations that his idea presents. That is, when an investigation is being carried out, developing the theoretical aspect makes the project developer understand how difficult it is to work with his idea.

This allows the project to take a different direction in case the developer is having trouble supporting certain theoretical aspects of their research.

Conceptualization

The theoretical support allows to conceptualize a series of ideas, which would not have a link that would unite them if it were not for the conceptual development of these. It is the basis of all analysis that is used in an investigation to develop the problem and achieve a solution or explanation.

By conceptualizing all the project data, all the information can be perceived, interpreted and made sense of in a much easier way for the researcher.

In addition, the theoretical perspective of an investigation allows the reader to have a clear idea of ​​the researcher's point of view, in order to understand the meaning of the investigation.

If the conceptualization of a project is not clear enough, it is better for the researcher to take a different approach and change the investigative part of the project.

Development

The development of the theoretical support of an investigation is related to the ideas that the researcher had to carry out said project. That is, the theoretical support explains the reason why the research is being developed.

Usually, when conducting research, some information gaps are created that cannot be filled without the development of a theoretical basis to support the project.

This gives a high level of importance to theoretical support, since it allows to eliminate fallacious theorizations during the project development process.

Critical trend

Through the development of theoretical support, anyone who reads the research can create a capacity for criticism about it by understanding the meaning of everything that is developed within it.

That is, by giving the reader the tools to understand the support of the information, he can assimilate all the work with his own judgment.

It is allowed to determine the why and how of all the research approaches. This not only helps whoever reads the project, but who carries it out.

Example

Stephen Hawking, in his graduate work published in 1966, explains all the theoretical bases of his research to support the physical and mathematical ideas that he raises in his project.

Explaining the theory in a work with high numerical mentions is extremely important, and allows people with little knowledge of the area to understand the work.

References

1. What Is A Theoretical Framework? A Practical Answer, N. & J. Lederman, 2015. Taken from springer.com
2. Researching Theoretical Frameworks, Northcentral University Library, (nd). Taken from libguides.com
3. Theoretical Framework, Statistics Solutions, (nd). Taken from statisticssolutions.com
4. Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Theoretical Framework, USC Libraries, 2013. Taken from usc.edu
5. Properties of Expanding Universes, S. Hawking, 1966. Taken from cam.ac.uk